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Who are the elders? Different folks from various nations who are recognized as spiritual leaders.

Previous Questions and their answers

Dear Mis-guided Elder, I am wondering how your site can continue to propagate detrimental colonialist belief systems to first Nation peoples. Do the people who keep this site really believe they will be accepted into white society if they pray hard enough, if you act white enough? If they do then I ask, after so long a time why is it that First Nation people have so little, education, Jobs, opportunity and so forth? It’s not because you haven’t been praying for it that’s obvious. Simply put, it’s because you don’t care to actually take a critical look at Christianity, and neo-colonialism, and Euro-centrism. Maybe you Christians should look hard at the Institutionalised bigotry supported through the church, educational system and every other colonialist institution over the past 100 – 1000 years. The practices which you embrace have brought more subjugation, pain and suffering than arguably any other religion in the modern world. This site should really be called “With out Honour, With out Knowledge, With out Thinking, Without True Freedom”. Who ever maintains this site should be ashamed, as they are truly ignorant. Being christian, old or a philosopher does not make you an elder in the First Nation sense.

Thank you for expressing your thoughts about withoutreservation.com and Christian people.  We respect your views and concerns.  We would also agree with you that much harm has been done in the name of Christianity.

We do not identify or associate ourselves with the evil acts of people who use religion or invoke the name of God to accomplish their selfish ambitions.  It is true that history is full of examples of such things and it's obvious that much wrong has been done.  However, we do not believe that the terrible acts of anyone undermine the actual person and work of Jesus.  Neither do they provide an excuse for anyone to reject Him.  Just because someone or some institution says that they represent Him doesn't mean that they really do.  We are not following such people or institutions.  We are following Jesus Christ.  When Jesus walked this earth, His mission was not to conquer, but to make a way for man to be right with God.

Regarding the motives of our faith, it has nothing to do with ethnicity or acceptance.  In today's world to be a true follower of Jesus is to be an object of ridicule.  It's really not a great career move.  Perhaps a hundred years ago, but not today.  If it were about getting ahead in this world, we wouldn't be going this way.  But it's not about selfish ambitions, self-esteem, or pride.  It's about being right with our Creator.  We are simply being honest with what we know of ourselves.  We recognize that we are all wrong-doers - our conscience reminds us of this.  We have offended our Maker.  It is said in God's book that one day we will stand before the Creator God and He will judge all wrong-doing.  There is nothing that we can do to satisfy God's standards.  Because God is perfect and good, He can not let injustice go unpunished... no matter how small or great.  But because He is also loving and merciful, He made a way for His creation to be right with Him.  He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our wrong-doing on our behalf.  This satisfied both His justice and His love.  He offers that as a gift to anyone who will change their mind and humbly accept what He freely offers.  He says that those who reject this gift will pay the penalty themselves in a place called Hell.

We realize that what we believe is offensive to some, but this is what we believe to be true, and so we can not be silent when there is so much at stake.  We are motivated by love and deep concern.

As for your concerns about neo-colonialism and Euro-centrism, these are unrelated to and independent of true faith and trust in Jesus.  You will find followers of Jesus throughout the nations and peoples of the world... amid a vast spectrum of cultures and societal factors.  Jesus was born into a Jewish home into a middle-eastern and tribal culture.  He lived in a time of occupation by foreign powers.  It is true that the things that Jesus taught would impact cultures and societies if people actually practiced what He taught - like, "Do to others as you would have them do to you"; yet, His primary message is not first cultural or societal which both change over time.  It is spiritual and the ramifications are eternal.  Have you ever looked closely at what Jesus has said?  Have you ever thought, "What if what He said is true?"  We would encourage you to look beyond the actions and institutions of man and honestly consider Jesus and His message.  If you are interested, we will send you a free book of His words.

Thanks for writing.

WR

If by Native American traditions you are speaking of spirit worship practices, they should not be introduced on the basis of what God says in His book. In matters of worship, the Bible is very clear that we must approach God on His terms... not our own.

You will find that there are a number of traditions that are practiced across Native North America which are affirmed in God's book. God tells us to honor and respect the elders, give thanks to Him for His provision, instructs us to commemorate important events, etc. When these are done by faith, according to His principles, and in proper relationship with God, they are pleasing to Him.

