8.12.2008
Appeals Court Says Wastewater Fine For Sacred Mountain
A story I have been following since 2005 has had a new development. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has overturned a panel decision restricting the use of treated wastewater snow on the San Francisco Peaks by an Arizona ski resort.
"A federal appeals court has ruled that a ski resort’s plan to use recycled wastewater for making snow would not violate the religious freedom of Indian groups who had claimed that the practice would be blasphemous to a mountain they hold sacred. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, ruling in a lawsuit against the Arizona Snowbowl near Flagstaff that was filed by 13 tribes and the Sierra Club, overturned a ruling by a smaller panel of the court that said the plan would violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act."
The Save the Peaks Coalition, which includes 13 American Indian tribes in its membership, has been arguing that pumping treated wastewater snow onto the mountains would be a defilement of the mountain, and a blasphemy against their indigenous beliefs and culture. In addition, the coalition has argued that no environmental impact study was undertaken by the US Forestry Service or Arizona Snowbowl before deciding to use effluent, and that the claimed economic benefits of more fake snow are largely illusory. These arguments were explored in a recent documentary "The Snowbowl Effect" (which I have embedded the trailer for above).
The Appeals Court showed a sadly typical attitude of indifference and lack of understanding in this case, claiming that the only thing being damaged were the Indian's "feelings".
"In the most recent ruling, the Court found that using reclaimed sewer water to make snow for skiing on an admittedly sacred site posed no 'substantial burden' on the Plaintiffs' exercise of religion in this case. According to the Court, the "only effect of the proposed upgrades is on the Plaintiffs' subjective, emotional religious experience. That is, the presence of recycled wastewater on the Peaks is offensive to the Plaintiffs' religious sensibilities…the diminishment of spiritual fulfillment – serious though it may be – is not a 'substantial burden' on the free exercise of religion." The Court dismissed Plaintiffs' religious beliefs as calling them mere 'damaged spiritual feelings.'"
But defiling a sacred mountain so people can ski more often is more than about "damaged spiritual feelings", it throws entire religious systems into turmoil.
"In a time when the Hopi Katsina Spirits have answered our prayers for rain and happiness, Coconino [National Forest] has placed a dagger in the Hopis' spirituality," - Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office
"The San Francisco Peaks is the essence of who we are... and is the Holy House of our sacred deities whom we pray to and give our offerings," - Joe Shirley Jr., President, Navajo Nation
"It's like putting death on the mountain ... I won't be able to practice my religion." - Frank Mapatis, Hualapai spiritual leader
But hey, screw their religion and culture, Snowbowl wants more snow! Needless to say, lawyers for the tribes and the Sierra Club plan on appealing this decision to the Supreme Court. We can only hope that thousands of years of tradition and faith (not to mention good environmental judgment) overcome the desire for one business to make some more money.
Labels: activism, American Indian, indigenous, Native American, Religious Freedom Restoration Act, San Francisco Peaks, Save the Peaks
6.26.2008
A Victory for South African Pagans and Traditional Healers
Word has come in from South Africa that the controversial Witchcraft Suppression Bill of 2007 has been put on hold "until further notice".
"Mpumalanga healers and pagans have been given a new lease of life after the Witchcraft Suppression Bill was put on hold. The proposed bill by the department of local government, which came under fire last year from various stakeholders, was put on hold yesterday. The department of local government said it had put the drafting of the bill of 2007 on hold “until further notice”. The department was mandated by the provincial executive council to prepare a bill which seeks to address high levels of violence in Mpumalanga linked to allegations of witchcraft."
The bill, which in theory was supposed to suppress violence against accused "witches" (an ongoing problem in many African nations), instead caused an uproar among modern Pagans and various traditional healers due to its overly vague language (and trying to "solve" the problem by essentially blaming the victims).
"...Witches themselves need protection from violent attack, Sapra said. "Practitioners of natural magic (witchcraft) throughout the country have rallied together to oppose the passage of the proposed Mpumalanga Witchcraft Suppression Bill on the grounds that the bill will criminalize men and women who practice witchcraft or who claim to be witches," Sapra convener Damon Leff said. Sapra has even submitted an alternative bill - the Mpumalanga Witchcraft Protection Bill - for the Mpumalanga Legislature to consider instead ... Potgieter said those who attacked people they accused of being witches were the criminal element that needed addressing, not witches themselves. She warned that the bill also affected traditional healers and "disempowered" them."
Government spokesperson Simphiwe Kunene says that further consultation and research is needed before any bill addressing witchcraft in South Africa can go forward. Kunene is hoping that affected groups won't "go to the media" when "certain matters" are raised with them in the near future (though "going to the media" is what stopped this bad bill from going forward). This is a major victory for South African Pagans, and a groundbreaking instance of cooperation with traditional religionists in the region.
Though witch-killings in places like Africa and India aren't aimed at practitioners of modern Paganism, it is slowing becoming a Pagan issue as we spread and grow in areas affected by this violent hysteria. While Pagans (ancient and modern) may never have truly suffered from the "burning times" of Early Modern Europe, we may soon find ourselves on the front lines of attempts to stem the tide of modern-day witch hysteria.
Labels: indigenous, law, Paganism, South Africa, The Burning Times, Witch Killings, Witchcraft
6.06.2008
Let Us Convert Uncontacted Tribes!
A major news story making the rounds has concerned photos of an "uncontacted" indigenous tribe in Brazil, sparking debate over the treatment and rights of these isolated communities. While some, like Peruvian oil and gas interests, contest that there is no such a thing as an "uncontacted" tribe, others, most notably Survival International and CIPIACI, have urged the Brazilian government to ensure the protection of their territory.
Uncontacted Indians in Brazil, May 2008
© Gleison Miranda/FUNAI
"There are more than one hundred uncontacted tribes worldwide, with more than half living in either Brazil or Peru. All are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed and decimated by new diseases. Survival has launched an urgent campaign to get their land protected..."
Now a third party, evangelical Christian missionaries, have weighed in on the subject of these tribes. Unsurprisingly, they want to foray in and "contact" them with the love of Christ, damn the consequences (such as decimating them with disease).
"It’s hard to understand how providing medical care and literacy is exploitation, especially among indigenous groups where the life expectancy of men and women is lower than average and suicide rates among youth are alarmingly high, but New Tribes and other mission organizations may face increasing opposition as governments like Venezuela’s and Brazil’s restrict outside access to tribes. In the process, those governments seem to be promoting the ideology of the “noble savage” and assuming it’s in the best interests of indigenous people to have no access to the modern world, or to the gospel."
The article also casts aspersions on Venezeula for kicking them out, despite a long history of missionary groups (particularly New Tribes Mission) committing acts of ethnocide, espionage, and outright insurrection in the country. These Christian missionary groups are also not fond of the recent Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the United Nations, which enshrines the right to religious integrity.
"The UN Declaration, adopted in September of 2007, grants broad national rights to natives and contains language that could cause problems for ... missionaries."
What sorts of "care" and "literacy" would groups like New Tribes Mission provide if allowed to evangelize these Indians? Here is a quote from a typical "teaching session" given to a recently contacted tribe.
"As John taught about the Ten Commandments he held up a mirror, showing the Ayores how he could look into it and see himself. Then he took mud and spread it all over his face. The people thought it was hilarious, but John brought out the seriousness of the lesson. He told them how, in the mirror, he could see the dirt all over his face and that God's Law was like a mirror. It showed people how they are dirty (sinful) before God."
