X-Country Trek Passes Thru Valley

What would it be like to spend your days traveling along the roadside either riding on horseback or walking with a 60 pound saddle slung over your shoulder – in all types of weather?  Matthew McDaniel has spent the last 300+ days doing just that. Perhaps it’s the right combination of genes or the long days spent trekking from town to town, but McDaniel has to be one of the most laid-back crusaders of our time — his easy smile and openness with strangers make him a perfect ambassador for his cause.

He is in the midst of a cross-country journey on horseback to bring attention to and raise funds for a minority race in Southeast Asia known as the “Akha.” He began in Salem, Oregon, and is en route to Washington D.C. and will ultimately end up in New York City for the annual United Nations conference.

McDaniel’s garb is even better than Indiana Jones’s – because it is so authentic. This leather has seen some better days. With his horse “Hampton” by his side, the pair can hardly go unnoticed. That was the case when he stopped for a rest at the Salem Walmart this past Monday. He was lucky; he found himself in between the snow storms that have plagued the area in recent days. Passer-by Karen Cooper pulled up asking “I just want to know WHY there is a horse in the middle of the Walmart parking lot?

She proceeded to get out of her car to admire Hampton and offer McDaniel some horse feed for free. It turns out strangers offering to help isn’t all that unusual; McDaniel says that people often stop to help him and his family. They started their journey with just $20; yet they hope to raise money and awareness for the Akha Heritage Foundation, as well as simply survive, so any assistance is always appreciated. They had originally secured more funding but the economic downturn changed all that. McDaniel decided that it was still a worthwhile endeavor and so far has been able to make it day to day.

The McDaniel’s, including his wife – who is an Akha, — and their five small children, spend their days and nights in a custom painted bus that has been their home during the journey. It can’t be missed; the red and blue “Ride for Freedom” and “Akha.org” messages are large and bold along the sides.

Originally a construction worker and painter, McDaniel went to Thailand to start a trade business in 1991.  While there he witnessed the event that sent his life in a completely new direction.

According to McDaniel, “some Thai citizens were coming across a bridge and I saw police officers treating them badly for no apparent reason.” The citizens were Akha, people who live primarily in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, China and Vietnam.  They are typically treated as second-class citizens; “the Thai’s look down on them,” says McDaniel.

One of the biggest issues currently affecting the Akha people is the Queen of Thailand’s illegal attempt to take their rice land in the mountains of Thailand. McDaniel says that a law referred to as “Les majeste” prohibits “talk about royalty,” especially negative talk. “They can put you in prison for doing that,” he said

He does what he can in spite of this and many obstacles. He filed a protocol letter with the UN alerting them to the situation. There is a lot of red tape and it will take time, but he says that “Thailand will eventually have to respond” to the allegations in the letter. Currently, he and his family cannot return to Thailand; he was deported after living there for 13 years because of his efforts to help the Akha – a reputation that prompted the Thai authorities to call him the “Akha Crusader.”

While the journey hasn’t been easy, McDaniel says he thinks that more attention is being turned toward the plight of the Akha – “that people, including even Thailand, are noticing.” Some of the media have picked up the story; coverage was done by CBS in Los Angeles.

The website, Akha.org has links to all sorts of information, including a frequent update on the journey. For a guy going out into the heartland on a horse, he has mostly been well-received, “except for maybe in Chilhowie, Virginia” he laughs. There is apparently some explanation about that on the site.  With more storms in the forecast, McDaniel is unfazed – this is his life these days.

For the record: for those who may come across a man on horseback who really does look a lot like Indiana Jones, the horse, like most, is partial to a bit of sugar or an apple as well as feed.

For more information, or to donate to the Akha Heritage Foundation, visit Akha.org

By Cheryl Hodgescheryl@newroanoke.com