"Mending Broken Hearts," Indigenous Women's Gathering, October 7-10, 2011, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Thirty Native women will meet October 7-10 in Council Bluffs, IA for “Mending Broken Hearts,” an intense healing and training program co-sponsored by the Office of Indigenous Ministry and the Province VI Native Network. The training will be led by White Bison and focus on women in leadership and on healing. The goal of the training is that participants will return home with skills and knowledge to start healing circles in their own communities.

Among the participants will be some of the women who have attended sessions of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women including Sarah Eagle Heart, Indigenous Missioner for Native American and Indigenous Ministries, Denyse Bergie, Jasmine Bostock and Elsie Dennis.

White Bison, founded in 1988, is dedicated to the Wellbriety Movement providing tools for people to maintain sobriety and live into wellness, including the values of Native cultures.

From their website:

“The Mending Broken Hearts for Women offers a culturally-based healing from grief, loss, and Intergenerational Trauma, especially for Native Women from the United States and Canada. We know that as Native people, especially Native Women, we have the highest rates of all the traumas, including:

• alcohol and violence related deaths,
• suicides of our loved ones,
• and the loss of our innocence and safety due to:
• physical abuse,
• sexual abuse,
• adult domestic violence,
• and rape.

We experience layer upon layer of grief and loss, stemming from these traumas. Many of us have not been taught healthy ways of processing them and healing. This training is in answer to that need.”

   

For more information on White Bison, Inc., visit http://www.whitebison.org/.  

"In Light of the Doctrine of Discovery, Contending with Our Past in the Present"

“An Invitation to a Commemoration of David Pendleton Oakerhater and Talking Circle: In Light of the Doctrine of Discovery, Contending with Our Past in the Present” was hosted by the First Nations Committee for the Diocese of Olympia at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle on Thursday, Sept. 1. Nearly 30 people attended the ecumenical event including participants from the Lutheran, Mennonite and Quaker faith communities.

A group of young adults had joined quietly during the Four Directions Prayer at the front entrance to the cathedral that began the celebration. Participants were smudged with sage for cleansing before entering the nave. For the homily, people were seated in a Talking Circle and shared their reflections on the Doctrine of Discovery and Oakerhater, Cheyenne, the first recognized Native American saint in The Episcopal Church.

A poignant moment occurred when the young adults shared that they had just come from the Eco-Justice Immersion Experience, a national gathering focused on eco-theology and climate justice, and could see how the Doctrine of Discovery related to environmental racism.

“Many and Great” was sung as the final hymn following the Eucharist. The explanation that the U.S. President who ended slavery was the same president who approved the largest one-day mass execution in U.S. history, the hanging of the Dakota 38 in Mankato, MN, brought tears to a few eyes.

The First Nations Committee began in 1990 as the Native American Committee, an ecumenical group with members from Puget Sound-area faith communities. In 1998 the committee name was changed and the following Mission Statement was adopted: “The Mission of the First Nations Committee of the Diocese of Olympia is to encourage an appreciation of the presence of Peoples of the First Nations, their spirituality, and their ministry within the Diocese of Olympia.”

From a 2001 document: “To that end, the First Nations Committee (FNC) seeks to keep the people of the Diocese of Olympia informed about current First Nations issues and concerns through networking with key people in various congregations. By sharing religious traditions and symbols in worship, by open discourse, and by showing in word and deed that First Nations peoples are welcome in the Episcopal fellowship, the FNC believes that the mistrust and misunderstanding of generations, between Indian and non-Indian alike, may be impacted.”

In addition to the Oakerhater Celebration, as a resource for information, the First Nations Committee in the Diocese of Olympia will host a display table at diocesan convention on Friday, Oct. 21 and Saturday, Oct. 22 in Lynnwood, WA. For more information on the Diocese of Olympia, visit www.ecww.org.

Greetings everyone! Today begins a new blog site for the Native American and Indigenous Ministries office of The Episcopal Church in response to the new directive issued during the August 8-11, 2011 meeting of the Executive Council Committee on Indigenous Ministries (ECCIM) and the Indigenous Theological Training Institute (ITTI) in Minneapolis, MN. The directive stated: “Require a high standard of consistent communication, taking into account diverse communication needs, using all methods to share the abundant gifts, resources and accomplishments of Native American Ministry throughout the church.”

To accomplish this task, it is hoped this blog site will provide a central location to provide information on Indigenous ministry throughout The Episcopal Church. We want to share your announcements of upcoming events and ministry work.

Elsie Dennis, co-chair of the First Nations Committee for the Diocese of Olympia, serves as the communications consultant for the Native American and Indigenous Ministries office. She will be assisting with the blog and posting articles and event announcements.

Sarah Eagle Heart, Indigenous Missioner, can be contacted at seagleheart@episcopalchurch.org.

Your patience is appreciated in the upcoming weeks as we fine tune and grow in this space. We look forward to receiving and sharing your event announcements and ministry stories.