It began in 1994 following the birth of a White Buffalo Calf, the 19th Generation Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe for the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Nations— Arvol Looking Horse, was directed to honor the Four Directions with ceremony on Summer Solstice/June 21st. According to Lakota Star Knowledge, the birth of “Miracle,” a female white buffalo, signaled a time of Earth changes and the coming of The Mending of the Hoop of all Nations. The Summer Solstice is said to be a powerful time to pray for peace and harmony among all Living Beings. Grandmother Earth’s gifts; the air, water, plant, animal, and rock nations must be allowed to heal if we are to live in harmony with Her.
2017 Hawai'i Island will mark the 22nd year of World Peace and Prayer Day (WPPD), vision of all nations, all faiths sharing one prayer for healing.
WPPD has been hosted at sacred sites in communities all over the world including Mt. Fuji, Ireland, South Africa, the Black Hills, Mexico City, New Zealand, Brazil, Grey Horn Butte (Devils Tower), including many other sacred sites.
There are specific reasons for choosing to WPPD 2017 on Hawai'i Island with ceremonies on June 21st at Mauna Kea.
In June of 2016, Hōkūle’a made a historic arrival in its’ journey to New York. New York, ancestral home to the Iroquois also known as the Haudenosaunee. These people are responsible for influencing the Founding Fathers by teaching them the principles of the Great Law of Peace which were later incorporated into what is now the three branches of government in the United States of America. The ancestral land that is now called New York has a deep history of indigenous people learning to cooperate and live together in peace. Also a very important lesson for today that has been forgotten.
To welcome Hōkūle’a on her historic visit to New York, Chief Arvol Looking Horse joined Pua Case, Native Hawai'ian Cultural Practitioner and Kumu Hula. The week was filled with beautiful celebration, song, dance, and prayer as diverse tribes gathered to witness and participate in the birthing of something hopeful for all of humanity. During the time shared, Chief Looking Horse spoke with Pua Case asking for permission to host WPPD on Hawai'i Island in June of 2017. Normally traditional ceremony does not allow for cameras or video, but this important moment needed to be captured and shared with the world.
In the words of Pua Case, the cultural ambassador from Hawai'i who has accepted the role of organizing on behalf of the host culture for June 21, 2017:
“Mauna Kea, also known as Mauna a Wakea (Mountain of Sky Father), is a place where the heavens and earth converge. It’s regarded as a kupuna, a revered and respected elder, an ancestor. Mauna a Wakea is a sacred piko, the navel of Hawai’i situated in the middle of the Pacific as the tallest mountain in the world from the sea floor, its physical prominence stationed nearest to the heavens holds a spi ritual significance for Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawai'ians), a significance that can be expressed in likening this mountain to a sacred altar. This sacred mountain holds mana (spiritual and divine powers) and is a focal point of spiritual and cultural significance to connect with the ancestors, energy and life forces, as well as the ancestral realms. Mauna a Wakea is a place to connect in union with the divine Aloha of the Creator.
"It is time for all to connect with Aloha to Hawai‘i Island with its verdant rainforests, active lava flows, majestic mountains, and cultural traditions. This is an integral time for us to raise our level of consciousness and understanding that the care and protection of our lands and waters, from the mountain to the sea, is part of our kuleana (responsibility). The cultural perspective of aloha ‘aina, to have sincere love and respect for the land and nature, is at the heart of Hawai'ian traditions.”
WPPD encompasses more than just the ceremony and call to prayer on the June 21st Solstice. Each year, delegations of spiritual and cultural leaders come from around the world to join with local community leaders in offering prayers and sharing wisdom over a four day ceremonial period.
For 2017, global delegates will gather with local leaders, cultural practitioners and supporters at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park for ceremony, cultural presentations, discussions, storytelling and wisdom sharing sessions on June 18, 19 and 20th. (Although some sessions will be open to the public, please note that the requirements of the venue and cultural protocols will keep the gathering to a modest size.) The gathering will allow participants to exchange traditional knowledge and current efforts on cultural and community issues with each other and the younger generation of leaders, bringing new possibilities and solutions home with them.
Meanwhile on Oʻahu, a week of festivities has been planned by the Polynesian Voyaging Society to welcome the Hōkūleʻa back to her home. During these events, the navigators and educators will talk about WPPD, and the crew will offer prayers on June 21st at their sacred site: the ocean.
The Pacific Ocean and her people were at one, all part of the royal 'Maharlika' Kingdom ("the enlightened ones"), rich in culture, abundance, peace and connected through Mother Earth's waters as family. These deep roots and cultural traditions have not been forgotten and in recent years connections have been restoring as Elders and Grandmothers have been communing in ceremony and reunion. WWPD is a beautiful opportunity for these culturally rich legacies and families ties to reunite, exchange traditional knowledge, historic stories and current efforts on cultural endeavors in restoring and protecting their traditions and relationship with Mother Earth.
In choosing Hawaiʻi as this yearʻs WPPD site, prayers will be offered for the heavens at Mauna Kea and for the highest fresh water at Lake Waiau; for the entire Earth through offerings to the sacred fire at Kilauea; and for the ocean by the Hōkūlea voyagers. Island people from the Pacifica, as family, who cannot journey to Hawai'i, are invited to do the same in their territory, honoring their sacred sites and traditions, with their own sacred practices, to join in one peace and one prayer on 21 June 2017. All people of the world are welcome!
Ancient prophecies throughout the world have predicted this time…when population growth, over consumption, depletion of our natural resources and pollution would severely damage our Earth’s life-sustaining capabilities. It has become Chief Looking Horse’s personal commitment as the “Keeper of the Sacred Bundle” to assist in the fulfillment of the Mending of the Hoop of all Nations. Besides his work with his own community, meeting with global and spiritual leaders around the world and speaking and offering prayers at Universities and environmental symposiums, (including the United Nations); Chief Looking Horse’s mission with WPPD has already made tremendous contributions to the progress of Earth Awareness and World Peace.
2017 World Peace and Prayer Day video
World Peace and Prayer Day's website http://worldpeaceandprayerday.com/
Huffington Post article by Jacob Devaney http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lakota-chief-to-honor-hawaiian-sacred-sites-in-2017_us_5860424ae4b068764965bd32