The Prayer
At the request of Grandmother Margaret, horseback riders, healers and earth educators answered the call to retrace the exodus of her ancestors. In 1875, the Cheyenne had been settled against their will on an Indian Territory reservation in present day Oklahoma. Despite peaceful efforts on the part of the Cheyenne, they were not allowed to return to their home in Tongue River county, Montana. In 1878, approximately three hundred Cheyenne, escaped deplorable conditions, painfully separating the tribe. Some Cheyenne could not physically make the journey, as disease and famine had set in. Others made the difficult decision to stay, so as to not break up their families. When government officials learned of the escape, thousands of soldiers were sent to pursue the newly labeled “renegades”. The Cheyenne were greatly out numbered and the long journey back to Lame Deer, Montana was ladened with massacre. Longing for their homeland, the Cheyenne were determined and would not retreat.
The intention of the ride is to cleanse the blood-stained land of the Cheyenne from both sides. The wisdom of the ancestors lives deep in the soil of this nation. It is time to cultivate the seeds of the wisdom that Indigenous people died to protect. Led by Grandmother Margaret and the Cheyenne ancestors, prayer and healing ceremonies will be held at sites of sacrifice along the route. It is the wisdom of the ancestors that will be greatly honored and carried in peace in the hearts of our riders. Embracing these teachings, our earth and all Her children may begin to forgive and heal.
The group will leave June 1, 2012, from Fort Reno, and travel the 1,391 miles, to Lame Deer, Montana and arrive July 26, 2012. There, the Council ceremonies will honor the journey, and as healing sacred teachers, the Spirit of the Horse.