November 12: “American Policy: Indian Pain”
Vance Blackfox, ELCA Director of Indigenous Ministries & Tribal Relations will discuss the creation of the Doctrine of Discovery, which provided religious justification for colonialism, as well as subsequent laws and policies that led to the current state of Native affairs in the U.S. — and how Native people have both suffered and resisted for over 500 years.
November 19: “Land Acknowledgements – What are they? What would a Bethel land acknowledgement look like?”
Matt Bear will lead a discussion about land acknowledgements, the significance of acknowledging and offering gratitude for the Indigenous people who lived on and cared for the land, and what a Bethel land acknowledgement might look like.