Phil Lane has a vision - one that is complex, expansive and founded in basic humanitarian principles. Though it contains applications in the realm of international politics, it is not meant for politicians; it is meant for the people.
Lane - CEO of United Indians of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF), headquartered in Discovery Park's Daybreak Star Cultural Center - is the brains behind "The Fourth Way," a 42-page document that lays out a plan for global peace and prosperity in the 21st century.
Broadly populist in nature and ideologically grounded in aboriginal folk wisdom, the document is subtitled, "An Indigenous Contribution for Building Sustainable and Harmonious Prosperity in the Americas."
"The Fourth Way" is an urgent cry for unity among indigenous peoples everywhere, with the message that such a collective bonding carries social, spiritual, economic and political implications for a worldwide demographic that largely has existed on the margins of mainstream society.
"We believe the timing is right," said Lane, who recently delivered "The Fourth Way" to an international conference on endogenous development and biocultural diversity in Geneva, Switzerland.
The former North End resident said that a confluence of recent developments - the advent of communication technologies such as e-mail, the shakeup and realignment of many nation-states, growing political activism among indigenous populations, the threat of terrorism, economic upheaval - has brought about a dynamic international arena primed for change.
He added that world leaders such as Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez have opened the door for positive change by creating strong democratic institutions and economic empowerment in countries traditionally hobbled by poverty and political oppression.
"There's a whole new geopolitical relationship developing around the world," he said. "All of these factors together provide us with a very outstanding opportunity to do this. We have to move forward."
A link between past, present
To advise and guide him in getting out word of "The Fourth Way," Lane has enlisted the help of Colville tribal member Mel Tonasket, a Navy veteran with a long and distinguished history of leadership in Native American affairs.
Besides serving his own tribe in varying capacities over the years, Tonasket was president of the National Congress of American Indians from the mid-'70s and into the '80s. As such, he had close contacts with the federal government, including several official appearances at the White House.
Lane said he tapped Tonasket not only for his friendship but for his sophistication and savvy in negotiating the many opportunities and crises that have confronted Native Americans in recent years.
"I was around the big stuff," Tonasket said of his myriad experiences.
He said that when Lane contacted him and explained his ideas, he experienced a flash of recognition: In Tonasket's view, "The Fourth Way" is a link between past and present and achieves a kind of continuity with the sort of projects he was engaged with in the past.
"This is opening the door," he said.
At the recent Geneva gathering, Lane had the ear of representatives from many nations, including Bolivia, Ecuador, Poland, France, Netherlands, Ghana, Tanzania and the United Kingdom. He sees speaking before such a diverse audience as a way to start channeling his message to indigenous populations worldwide. (One of Lane's mottos is "people to people, not nation to nation.")
At the same time Lane delivered his paper, a press conference presenting "The Fourth Way" took take place stateside, and key political figures - including a representative from the White House - received a copy of the document.
"It will all come together at one moment," Lane said, adding that such timing plays a huge part in sending the message that needed change is on its way.
"The patience [for change] is running out," Lane said. "Not only here, but around the world."
The Fourth Way
"The Fourth Way," which Lane also refers to as a "strategic security document," received its first public airing at an April 22 Earth Day gathering at Daybreak Star. According to Lane, the document was shared with a handful of "trusted relatives" (figurative, not literal) and simultaneously sent via e-mail to three other spiritual gatherings around North America.
"All our tribes and nations talked about dialogue, about creating a future," Lane said of the genesis of the document.
That document's beginnings trace back to October 2001, when Lane started consulting with indigenous leaders and communities worldwide in a search for solutions to "ending escalating cycles of poverty and violence" that afflict marginalized populations.
What he found, he said, was a desire among many to tap into the ancient wisdom of native cultures, to use the spiritual and cultural traditions of the ancestors in confronting the future.
"This goes way, way back," Lane said, adding that what's needed now is a workable combination of folk wisdom and hard-won diplomatic savvy. "We walk the spiritual path with practical feet."
In this sense, Tonasket noted, the history of Native Americans' political relations vis-à-vis the U.S. federal government offers a cautionary lesson on how to proceed. Yet, he said such experiences ultimately will prove useful in getting word out about "The Fourth Way" and its message of peaceful unification.
"The history of what we've gone through shows us that we can do that," Tonasket said.
In the second part of this story, which will appear in next week's issue, Phil Lane talks more about his plan for global peace and prosperity outlined in "The Fourth Way."
Rick Levin can be reached via e-mail at needitor@nwlink.com.[[In-content Ad]]