You see, indigenous people need to be taught that they are dirty sinners (under constant divine surveillance), and that only conversion will get them "clean". I can't see how we could deny the missionaries this opportunity, after all, according to Pope Benedict they are "silently longing" for it! So remember, according to missionaries, cultural and religious integrity, freedom from diseases they have no immunity to, and land rights come second to the old carrot/stick scenario of "progress" in exchange for your soul.
Labels: Brazil, Christianity, conversions, Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, indigenous, Peru, Venezuela
3.22.2008
In Defense of African Spirituality
Kofi Akosah-Sarpong, writing for Modern Ghana, explores recent comments made by Major Courage Quashigah, Ghana's Minister of Health, that urged Christian clergy to stop stripping Ghanaians of their cultural heritage. Akosah-Sarpong decries the suppression of traditional African religion, and supports Quashigah's call for Christian clergy to emphasize the love of Jesus instead of demonizing traditional spirituality.
"Nowhere in the world is ones traditional spirituality either bastardized or demeaned or kicked around badly as if it has no innate traditional spiritual soul so much than the African's. The African spirituality, which is non-violent and with no problems of fundamentalism compared to other worldly religions, is so demeaned that even in the eyes of a good number of Africans they see it as "heathen," "pagan," "evil," "fetish," or "primitive." And this has impacted negatively on Africa's progress in all sort of developmental ways to the extent that its elites, who are supposed to know better, are dazed."
Part of the problem, according to Akosah-Sarpong, isn't simply Christian (or Muslim) hostility, or post-colonial reverberations (though he certainly acknowledges those elements), but the failure of African religions to modernize and combat associations with malicious occultism. He endorses the advocacy group Afrikania Mission as a way forward for traditional spiritualities in Africa.
"Afrikania is a concept of life and more importantly, a spiritual revolution that aims at creating a new world order based on Amen-ra, positive consciencism and spiritual equilibrium. It is called Afrikania because it is rooted in the Afrikan experience. Its foundation and its goal is the creator. It is the restructuring of the Afrikan traditional concept which is the first recorded religion of mankind and the mother of all religions. This Afrikan environment is the father of science, the cradle of civilization and the place where man first saw light. The Afrikan heritage is a gift for the whole world, after all the races of the world spring from the afrikan race, which began in east Afrika. The experience gained over the years, taught mankind the virtues of love, faith, prudence, justice, courage, temperance, honesty, good citizenship and above all; nation building as a spiritual duty. This is the Afrikan concept. It is neither fetish, pagan, idolatrous animism, ancestor worship, or superstition, but an honest approach to Amen-ra and we are proud to improve upon it for the benefit of Afrika and all mankind."
In the end both Kofi Akosah-Sarpong and Major Courage Quashigah agree that "no country in this world can develop outside its culture," and that indigenous religion is an integral part of that culture. Attempts by the dominant monotheisms (both internally and externally) to demonize and eliminate these traditional spiritual paths may in turn hinder the growth of African nations wanting to emerge from poverty and social problem.
Whether clergy in Ghana listen to Quashigah's pleas for a change in attitude remains to be seen. According to press accounts his exhortations were met with "shrugs of uneasiness", which doesn't seem to be a good omen for future cooperation and tolerance.
Labels: Africa, Ghana, indigenous, Religion
3.12.2008
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
A conference of indigenous leaders from Mexico, the United States, and Canada met in Palenque, Mexico to discuss traditional solutions to environmental problems. The event, 'Indigenous People to Heal Our Mother Earth', gathered 200 leaders from 71 American Indian nations, and was supported by Mexico's environment secretary, Juan Elvira Quesada.
"Our Mother Earth is being polluted at an alarming rate, and our elders say that she is dying," said Raymond Sensmeier, a Tlingit leader from Yakutat, Alaska. "The way the weather is around the world ... a cleansing is needed" ... "I sometimes talk to scientists," said Sensmeier, "and they compartmentalize things, put things in boxes and disconnect them, and doing so promotes disharmony and imbalance." Kuetlachtli Texotik, a Nahuatl healer from Mexico whose name means "Blue Wolf," agreed. "Our grandfathers taught us to have an integrated vision," he said. "The important thing is to look for balance. We should take care of what does not belong to us, for the future, because it is only ours temporarily."
Organizers hope that indigenous American leaders can become guides in "restoring balance and harmony in the world". To "wake up the world" to the environmental problems surrounding them.
Reuters interviews David Domke, co-author of the new book "The God Strategy: How Religion Became A Political Weapon In America," who explains just how entwined (predominately Christian) religion has become in our political process.
"The reality is that in American presidential politics not willing to publicly emphasize your faith will mean you will not be a serious candidate on either side of the partisan aisle ... the fusion of religion and politics is absolutely contrary to what the founders desired for the country. They fled religious sectarian violence, religious persecution and they set out build a new place where God would be part of the equation but there wouldn't be a state, a national religion."
A political atmosphere like this is decidedly hostile to religious minorities taking power, an exclusive "Christ-centered" politics that transcends the usual Republican party suspects to include Democratic presidential candidates as well. Can the wall of separation between Church and State remain strong when both political parties now "emphasize their faith" as a campaign tool?
The Boston Herald reports on Laurie "Official Witch of Salem" Cabot's 75th birthday-bash over the weekend. The extravagant affair included a dancing snake charmer, fire-spinning, and the attendance of Godsmack frontman Sully Erna.
"Godsmack frontman Sully Erna was among the 100 Wiccans who flew in from around the country over the weekend for a surprise 75th birthday party for Laurie Cabot, the Official Witch of Salem. "Before I met Laurie, I was in a really low point in my life," Sully told the crowd. "I owe Laurie everything. (She) changed my life around." Apparently, the headbanger and the high priestess of witchcraft have been tight for years ... Cabot's bewitching birthday bash was thrown by fun couple Tom Lang and Alexander Westerhoff at their Manchester-by-the-Sea stone villa."
A happy birthday to Ms. Cabot, may she enjoy happiness and good health.
Kathryn Price NicDhana brings us the latest in the ongoing struggles to halt the M3 motorway expansion through the Tara-Skryne valley, the spiritual heart of Ireland.
"As bulldozers and chainsaws cut into the forest and hill of Rath Lugh - one of a number of ancient tombs and holy wells in peril due to the road work in the Tara-Skryne Valley - protesters have announced that they have dug tunnels under the proposed roadway, and are willing to risk their lives in defense of the land."
While these new actions have succeeded in delaying construction, it remains to be seen if this expensive (and increasingly unpopular) project can ultimately be stopped. Irish Poet Laureate Seamus Heaney recently called the M3 construction a "ruthless desecration", and the site has been declared an "endangered monument" by the World Monuments Fund.
In a final note, two recent legal decisions affecting modern Pagans have come to my attention. First, Tropaion reports that the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Greece can not require a statement of religious belief as part of the admission ceremony to the state bar.
"Legal Court rulings are one of the few forums where precedents are truly set. This landmark decision by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Alexandrididis vs Greece (application number 19516/2006) will definitely make it much easier for others in the legal and other professions to follow suit. It will mean that people will not have to state their religious beliefs in what are clearly state matters."
This is an important precedent for the small groups of Hellenic polytheists (and other religious minorities) in the Orthodox Christian dominated State. Further updates to this story are expected to be posted, here.
Meanwhile, another prisoner free-exercise case involving a member of the Asatru faith has made the news. A judge has recommended the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by inmate Darrell Hoadley. Hoadley, who is serving a life sentence for a 2000 torture-killing, brought suit requesting items he says are necessary for his faith.
