In October of 1992 more than 100 Native writers, artists and wisdom-keepers gathered at Taos Pueblo to address the ongoing issues affecting Indigenous Peoples throughout the western hemisphere that became known as Our Visions.
Sponsored by The Morning Star Institute and The 1992 Alliance, the collective work of these visionaries through Our Visions lead to the Statement of Vision Toward the Next 500 Years.
The collective brain-trust included Oren Lyons and Suzan Shown Harjo, as co-chairs, and Marcus Amerman, James Anaya, Cecil Antone, Thomas Banyacya, David Bradley, Walt Bresette, Mildred Cleghorn, Benito Concha, Vine Deloria, Jr., Heid Erdrich, Jodi Gillette, Joy Harjo, Bob Haozous, Allen Houser, N. Scott Momaday, George Morrison, Allen V. Pinkham, Sr., Tom Porter, Lonnie Selam, Jesse Taken Alive, Robert W. Trepp, Lois Risling, Mateo Romero, Emmett White, Alex White Plume, Rick Williams, Sally Williams, Susan M. Williams and many more who gathered over four days—all while never once mentioning Columbus.
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In October 2012, Suzan Shown Harjo revisited Our Visions and the statement in a column for ICMN:
“We, the Indigenous Peoples of this red quarter of Mother Earth, have survived 500 years of genocide, ethnocide, ecocide, racism, oppression, colonization and christianization. These excesses of western civilization resulted from contempt for Mother Earth and all our relations; contempt for women, elders, children and Native Peoples; and contempt for a future beyond the present human generation. Despite this, we are here.”
Below are images from the Our Visions gathering in 1992.
This story was originally published October 8, 2012.
