Bearing Witness Black Hills Retreat registration now open

Manny and Renee Iron Hawk (both Cheyenne River Lakota) at the 2023 Zen Peacemakers Black Hills Retreat. They will be hosting the 2025 Retreat. (Photo courtesy of Renee Iron Hawk.)

LACK HILLS – “Ehani wichoun ikxoyagya woechun” (Connecting with our Ancestors Way of Life) is the theme of the 2025 Bearing Witness in the Black Hills Retreat offered by the Zen Peacemakers (www.zenpeacemakers.org), an international 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is “to realize our oneness and relieve suffering through contemplative social action.”

The dates of the Retreat are July 15 – 20, 2025, and the base location is Elk Mountain & Hot Springs S.D. At press time, tentative plans for the 2025 retreat include visits to the Crazy Horse Memorial, Wind Cave, and Bear Butte.

Bearing Witness Retreats are open to all, multi-faith, and multinational in character. Since 1996, Zen Peacemakers has been conducting bearing witness retreats in Auschwitz, Rwanda, and the Black Hills, locations where deep human trauma occurred and healing is endlessly needed.

The intention of all retreats (sometimes called “plunges”) is to contribute to the on-going healing of intergenerational wounds. The specific intent of the Black Hills retreat is to bear witness to the traumas and tragedies of Indigenous peoples.

Spaces are limited and those interested in participating are encouraged to register soon. More details and sign up are here: https://zenpeacemakers.org/programs/native-american-retreat/

At press time, there is discussion of making Retreat scholarships available to Native American participants aged 40 and younger. For more information, email retreats@zenpeacemakers.org or phone 917.633.9550 Monday – Friday.

Since 2015, Zen Peacemakers have conducted programs annually in collaboration with the Native American community in South Dakota. The website states, “Zen Peacemakers is honored to continue deepening our relationship with the Lakota and other Native tribes in the Black Hills…. Each consecutive year (of bearing witness retreats) builds on the relationships we develop with our hosts.

“The (2025) retreat will include events at various locations, listening to the stories of our Native American elders, group sharing, and offering prayers for the earth and all its inhabitants. Our deepest connection to this land comes through our hosts and elders.”

Manny Iron Hawk (Titunwan Okowozu) and Renee Iron Hawk (Tituwan Oohenumpa) of Red Scaffold, South Dakota, will be hosts and active participants in the Retreat for the eighth year. The Iron Hawks have been affiliated with Zen Peacemakers since 2015. Within the organization they are esteemed and appreciated as Lakota elders.

In 2022, the Iron Hawks attended the Bearing Witness Retreat at the World War II Holocaust death camp in Auschwitz, Poland. Read about their experience at https://tinyurl.com/34wffksr.

Black Hills Retreats have been different every year, according to the needs of hosts and participants. They have included the major 180-participant Black Hills Bearing Witness retreat in 2015, the intimate members-led Plunge in 2016 on Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation (CRST), and the dual programs in 2017 of a Week of Service on CRST and the Bearing Witness Plunge in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota.

According to a Zen Peacemakers statement published on March 19, 2025, “When we participate in a Zen Peacemaker Bearing Witness Retreat, we engage in a peacemaking process. To bear witness is to experience firsthand that the life of the other is our own, that we are, indeed, one body.

“With each retreat, we seek to contribute to (intergenerational) healing, grounding ourselves in the Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers:

Not-Knowing – Letting go of fixed ideas about ourselves, others, and the universe.
Bearing Witness – Opening to both the joy and the suffering of the world.
Taking Action – Responding with clarity and compassion that arises from Not-Knowing and Bearing Witness.”

To learn more about the Three Tenets go to https://zenpeacemakers.org/the-three-tenets/. Also, the video “Introduction to Zen Peacemaking Core Training” is available for no cost on You-Tube.

According to Renee Iron Hawk, “Bearing witness means we look at something and we don’t look away. We listen. …”

The March 19 statement continues, “These Three Tenets will anchor our retreat, guiding our presence and practice. … By coming together in this way, we create space for healing, connection, and understanding.

“Bearing witness in places of deep trauma can stir strong emotions. To support this, we incorporate Council practice, meditation, prayer, and the presence of senior Spirit Holders, who are available for guidance. We also look out for one another, ensuring a supportive space for all.”

Michel Ango Dobbs of Long Island, NY, has participated in several Black Hills Retreats. He says, “The Retreat has opened my eyes to the reality of the effects of 300 years of American colonialism and genocide on the Native people, specifically on the Lakota and also on the Native people where I live on Long Island and all throughout our country and the world.

“And by offering me the opportunity to her and see and be with Native elders and youngsters and hear their stories, it’s been much more immersive than any other way I could learn about that. It’s been heart-opening to be exposed to other ways of being and seeing the world … The community that has grown around the Retreat has been a wonderful family.”

Renee observed, “The Zens are very generous of heart. … They give their undivided attention and the speaker feels validated. The message is ‘I believe you.’ Then the trauma no longer holds you in its clutches. You are no longer a victim and have no need to blame.

“Each retreat is a spiritual journey. Every plunge is Spirit-driven. …Each event creates ‘wolakota’ – creating hope, balance, peace and harmony. …Change comes about by everyday average people that want to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren and even seven generations forward…to honor seven generations before us.”

Renee views the basic tenets of Zen practice as being consistent with both Christian and traditional Lakota beliefs, as well as the Twelve Step pathway suggested by Alcoholics Anonymous and similar fellowships. She says they are all essentially the same at their core.

Manny Iron Hawk added, “The plunge is always a positive experience. They always listen to us. All people have their stories and at some point, stories need to be shared for life lessons.”

The Iron Hawks both agree, ““Being with Zen Peacemakers is a true gift. They have a good energy.”

(Contact Grace Terry at graceterrywilliams@gmail.com)

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SOURCES:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/zen+peacemakers/FMfcgzQZTppwzfCdPzwTnkTHqZwnmbKg

https://www.westrivereagle.com/articles/cheyenne-river-elders-host-black-hills-peacemaking-retreat-with-national-and-international-guests/

https://www.westrivereagle.com/?s=zen+peacemakers (picture of Manny & Renee)