"The penitentiary has allowed several Asatru items since settling a 2000 lawsuit - including a ritual drinking horn, wooden wand and wooden hammer - but Hoadley wanted more, such as horse meat and a plastic sword. In a motion to dismiss, prison officials said some requests are 'too outrageous to merit serious consideration.' U.S. Magistrate Judge John Simko, who was taken off the case in favor of U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol, said in a report filed Wednesday that the case should be dismissed."
I can't think of any Asatru tradition that requires a sword and the partaking of horse meat in order to honor the gods. Considering Hoadley's security status (he is isolated from the general population), and the concessions already made, it doesn't look like he has much of a case. The judge looks on solid ground for recommending dismissal.
That is all I have for now, have a great day!
Labels: American Indian, Asatru, Christianity, Greece, Hill of Tara, indigenous, Laurie Cabot, law, litigation, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, politics, Prison, Salem
3.04.2008
Pledge of the Goddess Community on Racism
A new pledge, co-written by Genevieve Vaughan (Sekhmet Temple) and Dr. Heide Goettner-Abendroth (Academy Hagia), is making the rounds within the international Goddess community. The "Pledge of the Goddess Community on Racism" urges all signatories to make a personal commitment to directly involve and honor local indigenous people and other ethnic groups in any conference or event held.
"As a member of the group of human beings who honor the present and past images of female divinity, I pledge to include in Goddess conferences the indigenous people of the locality or territory where conferences are held, and to reference and honor their deities. That is, I myself will make every effort to invite speakers and participants of the people indigenous to the area and of other ethnic groups. If I am not an organizer of the event myself I will work to ensure that the organizers invite them. Given the economic injustice in our society, I will promote special stipends for speakers of color and sliding scale or free access to conferences for any participants of color or other participants who may be economically oppressed. The multiplicity of the Goddess is expressed in the variety of humanity and in the many kinds of ritual and worship. Racism dishonors the Goddess(es)."
One notable early adopter is Reclaiming co-founder Starhawk, who has endorsed the pledge on the Women and Spirituality Blog, calling it "a sensibility long overdue in the Goddess movement". Other prominent signatories include Letecia Layson, Candace Kant, Anniitra Ravenmoon, Catherine Wright, and Judy Grahn.
If widely adopted, such a pledge could go a long way towards healing rifts between the Goddess community and indigenous groups who have accused individuals within the movement of cultural appropriation. It also seems to be reaching for a solution to questions of racial diversity and class in a movement that has been depicted in the past as predominately upper-class and Caucasian. It should be interesting to see how widespread this pledge becomes, and if it truly results in changes to Goddess community events and conferences. If you are interested in signing the pledge, go here.
Labels: goddess, indigenous, Paganism, Pledge of the Goddess Community on Racism, Starhawk, The Goddess
1.26.2008
Indigenous and Native News
There have been some stories of note concerning indigenous faith and politics that have been popping up recently that might be of interest to my modern Pagan audience. Starting off, Reuters has a wonderful article about the Bolivian celebration of Alasita (which, according to some, translates as "buy me"), the festival of abundance that takes place on January 24th.
"Bolivians are crowding the steep cobbled streets of La Paz these days to pay homage to Ekeko, the squat mustached Andean god of abundance. They load down colourful Ekeko statues with tiny items representing prosperity, something elusive in South America's poorest country. It's the annual festival of Alasita, the time when Bolivians like to buy trinkets representing their wishes for the new year in the hope Ekeko will make them come true."
In addition to giving symbolic offerings to Ekeko, people also have their gifts blessed by a local shaman or Catholic priest (and very often, both). Evo Morales, the first fully indigenous president of Bolivia, was given a tiny hen so he can find a partner during the coming year, and a tiny copy of the controversial new constitution he is proposing.
Back in August I reported on how the presidential front-runners seemed to be avoiding taking a stand on issues directly affecting minority faiths in America. This indifference seemed to culminate with the seminal "Prez on the Rez" Democratic debate, in which all the presidential front-runners declined to attend, all stating "scheduling conflicts".
"If they won't come talk to us now, they certainly won't be responsive to us if they get in the White House," said Kalyn Free, a Choctaw from Oklahoma who is organizing the Democratic forum, called "Prez on the Rez."
But now that several "Super Tuesday" primaries are coming up that could be swayed by votes from Indian Country things are a bit different, most notably, Barack Obama has been making great gains among American Indians despite doing "everything wrong".
"He hasn't attended the annual National Congress of American Indians meet, or rolled out a comprehensive Native American agenda, or even addressed the rumors of his own Native heritage - but he has still, somehow, managed to capture the imagination of Indian Country, say Native American commentators and community activists. Whether that wave of goodwill is enough to carry him to "Super Tuesday" primary victories in the states of Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Arizona, remains to be seen. 'Obama represents a break from the old - something fresh and new,' says Paul DeMain, managing editor of the Northern Wisconsin-based newspaper News from Indian Country. 'Native people are looking at him as someone who can empathize with other people of color.'"
Obama's rising star among Native voters seems to have made the candidate more receptive to issues within Indian Country, as evidenced by a recent Q&A in Nevada.
"Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) said he would meet regularly with tribal leaders if he were elected president ... Obama said he would work to improve the health and welfare of Native Americans. He is a co-sponsor of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act that is being debated in the Senate this week."
None of this means that Obama has a lock on the Native vote, many American Indian leaders look fondly on the Clinton years and support Hillary Clinton. One thing is for certain, American Indians will play a crucial role in this year's primaries and candidates ignore them at their own peril.
In a final note, initial announcements have been made for the 4th Amazonian Shamanism Conference held July 19th - 27th in Peru. Guests include writer Peter Gorman, noted ayahuasca researcher Luis Eduardo Luna, 15 different native curanderos/shamans, and two Brujos.
"During the Conference Presentations you will have ample opportunities to hear the many shamans speaking alone as well as in panel discussions. It is during this time that you will get a sense of which healer you would like to be in Ceremony with. Especially during the question and answer times. There are three evenings set aside for you to be in Ceremony with the shaman - curandero or your choice. All Ceremonies are held outside of Iquitos, either up or downriver or way out on the Iquitos to Nauta highway and then a short 15 minute walk into the various Compounds."
The conference is sponsored by Soga del Alma ("vine of the soul"), a church that advocates for the use of "power plants" (entheogens like ayahuasca) in a religious context.
Labels: American Indian, Bolivia, Ekeko, entheogens, indigenous, Native American, Peru, Presidential election, shamanism
1.07.2008
Update: Lakota Freedom
Back in mid-December a small group of American Indian activists gained national press by declaring that the Lakota Sioux would be withdrawing from all treaties with the United States.
"December 20 - Lakota Sioux Indian representatives declared sovereign nation status today in Washington D.C. following Monday's withdrawal from all previously signed treaties with the United States Government. The withdrawal, hand delivered to Daniel Turner, Deputy Director of Public Liaison at the State Department, immediately and irrevocably ends all agreements between the Lakota Sioux Nation of Indians and the United States Government outlined in the 1851 and 1868 Treaties at Fort Laramie Wyoming."
Since that announcement, not a single tribal government or council has come forward to support the Lakota Freedom campaign (now calling itself the "Republic of Lakotah"), and Native reaction in the press has been mixed at best.
