May 10 2019 - We Who Defend the Waters by Ken Cosenito

We are Defend Ohi:yo' in onondowa:ga' gawa:no (People of the Great Hill, Seneca language) we are Deyögwë'nega:nyadö' (we who defend the waters) a grassroots organization formed in the defense of an attack made upon the Ohi:yo' (good/Allegany River).

We look to raise awareness and bring together those of like mind, to become of the collective mind, ga;nigöiyo:h (the good mind). Defend Ohi:yo' is planning a canoe journey to begin with a sunrise/full moon ceremony at the apex of the Triple Divide near Coudersport, Pa on May 18, 2019. We plan to reach our destination on the full moon June 17, 2019 to arrive at the World Peace & Prayer Day gathering at Ft. Ancient near Lebanon, Ohio.

We will enter the water close to the site of a once proposed fracking waste water treatment plant, which we defeated one year ago there in Coudersport, Pa. We will travel to High Banks Campgrounds located here upon our lands in Allehany for a social and potluck picnic.

Then we will continue on to Pittsburgh for our next gathering at the headwaters of the Ohio River. We will then continue at the Little Miami River to arrive for World Peace & Prayer Day, being organized by Arvol Looking Horse and his wife Paula Hornem.

We have chosen to do this to bring awareness to our cause as we continue to fight a black serpent attempting to come upon our ancestral lands: the Northern Access Pipeline.

This is a journey we do not want to take alone an invite all to come along. We hope to have representation from each nation of the Iroquois Confederacy travel as a delegation. Our journey will draw attention to our goal to gain the “Rights of Nature” recognition for the Ohi:yo'.

We proclaim these rights and will travel in their recognition. This acknowledgement is stated in our thanksgiving address where we give thanks to the people, our mother, the waters and all of creation as an equal.

All a welcome to join us on our journey as we Paddle with Peace and Prayer for Water Protection. Upon this journey we will document our quest and you can follow us here on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We look forward to meeting you at the water’s edge near Fort Ancient at World Peace & Prayer Day.