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URL: http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/006441.asp

Church won't allow Lakota ceremony at funeral
Thursday, February 10, 2005

The family of the late Lakota activist Muriel Waukazoo has moved her funeral because a church in Oakland, California, won't allow a drum group or spiritual leader to participate.

Paul Brown, deacon of the American Indian Baptist Church, said Indian traditions are inconsistent with Christian practices. "In the Bible, you can't serve two masters," he told The Oakland Tribune. Brown is Chickasaw.

Muriel's husband was buried at the church in 1984 and her family can't believe how they are being treated. "It's really disappointing that an American Indian church that's for American Indians has not acknowledged the drum and some of the other things we wished to incorporate," son Martin Waukazoo told The Rapid City Journal.

The funeral will now be held at the Assumption Church on Friday. The wake will take place tonight.

Get the Story:
Church won't allow Lakota funeral rituals (The Rapid City Journal 2/10)
Oakland church bans Lakota funeral (The Oakland Tribune 2/9)

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WocusWoman

I'm assuming from what the article states that this church who refuses to let them have the Lakota ceremony is the American Indian Baptist Church? I agree with that deacon; Paul Brown, this is one of the many reasons that I myself is NON-Christian. They are inconsistent, I would never want any part of a church or christian ceremony as part of my burial. I full well expect my family to make my burial as traditional as possible, if I have it my way I will be cremated and scattered in Alaska and Oregon. Christianity is against my beliefs.

Plenty Fox

The bible says alot of things. As a practicing Christian/Catholic I find the Baptist's comment ludicrous. Then, again, it does represent the failings of many followers of Christianity that don't practice tolerance or inclusiveness. These are the same groups that would tar and feather a gay and lesbian, condemn interracial or inter-denominational weddings (not to mention GAY weddings-God forbid! ...snicker...) While I agree that much of our Traditional 'PRACTICE' is inconsistent with Christianity, there are ways to incorporate both in a respectful manner; which we have done at my Catholic Church and in many other Churches across the country. Religion is, afterall, the belief in a 'HIGHER POWER' and we do seem to agree on that issue. Calling itself the American Indian Baptist Church and then spouting the tripe and taking the stance outlined in this article would certainly make me run in the other direction, if I hadn't found a welcome elsewhere. Organizations like this AIBC that CLAIM to 'minister' to Natives (or whatever culture they have targeted) are hypocrites because they condemn the very spirit of the People they are supposed to be 'ministering' to. The Creator/God/Jehovah...whatever you want to call him/her...can judge me but I'll be damned if I'd put a penny in the collection plate of folks like the AIBC..anyone sitting in their pews are nuts to be lending their financial support to such oppressors.

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Damme ape’semmai, "Andabichidaiboonee’ gimmadu’i.Wihyu memme hainjinee’ nahandu’i. Enne wizha sudei’ tsaangu mabizhiahkande," mai.

The Creator said, "A foreign race of white people will come, who will become your friends. You should treat them well."

The Creator sure had a strange sense of humor!

Mato Winyan

I was just getting ready to post this myself. It really bothers me. It says they allowed for them to have a drum and traditional Lakota ceremony for his fathers passing. Now they are saying " No man can serve two Masters". ???????? Makes me wonder what "master" he is serving!




Indian church says no to Lakota funeral

By Laura Ernde, STAFF WRITER
http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyre...ews/ci_2559726

OAKLAND — It may be called the American Indian Baptist Church, but
this Oakland house of worship has made it clear a traditional Lakota
funeral ceremony is not welcome there.
Deacon Paul Brown said it would be inappropriate to have a Lakota
drum ceremony inside a Christian church.

And the deacon is not willing to hand over the pulpit to a medicine
man without an interview.

"It's like having two religions trying to meet at the same place,"
said Brown, 73, who is a Chickasaw Indian. "In the Bible, you can't
serve two masters."

As a result of the conflict, the family of American Indian activist
Muriel Waukazoo said they will hold her funeral elsewhere.

"We'd like to do it in a traditional way. That's what my mother
believed. That's what she fought for all her life," Martin Waukazoo
said.

Waukazoo said he was shocked to be shunned by the same church that
hosted a traditional Lakota funeral ceremony for his father, Phillip
Waukazoo, in 1984.

"It's ironic we have to go to other churches other than the American
Indian church," he said. "I thought the American Indians owned the
Baptist Church, not the Baptists owning the American Indian Church."

The church, at 1315 102nd Ave., was founded in the 1950s by Southern
Baptists who wanted to provide a place of worship to American Indians
who held Christian beliefs but were not accepted at white churches,
Brown said.

Brown said the incident made him realize the church needs to have a
written policy on use of the church to prevent future
misunderstandings.

The church is affiliated with the California Southern Baptist
Convention but has the right to make its own decisions about the use
of its facilities, said Terry Barone, leader of the convention's
communications group.