"Means and his group are not saying anything new, said Joseph Brings Plenty, chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. "What has been said by these individuals has been talked about from dinner table to dinner table since I was a young kid; but the thing is, these individuals are not representative of the nation I represent. I may agree, I may disagree, but they have not gone out and received the blessing of the people they say they are speaking for," Brings Plenty said."
Now news has come out that Lakota Freedom spokesman Russell Means "hijacked" the organization and its website in order to pull his treaty-withdrawal stunt.
"Russell Means has gone on to announce the formation of a "provisional government" of the "Republic of Lakotah" with himself as Chief Facilitator, as well as to promote the establishment of a bank and a utility company for the country. Despite the claim Means has made, Naomi Archer, liaison of Lakotah Oyate stated to Wikinews that Means took control of the organization and hijacked it and its website on December 29. Archer also said that Lakotah Oyate or the delegation are not a government entity and do not make decisions for the Nation. "The legitimate actions of the Lakota people are not determined by one person [Russell Means] or even one group, but by the [Lakota] people themselves," added Archer ... Means is acting without having consulted the other elders of Lakotah..."
It is becoming increasingly clear that Russell Means is only speaking for Russell Means, and isn't leading some sort of large grass-roots popular movement on Lakota Sioux land. As I have stated before, no matter where your sympathies lie, movements like the one Means purports to lead can come only with a (visible) mandate from the masses you claim to represent. At this point Means seems on a collision course for a stay in prison.
"But the bottom line is when they begin the process of violating other people's rights, breaking the law, they're going to end up like all the other groups that have declared themselves independent--usually getting arrested and being put in jail"
But perhaps self-martyrdom is what Means is actually seeking.
Labels: American Indian, indigenous, Lakota, Lakota Freedom, Native American
12.21.2007
Lakota Freedom?
There is quite a bit of buzz over a Lakota delegation publicly announcing their withdrawal from treaties, and declaring their independence from the United States.
"December 20 - Lakota Sioux Indian representatives declared sovereign nation status today in Washington D.C. following Monday's withdrawal from all previously signed treaties with the United States Government. The withdrawal, hand delivered to Daniel Turner, Deputy Director of Public Liaison at the State Department, immediately and irrevocably ends all agreements between the Lakota Sioux Nation of Indians and the United States Government outlined in the 1851 and 1868 Treaties at Fort Laramie Wyoming."
I was rather shocked by the news, until I did a bit of digging. It seems this might be more publicity stunt than mass-movement of indigenous Americans. Hardly a peep from leading Indian news sources, and the chairman of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe has publicly stated that they have no desire to join a breakaway movement. In fact, there seems to be almost no mainstream support from the Lakota Sioux tribes.
"...there were no tribal presidents in the group which made the announcement, no one from the top ranks of any of the Lakota Sioux tribes. The timing with the LNI was curious. Russell Means has been known to stage public events to get his message out, and there are some Lakotas who don't feel Means speaks for them."
In fact, there seems to be some rather harsh criticism of Lakota Freedom ringleader Russell Means from within his own community. Indian Country Today columnist Suzan Shown Harjo has "awarded" him a "Mantle of Shame" for 2007.
"Russell Means - for his mid-December announcement in D.C. that he is unilaterally withdrawing the Lakota Sioux from treaties with the United States. News flash to Means: treaties are made between nations; you are a person and not a nation; you are not empowered to speak for the Great Sioux Nation; as an individual, you can only withdraw yourself from coverage of your nation's treaties. (Means is the same Oglala Sioux actor who tried to beat domestic violence charges by challenging the sovereign authority of the Navajo Nation to prosecute him - he took it all the way to the Supreme Court and lost.)"
So while I always encourage solidarity with indigenous groups, until this declaration of "freedom" gains more traction from activists and elected leaders within Indian Country, I would caution representing this as the majority opinion from within the Lakota Sioux territories. Their actions don't seem to be legally binding. The Lakota haven't withdrawn from their treaties, only a handful of activists claim it to be so. In fact the Lakota Freedom group has already moved to demonize any Indians who may not agree with their methods.
"'I want to emphasize, we do not represent the collaborators, the Vichy Indians and those tribal governments set up by the United States of America to ensure our poverty, to ensure the theft of our land and resources,' Means said, comparing elected tribal governments to Nazi collaborators in France during World War II."
So no matter how attractive politically this may seem to some, a movement without the people behind it isn't a movement. Nor do unilateral statements from controversial figures often help build them. It would be best to wait and see how Native Americans react and decide how to handle this declaration of Lakota Freedom.
Labels: American Indian, indigenous, Lakota, Lakota Freedom, Native American
12.06.2007
The Danger of 'Wannabes'
The Colorado Springs Gazette features an editorial from columnist Barry Noreen on the problems faced by Native Americans trying to preserve their religious culture in the face of appropriation and exploitation by the New Age community.
"Christians aren't the only ones for whom spirituality is a matter of life and death. So Jacob Anaya has taken up the role as a defender of the faith. Anaya, owner of All My Relations Creations in Manitou Springs, acknowledges he is a bit like the little Dutch boy, standing up against the latest assault on American Indian spirituality: New Agers. Anaya, originally of the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico and later a teacher of Lakota traditions, gives presentations to sound warnings about modern charlatans who will sell sweat lodge, vision quest or pipe ceremonies for a price ... Typically, Anaya said, a New Age spiritualist will know some of the sweat lodge details and perhaps a snippet of Lakota language. They're all about trying to create a ceremony, not about treating it as a way of life ... These wannabes sometimes hand out certificates - "they start handing out (Indian) names like cigars," Anaya said, derisively suggesting someone can become "Squeaking Squirrel Butt" overnight."
Noreen continues this theme in his blog for the newspaper, where he recommends the NAFPS (New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans) group, and claims that spiritual exploitation is "another way to attack Indians".
"There is 5-year-old effort, New Age Frauds and Plastic Shamans, which established a Web site, to expose what it sees as fraudulent exploitation of Indian spirituality. These "outings" have resulted in charges that NAFPS is a racist hate group. Without entering into the charges and counter-charges, it's fair to say that if one wants to Google "sweat lodge ceremonies," a wide spectrum of allegedly holy opportunities are out there - some including astrology and others things never associated with American Indians. One can spend a good bit of money in some cases, although exactly what is purchased at the end of the day is another debatable topic. Some of these activities can help you feel good, but they have little or nothing to do with American Indian spirituality."
While "borrowing" Native spirituality has become quite gauche within many modern Pagan circles (in fact, some members of NAFPS are modern Pagans), there are still many Pagans who claim to incorporate Native spirituality into their practice, and faux-Indian rituals and retreats are still entirely common within New Age circles (especially so in Europe, where Native "inspired" events are common enough that a documentary film was made on the subject).
"Europe has also seen a growing interest in so called Native American spirituality. Ceremonies and rituals together with sacred objects are being sold on websites and in papers. Cults and organisations offer people to become 'an Indian shaman' or a medicine man during a weekend course. Seldom or never do Native voices get heard and because of the lack of information, con-men make a considerable amount of money while they violate the spirituality of mostly Plains Indians."
While I think that modern Pagans and polytheists should strive towards solidarity (when feasible) with those who practice pre-Christian faiths and rituals, our support should never be confused with the notion that we have a "right" to "borrow" (and take out of cultural context) their spiritual practices for our own benefit. Empathy for the Indian struggle does not confer the right to appropriate Native traditions and practices. Praying like an Indian doesn't help the Indian preserve their culture and integrity, it only serves our vanity and dilutes authentic practice.
