Running trail

Rachel Sue Whitaker Senn believes everything happens for a reason. That's why she considers her move to Tempe, Ariz., when she was 10 years old, an act of fate.

Shortly after Senn's father's death, her mother moved her family to be closer to the hospital where she had taken a job. The new house was right next to a man who would change the way that Senn would see the world. His name was Gustavo Gutierrez, and he was a fighter.

Gutierrez had fought for American Indian rights for many years. In 1992 he and a group of others started the National American Indian Heritage Run, also known as the Peace and Dignity Run. The run crosses several states in the Midwest, including Missouri.

Senn is the 2008 national coordinator of the event.

When Senn met Gutierrez when she was 10, she didn't really know much about her family except for the oral histories that had been passed down through family members. She basically only knew she was Cherokee. A few decades after they first met, Gutierrez told her something that turned her mind around and set her on a new mission. "You don't know who you are until you find out where you came from."

About 15 years ago, Senn, now 67, went on a mission -- she was going to find her family. She only had two family names to go on and hardly a clue where to start her research. She ended up visiting a cousin in the Midwest, and they went through records and other things until they had landed exactly where they needed to be: a small cemetery in Rudy, Ark., where most of her family was buried.

Through her family tree research, Senn has developed a remarkable amount of family pride and spirit. That's why she's working so hard to make this year's Peace and Dignity Run a success. The event is held every four years. The 2008 run starts June 3 in Red Clay State Historic Park in Tennessee and ends July 5 in Tahlequah, Okla.

The run is set up in intervals of about 10 miles a day. For each 50-mile segment, there is a coordinator who is helping to make the run a success. Diana L. Lawson lives in Advance, Mo., and serves as the Southeast Missouri coordinator for the American Indian Peace and Dignity Run.

"Each coordinator has some connection to the trail," Senn said.

Senn's connection is a local one. She is a direct descendant of Nancy Bushyhead, known in Southeast Missouri as Otahki, who is buried along the Trail of Tears. Years ago, it was discovered that the grave labeled "Princess Otahki" actually held Nancy Bushyhead, of questionable royal heritage. The headstone name was changed, amid much dispute.

Runners can do the whole run, or they can just participate in a small part. Runners don't have to be an American Indian or a descendant to participate -- everyone is welcome, Senn and Gutierrez said.

The point is to raise awareness no matter your skin color.

Gutierrez said they started the Peace Run for the American Indians and indigenous people everywhere.

Although the story goes that Christopher Columbus and his crew discovered American Indians when his people landed on this continent, Gutierrez said he believes that it happened a bit differently than legend says.

"We wanted to set history straight. No one discovered us. We discovered them," he said. "The Europeans survived because of us."

Gutierrez said the American Indians were the real pioneers. They were the early scientists, he said, the women especially, because they were healers. They were the ones who created medicines and cures from herbs and things they found in their surroundings. The men were the hunters.

Gutierrez had several jobs in his younger days, including cook, a farmworker, and even did a stint in the Army in Korea where, he is happy to report, he didn't have to shoot anyone. He said he is proud of where he came from and proud of his work for peace and dignity for all indigenous people around the world, especially American Indians.

For more information about the Peace and Dignity Journeys Trail of Tears 2008, go to peaceanddignityjourneys.com.

Emily Hendricks is a freelancer for the Southeast Missourian.