RBC 2009 - St. Louis, MO - Opening Session II

Beverly A. Carroll, founding Director of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for African American Catholics, focused her presentation on the concerns of Native Americans in the Church today. Within the context of the continuing struggles faced by Native Americans in North America, Beverly reviewed the gaps in education, the negative view of Native Americans portrayed in the media, and the misconceptions about where they live.

Although about 65% of Native Americans live in cities, they are a very diverse group and Native Americans speak about 175 different languages. Even though they are proud of their backgrounds, many do not speak about them.

Dioceses in the US often overlook the Native Americans in their census because they do not count data by culture. Representation is given to male/female or by ages, but often nationality that encompasses the Native Americans is lumped together under the category of “other.”

Pastoral issues relevant to Native Americans are also often not addressed. There are still concerns of the Native peoples about land disputes, which go to the question of government confiscation without payment or some form of compensation. Going back to the topic of worldview as touched on by Fr. Deck, Beverly outlines the respect for land and specific love and consciousness of the earth in the Native American worldview. Native Americans are very hurt by what they see us doing to the land and the water around them. Here again are pastoral issues that the Church of today needs to address.

Some of the major areas of concern mentioned were issues of healthcare; protection for the Native peoples from encroachment by non-Native Americans; cultural and religious freedoms; guarantees regarding tribal sovereignty; and a school system that is not responsive to their children.

In the area of worship, the Catholic Church has a problem as well. Some parishes with large Native American populations now have an influx of symbols and cultures, but this is not Church-wide. Examples of this changing trend included the use of the Eagle feather at mass or the burning of cedar. Retaining the nuances of beat and songs that are part and parcel of the Native American identity are also important ways of lifting up their cultures in our worship. The idea of self-identity is also being address in some areas by attempting to define another category to use in place of “other” when counting Catholics in a census.

This session ended with a healthy discussion wherein the Brothers present were able to highlight their experiences and enlighten us with examples from their charisms as to the needs of specific Native American cultures. Some of the topics of discussion included the plight of the Native Americans in the U. S. especially in the California area, where tribes do not get along and are killing each other. There is a need for the Catholic Church to be a reconciler here. Other areas of concern include the government giving money to the children as compensation. These children are mainly concerned with materialism because of having grown up in the North American culture and the Church has a responsibility toward education in this area.

Travel sovereignty was another topic. The U.S. Government has acknowledged the Native American hierarchy and given them the ability toward self-determination in some areas. An example is the Native American museum in D.C., which is run by Native Americans and they determine what is in it. However, the U.S. Government does not recognize all tribes and there is no motivation for some groups.

Another need mentioned was for the media to respect the Native Americans and represent them from their viewpoint. There is some cautiousness here on the part of Native Americans, because of the previous lack of trust in our promises.

Healthcare was another major concern as it is almost non-existent. Diabetes is rampant and the promises of the U.S. Government again have been broken in this area. The Native American population is also at high risk for drug and alcohol abuse and this is not addressed properly either.

How Native Americans relate to diversity amongst themselves is was also a topic for discussion. There is a need for unity in diversity here too. The gifts of various tribes sometimes are a focus in Native American centers, but the Catholic Bureau of Indian Affairs does not give a voice to Native Americans with regard to its structure or distribution of funds.

Although Catholicism looks to spirituality, many Native Americans have a deeper root in spirituality culturally. The Tekawitha Conference is 70 years old and meets annually. The concern again is about the upcoming census and how Native Americans are represented and counted. However, the singular focus of Native Americans is the effort tot get Blessed Kateri Tekawitha canonized.

The USCCB has a new sub-committee on Native American Affairs. The Bishops hope to place Native Americans in key positions on the national and local levels. The hope is to increase the Catholic awareness of the Native American plight. There is also a lack of understanding about our evangelization methods, we no longer “Americanize” everyone.

Several topics were briefly raised before the end of the session. A request to expand our efforts to the First Peoples of Canada was a question to the presenters. The issue of gambling and casinos, which many tribal leaders oppose, was another observation. The topic of sports teams using names such as Redskins was offered as an example of lack of sensitivity and understanding of history and culture. And the fact that although the Franciscans and Jesuits have a large connection with Native Americans they have never succeeded in recruiting them to their Congregations and the reasons need to be looked at.