Labels: American Indian, indigenous, Native American, Paganism, Religion
11.26.2007
Thanksgiving Leftovers
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is over, and we are all headed back to our normal routines (with the addition of Winter Festival planning). It is a pity then, that we had to wait until now to read Latino religious scholar Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo's examination of the Thanksgiving holiday, and why he thinks "turkey day" has become "Earth Religion".
"What has so radically changed an event whose origins were clouded by violence, exploitation and bigotry? The answer, I think, is that the anniversary of the vengeful European and Pilgrim abuse of Native Americans has become identified with Earth Religion. It is a common practice in most of the religions around the world to celebrate the final harvest and the last meal with cold-weather "fresh" food - meaning pumpkins and cranberries in Massachusetts - before being confined to eating only preserves during the winter. Christianity, particularly in its Catholic incarnation, proved astute in syncretizing its beliefs to the rhythms of Earth Religions. The original Calvinistic Thanksgiving Day of 1621 has become today's relevant religious festival, I think, because it was syncretized with the Native American and other Earth Religion celebrations for the coming of winter. Thus, there is more to celebrate here than a turkey dinner or even the restoration of the extended family in American experience. Rather let us give thanks for the porosity of Christianity to Earth Religion. The meaning of the day no longer rests upon the dominance of one religion, such as that of the Pilgrims, which conquered the other one belonging to the Native Americans. While that power equation defined the original Thanksgiving, today equality and tolerance is celebrated instead. What joins us now is recognition of how Mother Earth is the necessary material connection to what is spiritual."
So next year as you bake that pumpkin pie, roast the turkey (or tofurkey), say a cursory opening prayer amongst throngs of relatives, and enjoy ritualized combat spectacles (football games), you can do so with the knowledge that you are all celebrating the earth/harvest goddess in a syncretic holiday mixing Christian piety with pre-Christian harvest motifs. A situation that any good polytheist could endorse (between mouthfuls).
Labels: Christianity, indigenous, On Faith, Paganism, Religion, syncretism, thanksgiving
10.18.2007
Investigating the Saint of Death
Time Magazine has a profile feature on the cult of Santa Muerte, which looks at how the controversial syncretic religion has spread from Mexico and into the United States.
"Santa Muerte began appearing in U.S. neighborhoods with large Mexican populations only in the last decade. Walk down 26th street here in Little Village, one of Chicago's largest Mexican neighborhoods, and notice the tiny shops, or botanicas, selling statues, candles and palm-sized prayer cards bearing Santa Muerte's image. Notice references to Santa Muerte in Spanish-language newspapers. Young Mexican-American men are marking their bodies with Santa Muerte tattoos to prove their devotion. Middle-class, suburban-bred Mexican-Americans are snapping up black tee-shirts bearing Santa Muerte's image to reconnect with what they perceive to be part of their heritage. Last weekend, a Chicago art gallery opened an exhibit showcasing images from Tepito - with Santa Muerte figuring prominently. And Santa Muerte may gain even more credibility: the famed Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal narrates Saint Death, a new documentary about the phenomenon."
Time hints that part of the popularity of Saint Death is a Catholic Church riddled with scandal and hypocrisy. One devotee in the article says outright that she worships Santa Muerte "because of everything you hear with priests". What started out as a small splinter cult mixing attributes of indigenous religion, Santeria, and Catholicism is evolving into a far more mainstream concern that is advocating for legal rights and adopting friendlier imagery for its ever-growing body of followers.
"A small religious group that worships the grim reaper and is fighting for government recognition unveiled a softer image of their so-called Death Saint on Sunday: a woman with a porcelain face, brown, shoulder-length hair and long thin fingers ... "This image is one of justice, of freedom, but above all one that reveals the face of God," Romo said. Believers say the Death Saint kills only on God's orders."
The growth of Santa Muerte shows that there are religious needs that the dominant monotheisms are no longer meeting, and that Paganism and other new religious movements aren't isolated to Europe and the "first world". Religious diversity is basic human impulse, and attempts to get everyone worshiping the same God (in the same manner) are ultimately doomed to failure as the needs and wants of individuals, groups, and societies stray from entrenched dogma and doctrine.
Labels: America, Catholicism, indigenous, Mexico, Saint Death, Santa Muerte, Santeria, Time Magazine
10.16.2007
(Pagan) News of Note
My semi-regular round-up of articles, essays, and opinions of note for discerning Pagans and Heathens.
We are saddened to report that Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, the musical and spiritual partner of Psychic TV founder Genesis P-Orridge, passed away on October 9th due to a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
"Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and her reactivated Psychic TV aka PTV3 are terribly sad to announce the cancellation of their November North American tour dates. This decision is entirely due to the unexpected passing of band member Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge. Lady Jaye died suddenly on Tuesday 9th October 2007 at home in Brooklyn, New York from a previously undiagnosed heart condition which is thought to have been connected with her long-term battle with stomach cancer. Lady Jaye collapsed and died in the arms of her heartbroken "other half" Genesis Breyer P-Orridge."
A visual and conceptual artist, Lady Jaye spent more than a decade exploring the concepts of "pandrogeny" in which she and Genesis strove to become one being incorporating all sexes and sexualities. The P-Orridges and Psychic TV were instrumental in the development of music that explored occult concepts and imagery.
Several interesting stories have emerged that touch on environmental issues. In England, there is a plan developing to save Sherwood Forest, which is in increasing danger due to storms, forest fires, and vandals which are killing the ancient oak trees at an alarming rate.
"For the people who care for Sherwood Forest it is like a death in the family when one of the ancient oaks falls, a tragedy that is now becoming depressingly frequent. They used to lose an average of one a year, now it is usually five, and the rate is accelerating. The appalling calculation, which almost breaks the foresters' hearts, is that in 50 years' time the greatest collection of ancient oaks in Europe, many 1,000 years old and more, may be no more."
The foresters hope to plant 250,000 oaks on 350 acres, in order to help preserve and protect the ancient oaks. The article also discusses the folkloric history of the forest, including tales of Robin Hood and Druidic rites.
Why are environmentalists like Al Gore and Wangari Maathai winning a prize dedicated to peace? According to Slate.com, sudden environmental shifts may be one of the biggest contributors to war and strife.
"I asked Maathai what reforestation had to do with ending conflict. "What the Nobel committee is doing is going beyond war and looking at what humanity can do to prevent war," she answered. "Sustainable management of our natural resources will promote peace." ... The idea of a connection between conflict and climate change is fairly new, and one that had been mostly relegated to academic journals until earlier this year. Then, in June, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon went on record to suggest global warming as a cause for the fighting in the Darfur region of Sudan."
More proof that everything is interconnected. A rise in temperature doesn't only mean running your air conditioner more in the summer, it can mean drastically changing whole cultures and peoples, a point that is further explored in a column by Jodi Rave. Rave reports on how climate change is affecting the way indigenous populations struggle to live and interact with a quickly changing landscape.
"I was in Alta, Norway, as an invited speaker at an international indigenous journalists' conference. Indigenous people - communities whose homelands have been invaded by colonizers yet still maintain distinct languages, cultures and customs - share common concerns, including a right to live off the land ... But global warming is changing their landscape ... In Alaska, sea ice is melting and the permafrost is thawing. Native Inuit villages are being destroyed ... What will happen in Scandinavia and other parts of the Arctic when snow disappears little by little?"
