The Quincentenary

As we are all aware, 1992 marks the quincentenary of Christopher Columbus's landing in the West Indies–thus, the "discovery" of America. For religious educators, this anniversary offers an opportunity to examine the injustices done to Native Americans by the colonizers and their successors. The bishops of our country have invited us to use the quincentenary to look with humility, not triumphalism, at the true nature of evangelization.

This anniversary year challenges all of us to view our history with new perspectives, to be evangelized by the richness of Native American spirituality as it potentially enhances our Christian tradition. Reflecting on the encounter between European Christian colonizers and Native Americans five hundred years ago enables us to immerse ourselves in considering some of the core values of our faith and what they mean today: conversion, evangelization, justice, compassion, and stewardship.

As religion teachers in Catholic schools, we need to be aware of some of the tragic aspects of the colonial and Christianizing process so we can help our students see clearly the injustices that have been part of this history.

History Retold

When Christopher Columbus stumbled onto an island of the Bahamas in 1492, he mistakenly thought he had landed in India. He called the Arawak people who came to greet him "Indians." They brought him food, water, and gifts. According to the journal of Bartolomé de las Casas, a priest who owned a plantation in Cuba on which Indian slaves worked after Columbus's arrival, the natives were extremely generous with their possessions and expected the same generosity in return. Later Las Casas became a courageous opponent of Spanish cruelty and slavery.

The Arawak hospitality contrasted with the European entrepreneurial drive to find gold and wealth in the "New World." Columbus had great fiscal responsibilities to his European sponsors, the king and queen of Spain, to increase their coffers. When Columbus and his men failed to find ample veins of gold in the land, he chose the best of the Arawak men, women, and children and sent them to Spain as slaves. Almost half died en route. Unable to resist the powerful Spaniards, the Arawaks that remained on the island began mass suicides with cassava poison and killed their infants to save them from the Spaniards.

Later, in Haiti, in a desperate attempt to satisfy his investors, Columbus ordered all natives fourteen years of age or older to garner a required quantity of gold from the streams every three months. To show they had met the requirement, they were given a copper token to hang around their neck. Those found without a copper token had their hands cut off and they bled to death. Within two years, half of the 250,000 natives on the island of Haiti were dead.

Columbus was not the only European explorer to exploit the natives in the "New World." Cortes, Pizarro, and the English colonists similarly mistreated the Aztecs of Mexico, the Incas of Peru, and the Powhatans and the Pequots of Virginia and Massachusetts, respectively (Zinn, People's History, pp. 6-11).

Recognizing the injustices done to the Native Americans in these early periods of colonization and the subsequent history of the settlers' exploitation of land and native peoples, the U.S. bishops in 1990 wrote a pastoral letter, Heritage and Hope: Evangelization in the United States. In it, they urge all Americans to rethink and reflect on the role of evangelization in the five hundred years since 1492:

Part of genuine evangelization is to find God within the peoples of different cultures. We can enrich our experience of Christianity by learning from the Native Americans and choosing to revere and renew Mother Earth. John Collier, a scholar who lived among the Native Americans in the 1920s and 1930s, emphasized the value of looking for goodness and truth in their culture when he said of the Native American spirit, "Could we make it our own, there would be an eternally inexhaustible earth and a forever lasting peace" (Zinn, People's History, p. 22). In our religion classes, we can share some of this spirituality with our students.

The following words by Bedagi of the Wabanakis Nation invite us to walk on the path of Native American spirituality:

No monolithic Native American spirituality exists, but certain beliefs, myths, and rituals are predominant across tribes. To tap into these themes is to enrich our Christian beliefs, myths, and rituals. The power of Native American religion stems from its pervasive effect on the lives of its believers.

For them, religion is not an institution; it is life. Their relationship with their Creator is expressed in words and everyday actions. The way they integrate their religion into daily living can speak to young people who are searching for connections between their God and ordinary living.

