In the US, Episcopalians to study their role in Native boarding schools
United StatesAP A fact-finding commission of the Episcopal Church will research the history of the denomination’s role in operating boarding schools for Native American children – part of a system the church now acknowledges was rooted in white supremacy and caused generations of trauma. The denomination’s General Convention, meeting in Baltimore, approved the commission’s formation […]
Essay: A reckoning on Native boarding schools in the US is long overdue
In an article first published on Religion News Service, BRIDGET MOIX, general secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, says that there are “gaping holes between our country’s traditional narrative and the realities of how our nation was built and who paid the costs”…
US finds 500 Native American boarding school deaths so far
Flagstaff, Arizona, USAP A first-of-its-kind federal study of Native American boarding schools that for over a century sought to assimilate Indigenous children into white society has identified more than 500 student deaths at the institutions, but officials say that figure could grow exponentially as research continues. The Interior Department report released Wednesday expands to more […]
Church schools: First Pope, now US churches face boarding school reckoning
PETER SMITH, of Associated Press, reports on how US churches are preparing for the handing down of a report looking at the loss of life and the enduring traumas of the US boarding school system…
California to replace toppled statue with memorial to tribes
Sacramento, California, US AP More than a year after protesters toppled a statue of a Spanish missionary on the grounds of the California Capitol, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law on Friday to replace it with a memorial for the state’s Native Americans. A statue of Father Junipero Serra had stood in Capitol Park since […]
The Bible: First Nations Version translates the New Testament for Native American readers
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, reports on the story behind the making of a new Bible translation for First Nations people…
US apology to Native Americans: How a new spiritual movement is calling for official recognition
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, reports on efforts – led by Negiel Bigpond and former US senator and ambassador Sam Brownback – to see an apology to Native Americans issued in 2010 to be formally recognised in a White House ceremony…
Native Americans get voice in how to handle cases of missing, murdered
Tulsa, Oklahoma, USThomson Reuters Foundation For nearly two years, Aubrey Dameron, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, has been missing. Last seen in March 2019, Dameron disappeared while leaving her mother’s rural home early in the morning. Her family has been following various leads, including draining a pond near her home, but is […]
US Christian author and speaker Jen Hatmaker apologises for line in inaugural prayer critiqued as erasing Native Americans
RNS Jen Hatmaker was “proud” to offer the final prayer in the liturgy for the inaugural interfaith prayer service Thursday hosted virtually by the Washington National Cathedral. The popular Christian author, speaker and podcaster has also apologised for it – at least for the first line of the prayer, which began, “Almighty God, you have […]
Postcards: On virus-stricken Native reservations, church shares food and light
ERIC TRYGGESTAD, in an article first published on The Christian Chronicle, reports on how one US church is looking to share its resources with American Indian communities suffering during the coronavirus pandemic…