Some indigenous groups are now working with scientists in order to understand and adapt to the changes, hoping to meld science with traditional wisdom.
As Samhain approaches, those hoping to save the Hill of Tara in Ireland from highway development are planning magical and symbolic actions to help raise awareness and stop the planned M3 expansion. The TaraWatch organization is raising funds to create a "protective light shield" around the historic spiritual and political center.
"Tara Light will consist of an elaborate light show with beams of white light illuminating Tara valley the home and source of the Celtic Halloween festival (the Celtic New Year), while a live radio broadcast will provide an audio backdrop to those viewing the event from Tara and others tuning in around the valley, surrounding area, Ireland and beyond ... The objective of the lighting event is to show the positioning and significant quantity of sacred sites throughout the complex, in relation to the motorway route proximity and to show the importance of immediately halting the destruction to maintain the integrity, balance and beauty that has existed here for over 5000 years of history."
Meanwhile, Celtic Reconstructionists from around the globe are planning rituals to help protect the site. A web site for the "I Stand With Tara" ritual is now up, and details are going to be posted soon.
Since I brought up Al Gore earlier in this post, I thought I would mention that Pagan author and pundit Isaac Bonewits is calling for magical action to urge Al Gore to run for President.
"As a Druid and as a priest of the Earth Mother I know how important it is to use both magical and mundane methods to draft Al Gore, kicking and screaming if necessary, to run. There is no other position from which he could have the power and influence he will need to push major American corporations, our national and state governments, and other nations of the world to take the drastic action that will be needed to avert the worst of the already tipped-over climate."
Finally, the blog Tropaion links to a BBC documentary concerning "Togas on TV", a look at how ancient Rome is viewed in popular culture.
"The question that the narrator asks is what is Rome for us today and how we conceive it, and whether or not that is right or wrong. Enjoy it, as I must confess I enjoy it, especially with the marvelous points by our Mary Beard."
That is all I have for now, have a good day.
Labels: Celts, enviornmentalism, Hill of Tara, indigenous, Isaac Bonewits, Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge, Pagan News of Note, Paganism, Robin Hood, Rome
10.08.2007
Columbus Day and Indigenous Reaction
Today is when Columbus Day is observed in the United States of America
AIM member Glenn Morris being arrested at
Saturday's Columbus Day parade in Colorado.
"At least 500 people protested, and many of them came prepared to draw attention and go to jail over their belief that the Italian-American celebration has racist roots ... Protesters sat down in the street to face off with police after Morris poured a bucket of red liquid bearing pieces of dismembered toy dolls. "This is only the beginning. The frustration has reached critical mass," Means said as police led him toward a pair of buses on Stout Street that they used to transport prisoners."
Some have tried to paint Indian resistance to the holiday as "lefties" who have gone too far with their "political correctness", a view that diminishes the very real ongoing struggle for justice, respect, and survival by Native peoples.
"Currently, mainstream America has a "just get over it" attitude to native peoples, dismissing our grievances as political correctness gone awry. But in the recent words of an elder, "If the shoe were on the other foot, Americans would carry laminated copies of their ancestors' treaties until they got their just dues." Asking the U.S. government to abandon Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples' Day is akin to asking for a sea change in the national psychology. It demands a soul-searching objectivity that is simply too threatening to the mainstream culture and economy."
Efforts to stop celebrations of Columbus Day have met with limited success, Minnesota doesn't recognize Columbus Day, and South Dakota changed the name to "Native American Day", but outside of these areas a sense of (perhaps willful) confusion over the issue remains.
"By commemorating the discovery of our country, undisputedly by Columbus, we're not condoning the oppression that followed but recognizing that from that day forward, from Oct. 12, 1492, the possibility of this nation was born."
Until that moment of "soul-searching objectivity" happens, Native American activists will continue to speak out, organize alternate events, and protest until change comes.
* The rest of the world observes it on the 12th, the actual day of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. Venezuela celebrates a "Day of Indigenous Resistance" instead of Columbus Day.
Labels: American Indian, Columbus Day, indigenous, Native American, politics
9.14.2007
Landmark UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights Adopted
A historic United Nations declaration concerning the rights of indigenous peoples was adopted yesterday. This document, which from its first inception took over twenty years to gain approval, is a strong statement affirming the basic rights of indigenous populations to self-determination and freedom from human rights abuses.
"The declaration affirms the equality of the more than 370 million indigenous peoples and their right to maintain their own institutions, cultures and spiritual traditions. It also establishes standards to combat discrimination and marginalization and eliminate human rights violations against them."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the only four countries to vote against the declaration (143 for, 11 abstentions) were Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Four countries that have troubled legal and moral histories with their own indigenous populations.
"Several detractors also warned that the declaration set a poor precedent, calling the text confusing and unclear. "We're not standing against the issue," said Benjamin Chang, a spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the U.N. "We want one that is universal in its scope and can be implemented. What was done today is not clear. The way it stands now is subject to multiple interpretations and doesn't establish a clear universal principal." Australia's U.N. Ambassador Robert Hill said the declaration failed to meet standards "that would be universally accepted, observed and upheld." He said "Australia continues to have many concerns with the text." The U.S. and Australia said sponsors excluded them from negotiations where agreement was reached on the amended text."
Yes, I can see how ensuring minimum standards of human rights for indigenous populations could be "confusing" to nations with a history of treating indigenous peoples as sub-human. But while some countries grouse over their "concerns" with the document, a mood of jubilation was evident among indigenous peoples and their supporters.
"Botswana Bushman Jumanda Gakelebone of First People of the Kalahari said today, 'We would like to say that we are really very happy and thrilled to hear about the adoption of the declaration. It recognises that governments can no longer treat us as second-class citizens, and it gives protection to tribal peoples so that they will not be thrown off their lands like we were.' Kiplangat Cheruiyot of Kenya's Ogiek tribe said today, 'With the adoption of the declaration, the lives of indigenous peoples will be improved on an equal footing with the rest of world citizens.'"
In addition to addressing issues of territory and racism, the document also enshrines the basic right to religious integrity.
"Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practice, develop and teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies; the right to maintain, protect, and have access in privacy to their religious and cultural sites; the right to the use and control of their ceremonial objects; and the right to the repatriation of their human remains."
I for one welcome this landmark declaration, and hope it is only the beginning towards redressing the gross injustices perpetrated on indigenous and Native peoples around the world. One hopes this declaration will move steadily towards becoming binding International Law
Further coverage: Indianz, BBC, Xinhua, Crosswalk, IWGIA, Toronto Star, AFP, Inner City Press, NewstalkZB, Indian Country, Truthdig
* It should be noted that this declaration isn't binding, and the UN can't legally "force" any country to comply with its language. It, like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is an aspirant document that attempts to set a basic standard for the behavior of member-countries. At best documents of this nature can be used to set standards for future law and to bring censure and diplomatic pressure against member countries violating the declaration.
Labels: Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, indigenous, Native American, politics, Religion, United Nations
9.13.2007
Documentaries of Note
There are two new documentaries being released that should be of special interest to my reading audience. The first is a documentary concerning the legendary occultist Aleister Crowley. The film, "In Search Of The Great Beast 666", purports to reveal the "shocking facts" about one of the most influential Britons of all time.
Surprisingly, it seems that despite the melodramatic press copy, the film is actually pretty decent according to a review at Lashtal (home of the Aleister Crowley Society).