Across tribes, Native Americans generally believe in one all-powerful, wholly kind, and beneficent deity. Often this supreme being is thought to reside in the sky, the sun, some lofty and inaccessible mountain, or some mysterious lake. Because most tribes believe this deity to be male, they often believe he has a wife and family. Guardian spirits reveal themselves to humans in visions and through natural phenomena such as birds and animals. The earth, or Earth Mother, nourishes life. Dangerous spirits live in the land of the dead. All these supernatural beings weave themselves into the fabric of daily living for Native Americans. They are symbolized by images and charms, and they inspire worship in prayer and in ceremonies. A Santee Dakota physician and author wrote in 1911 about the manner in which his people worshiped:

The Native American consciousness of the harmony and beauty in the universe connects tribe members to their God and urges them to act in harmony with one another and the earth. For them, every creature is a teacher and potential friend. Each teacher in nature holds a deep abiding love for the Great Holy and will impart messages to those who seek the mysteries of the unknown.

Medicine is another important facet of Native American spirituality. For Native Americans, medicine is anything that improves one's connection to the Great Holy and to all life–including the healing of the body, mind, and spirit. Medicine is also anything that brings personal power, strength, and understanding. It is the constant living of life in a way that brings healing to the Earth Mother and to all associates–family, friends, and fellow creatures.

The Medicine Wheel is the circle of lessons that each person must pass through to complete their journey of life. It represents the cycle of stages of their physical and spiritual lives–gestation, birth, growth, change, death, and rebirth. Native Americans symbolize the concept of the Medicine Wheel with a circle of stones that shows these sacred ceremonial spaces. There are four directions on the wheel: East (illumination and clarity), South (faithfulness and humility), West (introspection and goals), and North (wisdom and gratitude). Using the stones and their own stories in rituals, tribal members share wisdom gained from their life lessons to help others see various ways to proceed along their own journey.

In our own religion classes, discussing the meaning of the Medicine Wheel and ritualizing it can bring young people in touch with their own life stages and offer a way to move through them.

In their ceremonies and daily living, Native Americans symbolize their spirituality through concrete symbols. These images are meant to call attention to the spirit within, not the human handiwork itself that created the image. For example, painting faces is a method of self-expression. In earlier times, warriors painted their faces to frighten the enemy and express their bravery. Today, ceremonial painting of faces portrays one's relationship to one's true self. The emphasis is always on the development of uniqueness and personal talents.

Native American themes, and rituals like the Medicine Wheel and face painting, can enhance our students' search for their relationships with God and the world, and for self-understanding. In Jamie Sams's book Sacred Path Cards, many traditional teachings and rituals of Native Americans are explained, with suggestions for applying them to life today. Some of these might be used in our religion classes.

For instance, in Sams's application of the painted faces ritual, we are encouraged to open up and allow others to see our gifts: "In truth and with grace it is now time to allow the Medicine of the Self to emerge. You will never lose face by presenting the true Self minus the self-importance" (Sams, Sacred Path Cards, p. 164).

Conclusion

The quincentenary gives us an opportunity to learn from and reflect on the rich wisdom of Native American spirituality. The spiritual vision of Native Americans calls us to learn the way to happiness from all the earth's creatures, and it calls us to refocus our lives in reverent gratitude by walking the path with the Holy One. Through such an appreciation of Native American spirituality, both teachers and students may participate in healing the wounds of injustice suffered by Native Americans for five centuries.

Cheryl Erb, RSM, has been teaching social studies and religion for twenty-two years and is currently at Mother of Mercy High School in Cincinnati. She has an MA in history and has done graduate work in spirituality.

Bierhorst, John, ed. In the Trail of the Wind. New York: Dell Publishing, 1975.

McGaa, Ed. Mother Earth Spirituality. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1990.

McLuhan, T. C. Touch the Earth: A Self-Portrait of Indian Existence. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1971.

National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Heritage and Hope. Evangelization in the United States. Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 1991.

Sams, Jamie. Sacred Path Cards. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1990.

Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States. New York: Harper and Row, 1980.

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