Nobel Nomination for the Wixárika People - Represented by the Huichol Center
I am happy to share the news that the Wixárika (Huichol) Nation and people, represented by the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts, directed by Susana Valadez, have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the Drugs Peace Institute.
Below is an excerpt from Adriaan Bronkhorst of the Drugs Peace Institute, Nobel Peace Prize qualifier:
"We are trying desperately to save the natural world, although we continue turning it into a garbage can. After all, what do our small efforts matter if governments and the captains of industry promote toxic waste on unimagined levels? The way out of the global ecological suicide and the economic model sustaining it seems almost impossible. Maybe it is, but as long as we believe in the possibility of a future for our descendants, we must look for alternative ways of development. The Huichol people do give us an example of a spiritually rewarding life coupled to a deep respect and devoted care for the natural environment, enabled by their wise and respectful use of the mind-altering peyote.
We are therefore happy to propose the Huichol people, represented by the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and the Traditional Arts in the person of its director Susana Eger Valadez, for the nomination of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, in the hope that this candidacy will draw attention to the valuable example the Huichols offer the world.”
I have immense love for the Wixárika people. I work exclusively with the Huichol Center in the production of HUICHOL LOVE jewelry and it is one of my great pleasures to know and adore the wondrous Susana Valadez. Susana is a bridge between cultures: she safeguards Huichol people, Huichol stories, and a Huichol way of life while creating opportunities to share Huichol work and wisdom with the outside world. And she’s been doing it under the radar for decades.
Wirárika (Huichol) culture and knowledge are in danger of disappearing. It is my hope that this Nobel nomination spreads more awareness of - and love for - the Huichol people and that it helps aid organizations like the Huichol Center that work tirelessly in their benefit.