Assembly Resolution
By the Honorable Sally J. Lieber
Twenty-second Assembly District; Relative to commending the leadership and
wisdom of the
International
Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
Whereas, In
original tribal cultures, the Grandmothers’ Council was honored as the
final authority on many important tribal matters, including the waging of
war; and
Whereas, On October 11, 2004, 13 indigenous grandmothers from all over
the world including the Arctic Circle, North, South and Central America,
Africa and Asia, arrived at Tibet House’s Menla
mountain retreat amidst 340 acres of forests, fields and streams in upstate
New York; and
Whereas, Within a few days of convening, the grandmothers agreed to form
a global alliance, to work together to serve both their common goals and
their specific local concerns to pass down the traditions which reach
younger generations to save the earth, pray and strive for unity and world
peace, and
Whereas, At the end of the conference, the grandmothers created a
statement of intent of their new global alliance, declaring; We come
together to nurture, educate and train our children; we come together to
uphold the practice of our ceremonies and to affirm the right to use our
plant medicines free of legal restrictions, we come together to protect the
lands where our peoples live and upon which our cultures depend, to
safeguard the collective heritage of our traditional medicines, and to
defend the earth herself; we believe that the teachings of our ancestors
will light our way through an uncertain future; and
Whereas, The grandmothers whose names are Aama
Bombo (Tamang/Nepal),
Margaret Behan (Cheyenne-Arapaho), Rita Pitka Blumenstein (Yup’ik), Julieta Casimiro (Mazatec), Marie Alice Campos Freire
(Brazil), Flordemayo (Mayan), Tsering
Dolma Gyaltong (Tibet),
Beatrice Long Visitor Holy Dance, (Oglala
Lakota), Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance (Oglala
Lakota), Agnes Baker Pilgrim (Takelma-Siletz),
Mona Polacca (Hopi-Havasupai-Tewa),
Bernadette Rebienot (Omyene,
Africa), and Clara Shinobu Iura (Brazil), will meet every six months, traveling
the world to cultivate their unified prayer, and
Whereas, The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers
are linked with the earth and, to them, respecting the fundamental laws of
nature are not new concepts, but he ancient teachings of their ancestors
passed down from generation to generation, and
Whereas, The grandmothers bring hope to a world
that is disconnected from the fundamental laws of nature and the original
teachings based on a respect for all of life, and
Whereas, Today, we celebrate the joining together of both ancient and
modern traditions in order to preserve ancient wisdom and care for the
future; now, therefore be it Resolved by the Assembly Member Sally J Lieber, that she honors the work of the International
Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, a very special group of
indigenous women who are leading a global movement to revive the
traditions, rituals, and medicines to save the earth.
Members Resolution No 1421
Dated this 27th day of April, 2006
Honorable Sally J. Lieber
22nd Assembly District