"So, what of the film itself? Well, the narration is provided with typical workmanlike skill by Joss Ackland. Rather than following the usual dry format, the time flies past as a result of some really rather impressive reconstructed period interview: actors playing some of the most significant parts. This is so much more watchable than the usual voiceover extracts and works rather well ... Especially good is the account of the events leading up to the reception of Liber AL and the attempted ascents of K2 and Kangchenjunga."
The film is available for purchase in Britain now, no word yet on an American release
The second film covers the thorny subject of cultural appropriation. "Spirits For Sale", tells the tale of a Swedish woman who receives an eagle feather from a Native American visiting her country. Feeling that perhaps the item shouldn't belong to her, she journeys to different Indian communities in the Americas and explores how the growing popularity of "Native American spirituality" within New Age communities in Europe is actually a form of cultural theft and exploitation.
Image from the "Spirits for Sale" web site.
"The information in Europe about Native Americans and Native Canadians is most often full of fantasies and lies. People in general know very little about American Indians and their general view is based on stereotypes, mascots and film cliches. In some cases the belief is that 'Indians do not exist.' Europe has also seen a growing interest in so called Native American spirituality. Ceremonies and rituals together with sacred objects are being sold on websites and in papers. Cults and organisations offer people to become 'an Indian shaman' or a medicine man during a weekend course. Seldom or never do Native voices get heard and because of the lack of information, con-men make a considerable amount of money while they violate the spirituality of mostly Plains Indians. This film will address the issue of spiritual exploiters and the harm they do towards Native cultures but also to followers who, in many cases, 'don't have a clue'."
The film is having its American debut at the South Dakota Film Festival on September 22 2007. No word yet on further American showings, or when a DVD will be released. Thanks to Kathryn Price NicDhana for tipping me off about this documentary.
* Also of note is the fact that prog-rocker turned evangelical Christian Rick Wakeman provided the soundtrack, which merited a bit of controversy for the now-devout keyboardist.
Labels: Aleister Crowley, American Indian, documentaries, film, In Search Of The Great Beast 666, indigenous, Lashtal, Native American, occult, Spirits for Sale, Sweden, UK
8.24.2007
Who Cares About Minority Faiths?
Generally speaking, the lead-up to the Presidential primaries and caucuses is when we start to form our opinions on the character of the Presidential candidates. This is when the smaller constituencies (and issues) are given some face time, when the dialog isn't so scripted, and we get a clue about how they would handle individual issues important to us. I have been looking for signs and portents concerning how the Presidential front-runners will address issues important to non-Christian minority faiths, and so far the waters have been murky, with most of the attention being paid to Christian swing voters.
"Clinton and Obama have both hired strategists to coordinate faith outreach. Obama also has a faith point person in each of the three early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. His campaign held a series of "Faith, Action, Change" forums with New Hampshire voters and hosts weekly conference calls for religious leaders. Team Clinton has assembled a Faith Steering Committee, with working groups targeting individual denominations. Edwards' campaign says it is leaning on his Campaign Manager David Bonior to help rally Catholics, considered a key swing constituency."
While it is generally agreed that the Democratic candidates are somewhat more sympathetic to minority faiths than Republicans (especially considering the large number of conservative Christians running this time around), no candidate should get a free ride simply because they would be "better" than their opponent on a certain issue. Frankly, what I have seen so far hasn't endeared me to any of them (on this issue). Two opportunities have now passed for the Democratic front-runners to make a stand for those of us who check "other" in the religious category. First, despite the demands of Hindu groups, no candidate has spoken out against the Christians who heckled Rajan Zed's opening Senate prayer.
"Let me also say that the presidential candidates should address this issue for reasons that go beyond the notion of common decency. They should address this situation because it gets at a fundamental constitutional and ethical matter -- whether we believe that the government must treat all religions equally."
Now the three Democratic front-runners (Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards) have blown off a historic Democratic forum on Native American issues, stating scheduling problems for their lack of attendance.
"American Indian leaders vowed 2008 would be different - Indian country would be one of the stops on the road to the White House. But a historic presidential forum at the Morongo Band of Mission Indians' reservation in Southern California has attracted only three of the eight Democratic candidates: Bill Richardson, Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich ... "If they won't come talk to us now, they certainly won't be responsive to us if they get in the White House," said Kalyn Free, a Choctaw from Oklahoma who is organizing the Democratic forum, called "Prez on the Rez." Top contenders said they could not attend because of scheduling conflicts. The event is the first attempt to bring a presidential debate to Indian country."
The event "Prez on the Rez", drew hundreds of elected tribal leaders from across the country, and the three lower-rung Democratic candidates that did attend (Bill Richardson, Mike Gravel
"It will have an impact. The reality played out here today will have an impact in Indian country," said Frank La Mere, chairman of the Democratic National Committee's Native American Coordinating Council. "There is some fence mending to be done between now and the Iowa caucuses."
This makes two opportunities for the main Democratic hopefuls to take a stand concerning the rights of religious minorities (not to mention address dire issues like outsider rape, corporate despoiling of sacred grounds, and ongoing issues concerning tribal sovereignty) that have been missed. One wonders if their campaign strategists have them avoiding any action that could be deemed "unchristian". If so, we may have to end up guessing as to who might actually take the concerns of religious minorities seriously. But I'll keep reading the news looking for further signs as to which candidate will step away from wooing moderate evangelicals and Catholics long enough to speak about religious freedom for everyone.
* Of special note is that Mike Gravel received a standing ovation from the crowd when he vowed to free Leonard Peltier if elected.
Labels: American Indian, Hinduism, indigenous, Native American, Presidential election, Prez on the Rez, Religious Freedom
7.24.2007
Army Closes off Sacred Sites
In a highly controversial move, the US military has shut off all visitation access to sacred sites within the Makua Valley on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu.
"Long-simmering differences between Native Hawaiians and the military over access to Makua Valley have flared anew, with the Army notifying two prominent groups that they will no longer be allowed access to four sacred sites they've visited in the past. Malama Makua and Hui Malama say the Army's notice, contained in a June 12 letter, may violate a 2001 court order guaranteeing cultural access to many sites in the valley, including the four sites they can no longer enter."
The military is alternately claiming safety issues (they use the valley for training purposes), objections by unnamed descendants, and (perhaps most ironically) the preservation of the sacred sites. This struggle over access between the military and the Native population is nothing new, in fact it has been going on since World War Two.
"The Makua Valley access debate dates to World War II "when the Army took over the valley in early 1943 and kicked out the residents," Dodge said. "And there was an agreement that six months after the war was over, the valley would be returned in a condition satisfactory to the state. "And when that didn't happen, the territory sued and it was in and out of the courts until statehood. It was a condition of statehood that the issue be resolved." In 1964, for the sum of $1, America's youngest state leased the lower third of Makua Valley to the Army for 65 years, Dodge said."
Since these obstructionist tactics seem to violate a 2001 court decision granting Hawaiian Native groups visitation access to sacred sites, the matter will most likely end up in court again.
"Denying access to sacred sites denies Native Hawaiians the ability to honor their ancestral spirits within those locations, Aila said. He said the Native Hawaiian groups will continue to seek access to the restricted areas. If their requests continue to be denied, they'll let a judge make the decision."
This is just another example of the total disregard the military, the National Park Service, and other government agencies have for the remaining rights of Native peoples. The courts are often the only resort left to check the land-grabs done in the name of "progress" and "security", and as seen here, even that isn't always enough to guarantee justice.