WR

A man that I’m interested in posed a question to me the other day – he asked me what I knew about owls and how they are connected to our Native Traditions – well I’ve been searching the net ever since and found your site and thought that maybe you had a bit more information than I have been able to find on the net. What are our Traditions in relation to owls?

It seems that most Native tribes, whether in the south or in the north, believe that the presence of owls is a bad sign of some sort. Personally, I believe that owls do not always represent evil, but they could be used by the enemy (Satan and his spirits) in that way. However, as a follower of Jesus, who believes in the power of Jesus, I do not need to be afraid of the owl. Our Creator God has power over all His creation. We simply need to put our trust in Him. I know of an elderly Native man who was bothered by a group of owls who roosted in the trees beside his house. At first he was frightened, but when he prayed to God in the name of Jesus Christ, the owls flew away and never returned.

The important thing is to focus our attention on Almighty God, not on His creatures. For those who are in relationship with Him, God is our protector. We are safe in His care.

Bess

Dear One Searching,

It was good to hear from you. I hope I can be of help. Below are a couple of suggestions where you might look for an Anishinaabemowin Bible for your mother. There are many dialects, so it would be helpful to know which one you are looking for. If the following places don’t have what you are looking for, let me know. I might be able to find another place or two where you can look.

Two places to check are as follows:

Canadian Bible Society, Toronto, ON Canada
Email: info@biblesociety.ca

American Bible Society, New York, NY
Email: support@service.americanbible.org

If you have already checked these out, write me again and I will see what I can do.

Bess

Dear Concerned:

I agree wholeheartedly with one thing that you wrote. You said, “Jesus walked this earth and paid the ultimate sacrifice to save everyone, including the Indigenous Peoples.” (Jesus said in John 3:16 in the Bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.")

But when it comes to rejecting the church, I must disagree. Jesus is the Lord of the church. To reject the church is to reject Him, too. It is true that there have been failures within the church, which is unfortunate. But that is not the whole story. Over the years, we have met and talked with many Native people across Canada and the U.S. who have had very positive experiences with the church and its missionaries. Translations, education and health care are among the benefits that come to mind. And of course the gospel itself is the most important benefit. In my case, I learned to read my own language long before I learned to read English. It was missionaries who developed the writing system we used. Not all the problems our Native people faced can be traced to the church. The majority can be attributed to non-Native traders and others who did not live by biblical standards. In many cases, our Native people themselves destroyed each other.

Of course, if we look at people we will always see failure. What we need to do is look at Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate example for how we should live. And He will also deal justly with those who have betrayed Him and others.

Bess

Thank you for writing. I wonder if you still have relatives or friends back in your hometown. It would be nice if you could visit back there as often as possible before you actually move. By getting reacquainted with the people and the community, you would be strengthening your chance of finding a job. A visit could be an eye-opener, too. Sometimes things aren’t exactly the same as we remember them.

As for a specific job, you may need to settle for something that is related to your previous training even if it’s not exactly what you want. You may also want to consider taking an extra course or two to give you the background you need for a new job. If you are able to visit there several times, keep your eyes open for something you might be interested in doing. It’s never too late to change careers. Previous training is always helpful.

I wish you all the best and that the right doors will open up for you. If you believe in prayer, begin to pray now for a job that suits your interests and abilities. God is very much interested in the details of our lives. God bless you.

Bess

thanks for your time!

Thank you for your concern about how to respond to your anthropology prof. It is obvious that she has a cultural bias against missionaries and those who have chosen the Christian way. To openly object when negative statements are made might cause more harm than good, and may even give your instructor an opportunity to be even more negative, especially if she knows she is getting under your skin.

Probably the best way to respond is through positive documented evidence of the positive contribution Christian missionaries and Christians in general have made to Native American well being.

For example, a Christian missionary developed a written language system for the Cree tribe in northern Canada in the early 1800s, which spread to the Ojibwe and Inuit and became the sole writing system for tens of thousands of Native people across much of northern Canada. That was definitely a good thing, something to be applauded.

Many of the negative things that happened were expressions of white society in general and were not exclusively the attitudes and approaches of Christian missionaries. If the government had a particular policy in effect at the time, and Christian missionaries adhered to it, then they should not be held to blame for obeying the law.

This is not an excuse for willful, harmful actions. Unfortunately even Christian missionaries have flaws, but many spent their lives in endeavoring to meet both material and spiritual needs among America's Native peoples.

I hope this helps.

Bess

Thank you for writing. I am sorry for being so late in responding, but I have been away.

