A hereditary chief from White Rock is in Ireland this month, leading an international delegation to a gathering that will culminate in the signing of a "planetary treaty to end war."
Chief Phil Lane Jr. is among 40 Indigenous leaders participating in the World Peace Gathering, set for July 18-20 at Dripsey Castle in Cork.
Described as a "historic and sacred gathering" uniting North, South and Central America, the event is co-sponsored by Kindred Spirits Ireland, the Four Worlds International Institute, and Union of the Condor, Hummingbird, Quetzal, and Eagle, a news release states.
Lane is chair of Four Worlds International Institute, a White Rock-based organization focused “on the importance of culture and spirituality in all elements of development.” He is an enrolled member of the Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations and an internationally recognized leader in human, community, and economic development, and formally recognized as a hereditary chief in 1992.
His work, the release adds, "was instrumental in securing the $4 billion settlement acknowledging the cultural genocide of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools."
The World Peace Gathering is billed a transformational gathering of unity, culture and vision for the future that "will bring together elders, youth, peacebuilders, wisdom keepers, faith leaders, artists, and allies from all Four Directions of Mother Earth."
It begins with the lighting of the Eighth Fire – a ceremony held on the night of the full moon to symbolize a global connection and "shared commitment to peace and environmental healing" – on July 10, and culminates in the signing of the Binding Planetary Peace Treaty to End War.
The accord, the release states, "declares our united commitment to end war, restore Mother Earth, and unify the Human Family."
For the livestream, visit https://sine-network.zoom.us/j/89846571811
For more information, visit fwii.net or www.eventbrite.ie/e/world-peace-gathering