Labels: Hawaii, indigenous, litigation, Military, Native American, Religion
7.22.2007
Witchcraft Killings Become a Pagan Issue
As modern Paganism and religious Witchcraft spreads around the world, it is more likely that cultural clashes will develop over different ideas of what "witchcraft" means. One issue that has been mostly outside the modern Pagan consciousness, witchcraft slayings in India and different parts of the African continent, is more and more becoming a modern Pagan concern. For example: In India, where legislation seems to have little effect on curbing witchcraft slayings, an Indian Wiccan and British Pagans started an education campaign to reframe witchcraft to communities that are hardest hit by these killings.
"In the past five years, police say they have reports of more than 700 women being killed as witches or witch doctors in eastern India alone. But the real figure could be many times higher, they say..Now, followers of the Wicca faith from the United States, Britain and India plan to introduce their religion in the eastern city of Kolkata to promote awareness of witchcraft and provide support for harassed witches...Around 100 people have already signed up to take a training program in Wiccan philosophy, literature and psychology and the students will also set up a grievance cell where persecuted women can register their complaints..."
Different tactics are being taken in the country of South Africa, where witchcraft killings are also a tremendous problem. A controversial new bill is being proposed that tries to eliminate witch-killings by suppressing activities connected to witchcraft. Unsurprisingly, a coalition of South African Pagans (including the South African Pagan Council, and the South African Pagan Rights Alliance) along with traditional healers from across the country are opposed to the bill saying it would effectively criminalize their faith.
"...Witches themselves need protection from violent attack, Sapra said. "Practitioners of natural magic (witchcraft) throughout the country have rallied together to oppose the passage of the proposed Mpumalanga Witchcraft Suppression Bill on the grounds that the bill will criminalize men and women who practice witchcraft or who claim to be witches," Sapra convener Damon Leff said. Sapra has even submitted an alternative bill - the Mpumalanga Witchcraft Protection Bill - for the Mpumalanga Legislature to consider instead ... Potgieter said those who attacked people they accused of being witches were the criminal element that needed addressing, not witches themselves. She warned that the bill also affected traditional healers and "disempowered" them."
So far, it appears that the government has been receptive to these complaints. The provincial department that authored the bill is holding a closed-door meeting with traditional healers and modern Pagans to discuss re-wording the bill so it wouldn't criminalize the innocent. For some, this meeting is the first instance that traditional South African healers have met European-style modern Witches.
"There was confused silence when Luke Martin told a group of traditional healers this week that he is a witch. Phephisile Maseko, the national coordinator of the Traditional Healers' Organisation (THO), quickly had to explain that some white people consider witchcraft to be a religion and were open about practising it. There was still some apprehension, however, because the healers come from communities where witchcraft is considered evil and where people have been evicted from their villages or even killed because they were suspected of being witches. Now here was someone standing up and admitting to being one ... He and 40 traditional healers and leaders were attending a closed meeting with officials from the provincial department of local government and housing on Monday to discuss the draft Mpumalanga Witchcraft Suppression Bill."
SAPRA has also proposed an alternate Witchcraft Protection Bill that they feel better addresses the problem of witch killings in South Africa. But no matter what solution (or lack of a solution) that arrives from these proceedings, the modern Pagan community in South Africa is now in dialog with traditional healers and have involved themselves in the politics of witch-slayings. These developments, along with the spotlight on modern Paganism in India, and the growing global presence of our faiths, means that witch killings are no longer a problem isolated from Western Paganism but have become a "Pagan issue". What remains to be seen is how the larger Pagan community will react to these developments.
Labels: India, indigenous, law, Paganism, Religion, South Africa, Wicca, Witch Killings, Witchcraft
5.22.2007
The Indians Were Begging For It!
I really do try to not get wrapped up in every little thing Pope Benedict XVI says that offends people. But sometimes crass triumphalism just crosses a line. Such was the case in his recent visit to Brazil where he made some troubling comments concerning the indigenous population of Latin America.
"Speaking to Latin American bishops in Brazil on May 13, the Pope cited the 'rich religious traditions' of Indian people but added that their ancestors were 'silently longing' for Christ and seeking God 'without realizing it.' Pope Benedict further demonstrated his misunderstanding of history and the forced conversions of natives in North, Central and South America and of massacres and 'just wars' when he suggested that the Church did not impose itself on indigenous peoples and that Christianity had not been detrimental to them and their cultures. 'In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of His Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture.' Benedict also added that a return to indigenous religions 'would be a step back.'"
Not to be too hyperbolic but "they secretly wanted it" is the excuse of rapists throughout history. For such a learned man to display such shocking ignorance (and arrogance) concerning the tragic legacy of colonialism in the Americas points to a singular failing of empathy or interest in indigenous peoples. So blatant was this triumphalist screed that even the Catholic Church's own Indian advocacy group in Brazil have criticized the pontiff.
"The Catholic Church's Indian advocacy group in Brazil, CIMI, has called the Pope's statement, 'wrong and indefensible'. Before the Pope made his comments, Indian leaders had written to him about the threats they continue to face, and expressed their gratitude for the support of missionaries and the church in Brazil in fighting for their rights."
Indigenous activists and tribal leaders in Brazil are understandably stunned and outraged by Benedict's comments and the dangerous white-washing of history this represents.
"Jecinaldo Satere Mawe, the chief coordinator for Coiab, an Indian rights group in Brazil, called the comments 'arrogant and disrespectful.' Dionito Jose de Souza of the Makuxi Tribe said the Pope was trying to erase the 'dirty work' of colonization. Sandro Tuxa, another Indian leader, called them 'offensive, and frankly, frightening.'"
The famous Catholic activist Dorothy Day was famously quoted as saying that while she loved the Church for revealing Christ to her, the institution itself was often a scandal to her. So must all good Catholics feel at a time like this, when their spiritual head so clearly lacks the necessary love and empathy to embody Christ to his Church. Christian triumphalism is ugly, no matter how educated or powerful the man who peddles it is, it forgives genocides and overlooks tragedy in the name of saving souls.
If Benedict represents the Christian God's anointed, then I'm glad to be an unrepentant Pagan.
Labels: American Indian, Benedict XVI, Catholicism, Christianity, indigenous
4.27.2007
Raping With Impunity
Amnesty International has issued a disturbing new report that asserts an incredibly high rate of sexual violence and rape against Native American and Alaskan Native women.
"A US Department of Justice study on violence against women concluded that 34.1 per cent of American Indian and Alaska Native women - or more than one in three - will be raped during their lifetime; the comparable figure for the USA as a whole is less than one in five. Shocking though these statistics are, it is widely believed that they do not accurately portray the extent of sexual violence against Native American and Alaska Native women."
The report goes on to state that contrary to typical rape statistics, the vast majority of these rapes are committed by strangers and outsiders.
"According to the US Department of Justice, in at least 86 per cent of reported cases of rape or sexual assault against American Indian and Alaska Native women, survivors report that the perpetrators are non-Native men."
Unfortunately, due to a mixture of archaic laws, a lack of funding for tribal courts and law enforcement, and a general failure at the federal level to pursue rape cases against Native women most of these crimes go unpunished. Creating a situation that allows perpetrators to "rape with impunity".
"It appears that Indigenous women in the USA may be targeted for acts of violence and denied access to justice on the basis of their gender and Indigenous identity ... Indigenous women described to Amnesty International how they experience contemporary sexual violence as a legacy of impunity for past atrocities."
Monica Aleman, Program Director at MADRE, an International women;s human rights organization, and International Coordinator of FIMI, the International Indigenous Women