January/February 2001 Living Now
The Condor and the Eagle
by Linda Neale
The Earth & Spirit Council has the privilege to participate
in the realization of one of the most potent prophecies of our time:
the coming together of the 'Eagle and the Condor.' This is the next
phase in the journey that Earth & Spirit began with Flavio Santi's
presentation at the "Natural Way: Indigenous Voices" Series
which presents an indigenous elder each month to speak to the question:
"What are the most important teachings from your tradition
regarding sustainable living; living in balance with the Earth?"
Most of the teachers who have been presented have been indigenous
people from the Pacific Northwest. But in May 2000, we had the rare
opportunity to host Flavio Santi, a Quichwa/Shuar Indian from the
Amazon region of Ecuador, who has been active in organizing the
indigenous people of his region to save their rain forest home from
destruction by petroleum companies. Flavio is president of the Wanduk
Yachay Foundation and president of the Organization of Indian Peoples
of Pastaza (his province in the Ecuadorean Amazon).
Flavio spoke and met with North American Indian people and participated
in ceremonies with important elders. They exchanged myths and songs,
and participated in many ceremonies, including a Lakota Sun Dance.
At this ceremony Flavio was presented with eagle and condor feathers,
and he recounted his people's story of the meeting of the Eagle
and the Condor -- the union of the Native spirit of North and South.
The Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor stretches back thousands
of years to the first great civilizations of Central and South America
when Pachakamak (God of Time) created Inti (sun) and Quilla (moon)
from the merging of its tears. From this came the Runas (the People)
and the Eagle and Condor. The Runas have experienced many difficult
times since the "creation", but the Prophecy states that
when the People work, search and persevere in their quest for liberation,
the Eagle and the Condor, the symbols of North and South respectively,
will come together, and their tears will merge, cleanse the People's
wounds, strengthen them and give birth to a new spirit which will
unite all the Peoples of North, Central and South America.
Flavio had had no prior knowledge about indigenous peoples of North
America, but as he heard the histories of how lands were lost, communities
shattered, cultures and languages destroyed, sacred places violated,
he recognized the parallels between this process and what has now
begun to happen to his people in the Amazon rain forest.
For a people such as the Native people of the Amazon, who are facing
the beginning of this process, discovering the story of another
Native people who have been down this road and managed to survive
against all odds was inspiring and valuable. It was also inspiring
for local Native Americans to learn that indigenous cultures survive
in the Amazon basin. As a local Native person said after meeting
Flavio,
"It gives us strength to know that there are Indians who are
still living in freedom, who are still living the sacred way of
life which was forcibly taken away from us but whose values are
still at the heart of our spirit."
Earth & Spirit Council has been invited by Flavio and the People
of the Amazon to participate in bringing together the Eagle and
the Condor by taking the Elders that had ceremony with Flavio here
to his village of Amazanga in Ecuador. There the Elders of the North
(the Eagle) and the Elders of the South (the Condor) will join in
ceremony and exchange knowledge in the sacred tradition of the 'Eagle
and the Condor'.
Earth & Spirit would like to extend to you the opportunity
to participate in the fulfillment of this great prophecy. This momentous
event cannot happen without the participation of many people, from
both North and South, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. For, as Flavio
said in his talk, “we are all one people.” Earth &
Spirit will need to collect $7500 by mid January in order to send
the Elders and an interpreter to Amazanga.
There are plans to bring Flavio to Portland again next year, hopefully
accompanied by an elder shaman from his village. Flavio's people
also hope to create a "natural university" in the rainforest
to help share their ecological, shamanic, and medicinal knowledge
with the world, Indians and non-Indians alike. The exchange of Elders
between North and South is the first step in this process.
Please join with us in this great event by giving a donation to
The Eagle & Condor - Elder's Travel fund. Since we have little
time in which to gather the funds, we would appreciate large donations,
although any amount is appreciated. Please make your check payable
to Earth & Spirit Council and send it to: 6200 SW Virginia #210,
Portland, OR 97201. Your donation is tax deductible (Tax Id # 93-1077251).
Thank you for your care and support,
If you would like more information regarding Earth & Spirit
Council or the Eagle & Condor - Elders' Exchange Fund, please
call 503-452-4483 or visit our website at http://www.earthandspirit.org
Note: An email list, called Wayusa (after a plant
that the Native people of the Ecuadorean Amazon drink daily in order
to promote clarity of dreaming) has been created for supporters
of Flavio's people. Information on it can be found at www.egroups.com/group/Wayusa, and
subscription via email to Wayusa-subscribe@egroups.com.