Maybe your class is over by now, but I was sad to hear the response of many of the students towards Native studies. In my opinion, they are more to be pitied than rebuked. You obviously can identify and relate to the class. Since we can’t control how others react, I would encourage you not to be distracted by their attitudes, though I can understand how frustrating it must be. Get the most you can out of the class and try to maintain a positive attitude. I will be glad to pray for you.

Bess

I don't know if you knew your great-grandmother personally or not, but it sounds like you have a lot of respect for her and her advice. It is important to listen and respect our elders. We can learn much from them, but sometimes their advice needs to be studied through the teachings of the Bible. If what they say does not line up with the teachings of the Scripture (The Bible), then human advice needs to be set aside.

I personally do not take dreams too serious, because sometimes they may affect us by what we watched on TV or what we ate the night before. But there have also been times when it made me sit up and think seriously about some things I have dreamed about. They can be very real. Then I think at those times we need to ask God to show us if there is something to learn from them. Jesus never once taught that we should rely on dreams, nor did any of the other writers of the Scripture. If dreams were important for guidance, then the Bible would have clearly taught about it. Not only does the Bible not teach us to rely on spiritual teaching from animals, it actually warns us against any form of worship involving animals. Paul refers to this in Romans 1:21-32. He said when men refused to acknowledge God and honor Him, their hearts became dark and they began to give worship and honor to "mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles" (Romans 1:23). From there, they slipped into even deeper forms of sin until they were literally full of every kind of wickedness (Romans 1:29). My advice to you is to still respect your elders, but rely on the Word of God in all matters that have to do with spiritual teaching. The Scriptures were written by God to show us how to please Him by godly living.

Bess

Thank you for sharing your struggles with me. I am glad you are looking for help. By admitting your need of outside help, you are taking a big step towards healing and freedom. We will certainly be praying for you that you will get some help soon.  God knows all about our needs and desires. He created us. Therefore, we need to take care of our bodies.

It is hard to give a specific answer when we don't know what addiction we are talking about. Whatever it is, one good suggestion is to stay away from that temptation. For example, if the problem is to drink, then it would be best not to go to places where alcohol is served and not to hang out with people who drink. This may mean leaving those friends and finding a new set of friends, and that won't be easy. Right choices are important. It's the wrong choices that get us into trouble.

Support groups are often very helpful. There are also Christian counselors who can give you a great deal of help. I say "Christian" because secular counselors deal more in the mind, while Christian counselors work at the heart or spiritual level.

If you care to share more about your problem, we may be able to suggest some specific resources or literature to help you. Most of all, I want you to know that God loves you, and wants very much to help you find the freedom you desire. He has a plan for you.

As I read your letter, I thought about Psalm 40:17. It seemed to describe your situation. "I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay."

May God help you to make right decisions.
Bess

I would suggest you try whatever you can to have some kind of a connection with her even if it’s just one way. Send her cards for Christmas, birthday, etc. Don’t expect anything back from her because you will be disappointed. If you believe in prayer, pray about it and ask God to help you and your sister resolve the conflict. You may ask her to forgive you for whatever she feels you have done to wrong her.

Bess

The God of the Bible is not the Whiteman’s God; He is the God of the whole world, our Creator. The Bible makes it clear that God loved the whole world, not just a particular race or skin color. And in the last book of the Bible, it talks about heaven and says that a great crowd will be before the throne of God, people from every nation, tribe, people and language. The way to be sure you are eligible to be part of that crowd is by faith in Jesus Christ. The Scripture says that He is the way to the Father, not a church, not a religion based on culture, not self-effort. Many cultures say everybody worships the same God, but in different ways. If your religion focuses on God, but has no place for Jesus Christ, you have no connection to the Father. "No one comes to the Father, but by me," Jesus said.

Bess

Beading is an interesting craft. You can find instructions on beading in a craft book at your local library or you can purchase one in a craft store. Start off on something very simple. With a spool of beading wire and a few basic colors of beads you will be able to make rings and a variety of other items. A bead loom is a simple way to make attractive necklaces. Most of them will come with instructions and sample patterns. Doing beadwork on leather is probably the most difficult, since your needles have to go through hide which can be quite tough. Some people string the beads using a beading needle, which is quite thin, and then tack them onto the leather with a short stronger needle. If there is an Indian cultural center in your community, they might offer beading classes.

Bess

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