Quechan tribal members share memories of long walk

The miles of road often felt too long and her aching knees would beg her to stop.

But those moments are when Yolanda Escalante would hear the spirit of her great-grandmother whisper in the Quechan people's ancient tongue, urging Escalante to continue her march to Washington, D.C.

The Winterhaven, Calif., woman, now back home from The Longest Walk 2, recalls how she would hug even tighter a framed photograph of her great-grandmother that she was carrying out on the road and continue walking with even more determination to bring awareness to protecting Native American sacred sites.

"Some days were so extremely hot. That was part of my meditation that kept me going, knowing that she was proud of me," Escalante said. "I know she was there all along watching over me."

Escalante and several other members of the Quechan Indian Tribe recently walked various segments of The Longest Walk 2, a political and spiritual event that inspired people fighting for the preservation of sacred sites to walk 4,329 miles from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. The walk spanned from Feb. 11 to July 11.

One young Quechan singer, Jefferson Lewis, walked with his ceremonial tin-can rattle and met up with walkers in Oklahoma. Escalante and two friends, mother and son Elsie and Billy Rea, joined up in Tennessee.

The Quechan walkers were greeted in Washington by the cheers of numerous family members, friends and tribal elders who drove from Arizona and California to support the walkers and take part in celebrations and protest events.

The Longest Walk 2 was organized by sometimes-controversial Native American activist Dennis Banks, best known for co-founding the American Indian Movement.

"Oh, he is a great leader, a very strong and up-front leader for Native Americans," Escalante said. "He is a great man. It was an honor to walk with him. He always said to us 'You are making history. You will always be remembered for The Longest Walk.'"

The mission statement for the event, which was an encore to a similar walk held 30 years ago, read: "We shall walk for the Seventh Generation, for our youth, for peace, for justice, for healing of Mother Earth, for the healing of our people suffering from diabetes, heart conditions, alcoholism, drug addiction and other diseases."

The Quechan tribal members told The Sun prior to the walk that they supported the preservation efforts of all tribes and peoples, but were also taking their own local issues to the political table.

Specifically, Escalante and her friends said they wanted to bring attention to a gold mine threatening sacred Quechan running grounds, as well as the current casino project under way near a mountain considered by some Quechan to be sacred.

Escalante said that representing her people, their way of life and their land humbled her greatly as she walked mile after mile on her long journey. She stressed that she was particularly proud when Jefferson and Rea's special Quechan music would ring out so very far away from home.

"That made me so very proud. Those two young men carried our songs miles away."

Escalante and the Reas joined the walk in Chattanooga, Tenn. They drove into town around midnight and the group was already fast asleep at a public park. Banks himself, met the Quechan travelers at the park's front gates and welcomed them into the fold.

In addition to people from numerous tribes around the country, the participants in the group ranged from Caucasian Americans concerned about the planet to a group of Buddhist monks and nuns from Japan.

"It was a good feeling to see all the races," Escalante said. "There is so much turmoil and so much bad blood between races and when you see (everyone together), it's really a good feeling. We were all walking for the same reason."

Several of the Buddhist monks were drawn to the photograph Escalante was carrying and they asked if they could bless her great-grandmother.

"She was famous out there," Escalante said. "The Japanese bowed down and gave her blessings. A lot of journalists also got shots of her."

A number of national-level journalists traveled with the walkers. Newspaper reporters in many towns also followed along for a short while.

"Every morning we would be woken up at 5 a.m. by the monks chanting and playing drums," Escalante recalled fondly. "We would roll up our tents and sleeping bags and only had an hour to get ready to walk."

Prior to taking off each day, the group would circle up to dole out that day's chores and jobs, plus to pray and to smudge each other with sacred smoke.

"We prayed all the time. We were always in prayer," Escalante said.

The group covered a considerable distance each day. Their longest haul in one day was 22 miles.

"We walked fast, too. It was not a leisure walk. It wasn't for R and R," Escalante said. "The staff holder led us, he was 74, but he ran the Boston Marathon before the walk! He walked quickly and when he was leading, we had to walk his pace."

Several people collapsed during the journey for various reasons, and help was given by nearby support vehicles.

"I didn't have any problems with my feet. Everyone else did. My left knee got inflamed, though," Escalante said, stressing that the journey truly was physically grueling at times. "It was a sacrifice. We really did suffer, but it was for the good of the people and for a good cause."

The walkers' arrival in Washington was covered by news outlets ranging from CNN to Telemundo, and numerous celebrities traveled to Washington to celebrate with participants. Escalante saw singer Harry Belafonte and actors Johnny Depp and Danny Glover.

"Some of the walkers were crying when we arrived. I felt so proud of being Native American. I didn't see tribes. We were just one and we had just walked for one cause and I held my great-grandmother's picture with pride.

"It was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. It's something I'll never forget."

Escalante shared how her mother summed up the walkers' experience in the Quechan language: "Nyam-maam ats-aa-ver-k. It's accomplished. We are done."


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Darin Fenger can be reached at
dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.