Thank you to all involved with Flagstaff’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day

During Flagstaff’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day event, Klee Benally’s protest on behalf of many tribes was and is important. And the many speakers were eloquent, none more so than Samantha Honanie’s painful story of healing and hope.

For me, the highlight was the dancing, not just “dancing” as James Junes pointed out, rather “teaching”, teaching truth and beauty and imparting a little bit of power to all present connecting us to the past and, as importantly, the future (thank you Little Warriors), a future of increased collaboration.

Thank you White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers, Puukanghoyas-Warrior Twins, Hualapai Big Sandy Bird Singers and Dancers, Yavapai-Apache Little Warriors and Bird Dancers, and Mayor Evans (in particular for respecting protest) and Council, and Chair Catherine Esquivel and planning committee for the brief respite to help motivate our struggle to honor treaties and responsibilities to Native Americans, and to respect the rights of all, because, as multiple speakers reminded us, all humans are created equal.

JOHN NYSTEDT

Flagstaff