U.S. Indigenous Peacebuilding Summit & Mohawk Bear Clan Mother

From left, Jonel Beauvais, Louise Herne, Mohawk Bear Clan Mother, Kanatison, Elder
​Eagle and Condor in Hand

                                                                      

​A historic gathering of momentous potential occurred recently in Washington D.C. April 12-13, 2024. Fifty Indigenous leaders from North America and around the world came together to establish the First Global Summit on Indigenous Peacebuilding under the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).


They came to unite and commit their hearts, their minds and their spirits, for peace to reign not only in our country but globally. Important relationships were fostered and formed during this most significant gathering of souls. Louise Herne, Mohawk Bear Clan Mother of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, opened the summit.


She stood not alone, but with an honored elder, Kanatison and Kaianenhawis, both woman of high-standing from her clan. With Eagle Wing in hand, she spoke of the prophesy of the Northern Eagle flying with the Condor of the South. Just as she uttered the words, she was given the condor feather in support by a representative from a region in South America. The moment spoke volumes to many.


“The words before all else,” was a powerful and deeply-moving prayer she graced upon the room, the people and the land. One could say it was an Invocation as she called-in the four sacred directions, all relations of the earth, the sky, the mineral, the insect, the plant, the fish and animal kingdoms, and not forgetting in the least, the Haudenosaunee ancestors and the Creator.


When the Bear Clan Mother finished, Jonel Beauvais (Kaianenhawis) stepped forward. She spoke in a gentle tone but with strong presence, and reminded everyone to remember to represent the love from whence they came. She closed by singing a Medicine Song, and that’s when the past and the future wove itself together into the present moment. It was potent.


President and CEO, of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Lisa Grande spoke first and informed all that the USIP was first established by U.S. Congress in 1984. She then introduced U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Halaad, (Turquoise Clan, Laguna, Pueblo, NM) who delivered a stirring keynote packed with vision, compassion and far-reaching goals that lifted all who were present. 


Those that spoke after her, each with their own perspective and gifts of inspiration, captivated everyone with their honesty and their truth. But Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild of the Confederacy of Treaty, Six First Nations, took our hearts as we watched him struggle to stand while speaking due to, what he called, sport-injuries from his past.  He was brought a chair and the symptoms abated. All his words and efforts were appreciated.  


Overall, the finest moments for me came when Deb Halaad spoke of the Haudenosaunee and honored them….


The Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy, are the Original Keepers of the Great Law of Peace - The Gayanashagowa or Great Binding Law; that which inspired and helped to create the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. 


Bear Clan Mother and her people were given worthy recognition and leading positions in what promises to be a strong movement for peace-building in the world. No matter who gets elected in 2024, we now know the Peacemakers have united in America. This is huge, and they will continue to gain strength and vigor, from this moment onward, as humanity aligns in right ways on the Path of Peace, Strength and Healing.



Author
Kristen Farquhar
Lady Freedom Circle

Website
​www.somaticsoundtherapeutics.com

Photograph
​Screenshot USIP

Link to watch Indigenous Peacebuilding Summit 
https://www.youtube.com/live/v2CbQny4L9g?si=EdZY3t_UARXtxv44




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