Native American Heritage Month - November

Although we are nearing the end of this important month of November, let's take a few minutes to remember that this is Native American Heritage Month and chastise ourselves (I know I'm doing so right now) for so often forgetting the Native peoples of the Americas and the many proud cultures that now wait in marginalization for the days of equality to come.

Here below I include the Native American Creed. For more resources look at these pages:
http://www.gbod.org/worship/church-civic-holidays/native-american-heritage-month1
http://www.gbod.org/leadership-resources/native-american
Native American Creed
by The Rev. Roger Scott

I believe in God, Creator of our unique native languages,
Who gifted us this identity as a distinct people through
our native tongues,
so that our native spiritual leaders could relay God's love
to our native people who could not understand
that foreign tongue called English.

I believe in Jesus Christ, our relative,
Who talked of us when he said, "I have other sheep out there,
besides those I have here."
I believe in Jesus Christ who knew the pain of our native
people who were forced from their homeland and had no
place to lay their head.
I believe in Jesus Christ as our Chief Cornerstone as we
begin to build a new generation of native spiritual leaders.
I believe in Jesus Christ who does not say "goodbye"
in any language, but says "I will come again."

I believe in the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire
lighting upon our native people to witness to their people
and to the world, through the native song and dance.
I believe in the Holy Spirit as our guide and the
driving force for our native people to do a new thing
as we walk a new journey, toward perfection for all
humankind.

The Rev. Roger Scott is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. His poetic interpretation of Luke 2:8-11 draws upon his experiences from the pow wow culture within Native America.