Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Picture courtesy Paula Giese
(Passed away, summer 1997)

"Message from Arvol Looking Horse"

By way of Paula Horne,
Secretary to Chief Arvol Looking Horse
Thursday, February 11, 1999

Copyright © 1999 Horne/Looking Horse
All Rights Reserved

To who it may concern:

I would like to inform you that the fourth "World Peace and Prayer Day" will take place in the South in Costa Rica. We have circled from the West at Grey Horn Butte, WY in 1996, to the North at the Joseph Big Head Reserve Cree Nation in 1997, to the East in Pipestone Monument in Pipestone, MN in 1998. The four directions.

World Peace and Prayer Day is the fulfillment of prophecy from our ancestors, not only Lakota, but that of other Peoples’ of Earth. This is not a personal agenda. Chief Looking Horse is the catalyst for the vision he keeps, an inherited responsibility of what the White Buffalo Calf Pipe stands for - Peace - with the ancestral vision of obtaining Peace through the help of the spirituality of all Peoples! The vision and endeavor is for all people from all cultures and beliefs to come together and pray for Global Healing. If we view our ways as ethnocentric we destroy the very empowerment that fully obtains the connection with the Creator.

We are accepting people’s gifts from the Creator, according to each person’s ability, as offered, to make this possible. This can be music, such as the Willie Nelson’s support by doing a March 17th benefit concert at the Albuquerque, N. E. Ballroom and other venues to ease the financial burden. We are presently negotiating with the Eagles for a venue on the 23rd of April at the Tingley Stadium, in Albuquerque.

In October 1998, we attended a conference sponsored by NASA. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. NASA invited indigenous spiritual elders and advisors to discuss the scientific findings of environmental problems; such as ozone depletion and it's inevitable devastating consequences upon all life on earth. This conference gave us clear confirmation that our work was not only timely but precisely what was needed on a global level. For it is the indigenous people who still hold and understand the ways to communicate with Mother Earth through her sacred sites. It is important that the rest of the world understand this vital concept.

We are asking for as much support as possible to bring this to its utmost success our Mother Earth deserves. Keep in mind we are asking the people of the world to activate their local sacred sites on this day, June 21st, 1999.

Arvol would like to also communicate with you to see if you could possibly attend the next gathering in Costa Rica. He has had contact with Dali Lama and right now Dali Lama is seeing if this is possible. Goldie Hawn has also committing to try to assist in inviting people.

Our address is:
World Peace & Prayer Day
P.O. Box 421
Spearfish, SD 57783

Please try to get back to us as soon as possible.

Mitakuye Oyasin,

Paula Horne
Secretary to Chief Arvol Looking Horse

P.S. Bio of Chief Looking Horse follows.

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Biography

Chief Arvol Looking Horse

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Arvol Looking Horse was born on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota in 1954. Raised by his Grandparents Lucy and Thomas Looking Horse, he learned the culture and spiritual ways of the Lakota. He speaks both Lakota and English. At age twelve he was given the enormous responsibility of becoming the 19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, the youngest in history. He has felt, on many occasions, overwhelmed by inheriting such a responsibility of the Lakota, Dakota & Nakota Nations at such a young age. He was raised in an era and lay witness to the suppression of his peoples' spiritual practices. He decided to "work for change and let the world know how beautiful our way of life is, so the seventh generation can have a better future."

His life has revolved around his commitment to work towards religious freedom, cultural survival and revival.

In 1986 as one of the spiritual leaders of the Bigfoot Riders, they initiated a prophecy known as "Mending the Sacred Hoop of the Nation." Chief Looking Horse honored the healing journey by riding with the Bigfoot Riders every December 15-29th in severe temperatures, which all the committed Bigfoot Riders endured to understand the immensity of the hardship of Chief Bigfoot and his band. They are proud to have touched the spirit of the people that gave so much for our way of life.

In 1993 Chief Looking Horse traveled to New York with Elders of different Nations to for the United Nations "Cry of the Earth" Conference where he did the opening prayer. The Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization invited him to Holland, Netherlands to pray for Peace & Unity in 1994.

The birth of the Sacred White Buffalo in Wisconsin, in 1994 directed him to begin another spiritual journey of a four year commitment to organize World Peace & Prayer Day on June 21st in the four directions. Bringing awareness to the Prophesies with a call to secure the sacredness of the sacred sites that dwell every 100 miles around Mother Earth.

In 1996, he journeyed from Wahpeton Dakota Reservation, Saskatchewan on the "Unity Ride", where the Bigfoot Riders rode horses to Devils Tower, properly named "Grey Horn Butte (He Hota Paha)", site of the first World Peace and Prayer gathering. The second year of the World Peace & Prayer Day was hosted by Chief Sundown of the Joseph Bighead Reserve in Canada, which was followed by a four year commitment of the "Unity Ride", that continues this year in Canada, starting on June 21st. The third year gathering takes place in Pipestone, Minnesota, where the sacred blood of the people lie in a vein of stone which is quarried to make the sacred pipes. This particular gathering is a call to the seventh generation to run from the different Nations, along with the Bigfoot Unity Riders riding from the east beginning at Birch Coulee, another massacre site during the 1862 Dakota Sioux Uprising, where 38 Dakotas were hung in Mankato.

New Orleans honored Chief Looking Horse by proclaiming August 27th as "White Buffalo Day" where he was given the key to the city by the mayor in 1996. Chief Looking Horse was awarded the prestigious Canadian Wolf Award in 1996, given to a person who has dedicated their life to working for Peace. The first award was presented to Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa. Arvol was invited to speak on peace and unity at the Clinton's 1996 inauguration.

Since the early 90's, Chief Looking Horse has been on the Board of the Society of Peace and Prayer that plants Peace Poles around the world, carrying the inscription "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in four different languages. The next Peace Pole will be planted at Pipestone, MN during the World Peace and Prayer Day 1998.

In 1998, he spoke on sacred sites & freedom of religion before the Special Reporter of the United Nations. It was the first time in history that a representative of the U.N. came to the US to listen & compile concerns for discussion at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland concerning indigenous religious freedom.

Chief Looking Horse has worked on international peace processes and global healing. Some of his work includes traveling to Iraq to pray for peace, acting on the spiritual advise of Elders from his Nation who feared a great war if the Lakota did not pray for peace.

He traveled to South Africa to meet with spiritual leader Desmond Tutu on global healing and World Peace and Prayer Day. In 1995 he met with the Dali Lama to establish a relationship between Tibet and the Lakota Nation.

Chief Looking Horse also assists in retrieving the remains of the ancestors from museums such as the Smithsonian. He continues to work towards the repatriation of sacred bundles and human remains in an effort to bring respect and ritual rites back to the sacred. His work has been endless in lecturing on religious freedom, protection of sacred sites and cultural survival. His living legacy is to bring pride and restoration back to the Lakota, Dakota & Nakota lands, culture and spirituality.