Sitting Bull was reported to say, “The White man knows how to make everything, but he does not know how to distribute it.” Both societies base their wealth on what comes from the land, but they hold different values concerning the distribution of those resources. to the present state of Indigenous peoples in North America. I noticed a strange irony present when comparing poverty and wealth among the dominant White European-based cultures of Canada and the U.S.
Whether through the Christian Doctrine of Discovery, Residential Boarding Schools, the duplicity of Christian Indian Agents who worked for Native “betterment,” or just those little Native American churches sprinkled throughout the land that I call a poor imitation of a bad model, all continue to reinforce the same erroneous spirit and values of American society-values that are bad for everyone, but lead Indigenous people to a road of devastation, often through self-destruction. That is, the Church and State wanted to cripple and demoralize Indigenous peoples by forcing them to assimilate to a foreign culture and become dependent upon them for their every need.
This caused Post-Colonial Stress Syndrome, and then led to the subsidiaries of the effects of colonization through PTSD. I continue to understand more fully that the deep trauma in Indian country was first inflicted by Empire and Empire-driven mission. A better cultural and theologically informed view of Jesus can bring hope and healing to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. I realized some time ago that I am as much of a missionary to the Church in the West as I am among our Indigenous people. The thing that energized my own relationship of an informed understanding of Jesus was how much closer our Indigenous values were than the popular theology and values in Western Christianity.
I spent many years serving among various Native communities, including seven years pastoring a Native church. I understood this concern at a young age, and I have always sought to find a way to enjoy and share my personal love for Jesus as something that lifts up our common values in a non-oppressive, decolonial way. I make a sharp distinction between Christianity and following Jesus.Ĭhristianity has, at best, failed miserably in delivering good news to Indigenous people. In the end, however, we have our strongest identity in our togetherness-as beloved children of God. We do so in the hopes that we would better understand ours and have greater care and compassion for those who don’t share the same identity. Throughout the month, we invite others to share stories of their own identities. Editor’s note: This article kicks off a month of focusing on Identity and the stories and histories that we’ve laid claim to that have shaped us.
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