Love and labour within Salem Quarter was released into our wider religious Society of Friends with PYM’s First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative. During the kick-off workshop at Annual Sessions 2017, participants leaned in toward understanding Tribal Sovereignty. Recently, following the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) convention in Denver, outreach was initiated by “extended family,” Rev. Dr. JR Norwood (Nanticoke-Lenape), co-chair for NCAI’s task force on federal recognition, to tribal allies, the SQ Indian Affairs Committee. Pastor Norwood brings to Friends’ attention the Nov. 2nd screening of PROMISED LAND, hosted by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in conjunction with the NCAI and the Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes (ACET.) The documentary is an award-winning social justice documentary that follows two tribes as they fight for the restoration of treaty rights they’ve long been denied. In following their story, the film examines a larger problem in the way that the government and society still looks at tribal sovereignty. Pastor Norwood will be part of a post screening panel discussion at NCAI; details are posted on the PYM calendar. Coming First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative events will continue to help shed light on denials of tribal sovereignty, human rights, and social justice. The FCRC website offers a variety of “growing edge” opportunities; we are open to hearing how we might further serve Friends.
First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative
Kwel’ Hoy: We Draw The Line!
On April 24 at the Watershed Institute in Pennington, NJ, Friends joined a gathering of over 75 in support of clean water and the environment. Led by tribal elders, scientists, children, and museum representatives, the occasion was the opening ceremony for the “Kwel’ Hoy: We Draw the Line” traveling exhibition which is to remain at the Institute until the end of August. Chief Perry of the Ramapough Lenape Nation, which has opposed the Pilgrim Pipeline, led with history, blessings and the beginning of a stone altar. Elder Doug James of the Lummi Nation from the Pacific Northwest led in the unveiling of a massive carved totem pole. Young children were excited to remove the cloth from the totem pole and wonder at its appearance. Elder James told stories of the components of the totem pole. On top is a carving which can be imagined in the full moon, of a person with two feathers in prayer. The next segment represents people of various skin tones. Bear, who was too greedy and almost wiped out the salmon, is represented in another segment. Freddie Lane, also of the Lummi, recommended the YouTube video “The Earth is Alive”, a message from the Coast Salish People. Many scientists, in white coats, lined up in solidarity with water protectors in opposing the Penn East pipeline. A scientist from Princeton added to the concern for clean water, stating that we must recognize that all pipelines leak, methane is a greenhouse gas, and that construction of these pipelines locks us into fossil fuel use.
Chief Perry led in the construction of a stone altar to which the participants each added a stone, with each stone representing a personal prayer for the protection of water. The event continued indoors where numerous videos of contemporary fossil fuel related struggles were showing. The Lummi totem journey has been credited with defeating a major coal port. More information and pictures are available at www.thewatershed.org and WeDrawTheLineExhibit.com.
Indian Committee Fiscal Year Report ’16-’17
We will be known forever by the tracks we leave. – Dakota
Indian Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Report for October 2016 through September 2017
During the Fiscal Year 2016-17 fifteen individuals were active as Members and Attenders at ten meetings held during the year. On average nine people attended each meeting. We were greatly saddened by the sudden loss of one of our long-term members, Amanda Ivory, in July 2016. [Read more…] about Indian Committee Fiscal Year Report ’16-’17
Tribal Nations Update
Six Virginia Tribal Nations – the Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Upper Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Nansemond and Monacan – just secured Federal Recognition, having chosen “to seek recognition through Congress rather than the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Federal Acknowledgment.” For over twenty years Tribal leadership and legislators (along with members of the BYM IAC) labored to secure this government-to-government acknowledgement that opens opportunities that include education, repatriation, and health care. Now too, the work of FCNL is applicable to 573 Federally Recognized Tribal Nations. Let’s continue the conversation of sovereignty! Contact the First Contact Reconciliation Collaborative and/ or go to PYM Connect – Addressing Racism forum. (pictured: Tribal Leadership and VA Legislators)
An original post by Michael Martz appeared in the Jan 29, 2018
