My Native American Teachers
Recently, I came across two news pieces about Native Americans: the first, about Native women standing-up for clean water laws; the second, about Native communities protesting open-pit uranium mining. This kind of information always grabs my attention because Native American people have dramatically affected my life and spirituality. My opportunities to live and work with Native Americans were among the most significant experiences of my life. On the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin, where I worked for more than ten years, Melissa, tribal elder, taught me about the importance of taking personal responsibility for the shape of one’s life. In Chicago, where I worked for six years with the urban Native American community, Peggy, community elder, taught me about the necessity of stepping-up and reaching-out to those in need in one’s family and community. Both of these women taught more through their actions than with their words. For Melissa and Peggy, faith was centra...