Several members of the small congregation tried Monday night to
change church officials' minds.

Cindi Adams of Oakland, a member since the mid-1980s, said American
Indians who embrace Christianity shouldn't have to give up their
traditional beliefs.


"I embrace my culture. I respect my culture, and I have a great love
for my culture. And for someone to tell me there's something wrong
with that, it was heart-wrenching for me," she said.

Martin Waukazoo said he sees the conflict as a continuation of the
civil rights battles his mother waged in the name of preserving
Native American cultural traditions.

In 1970, she climbed Mount Rushmore with other women elders to assert
the Lakota claim to the Black Hills. A year later, the United Natives
of America voted her Indian Woman of the Year.

Born in Rosebud, S.D., her Lakota name was A Strong Hearted Woman.
But she was known to many as simply "grandma."

She died Sunday at the age of 88.

A wake will be held 7 p.m. Thursday at the Church of the Assumption,
a Catholic parish in San Leandro. The church will host funeral
services at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

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"We see it as a desecration not only of a mountain but of our way of life. This is a genocidal issue to us. If they kill this mountain, they kill our way of life." ~Debra White Plume

quicksilverwade

When my uncle died in 2000, we had his services at the rec hall without any problems whatsoever. We even had a pastor for the last part of the wake. After that we caravaned to the hilltop cemetary without the horses of course. Either way, I've come across many pastors who do not demean our traditions as such. Life is too short to worry about the masters, lol.

crazywolf

Boozhoo niji,

I have read these posts and I have something to share with the group. When I went to the rez a year and a half ago, White Earth, I spoke to many people, Mide and elders, about burial practices of the Ojibwe. I overheard a conversation of someone being buried mixing Christian and Ojibwe beliefs. I guess they thought it would be respectful to observe both cultures, since the man was Ojibwe and he was a Christian.

Most of the people I spoke to on the rez said mixing the religions is a bad idea. First of all the beliefs of those that crossed over should be observed. If they were Christian then it should be a Christian burial. If they were traditional Ojibwe then they would want a traditional cerimony.

I myself am not Christian, I was, but have fallen away from that, now wanting to learn traditional values. Christianity couldnot answer any of the questions that were happening in my life, and I started dancing, which opened new spiritual doors for me. When Ifinally do go, I would like to have a traditional burial. And I would not want it to be mixed with other religions either.

Honestly in my opinion, people that mix religions are trying to find the "perfect" religion. They want to take and combine all the good parts from differnt sources, and ignore the bad stuff. I have been told the Bible is full of contradictions, and this may be true. I have not read the entire thing myself, but the Bible itself has had parts added and removed over the years, and has been translated how many times? Traditional NDN religions might have changed over the years, but I dont think they have been translated to anything, unless you include the fact that most NDNs speak english and the religions have been taught in english.

Derek

Furiously-Fancy

I believe in the sundance way and practice tribal ceremonies. I'm also Christian. So far I haven't had any major conflicts (conflicts that would force me to choose one or the other).
The creator is the "master" of both.

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comchocldy

Hey everybody,

I agree with Crazywolf. I myself am non-denominational Christian (was raised Catholic like a lot of us and that was enough denominational hiarchy to last a life time) and I totally respect my traditional teaching. I made a choice and I'm at peace with it. Knowing their mothers strong convictons to traditional ways, I'm surprised they even asked the church to have her services their.

The more I study the Bible (for the last 21 years) the more I find many pan-tribal teachings. Yet as a minister of the Gospel I have to very careful of mixing medicine, even though a great deal of our traditions as beliefs line up with Scripture, especially in the Old Testament.

I thank God they did find a place that had compassion for the familyl wishes. This is one of the many reasons no matter how unpleasant it may be, we all need to make our desires know to our families, even if it's jsut a hand written note tucked away with a trusted family member.

CC


PS Of course wills are preferred but hand written sign instructions do hold up in court, especially if there's no propety involved.

Blackbear

Ok I agree.. to allow one and not the other is not right. However, if you are wanting a traditional ceremony, why the heck are you wanting it in A christian church? Should'nt it be held someplace non denominational?
The reason for the "not serving two masters" comment can only come from a preacher who was raised in the christian faith only all his life. The people that have lived with traditional teachings and then later turn christian are the one's that feel that you can be and do both.

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quicksilverwade

FF,
The creator is the master of both, that's perfect!

Mato Winyan

Ok... once again some people don't get my humor...

Lemme clear a couple of things up before this gets so far off topic that it will never be able to get back.

When I quoted the "no man can serve....... " I knew what it was from.... what it meant and was making a reference to the minister quoting that as to maybe serving the "dark side" master. Because I am like momma Buchet' and believe all such thinking is from the "debil". (againnnnnn......this is my humor people.. )

Yes, I believe that the master of of native traditions and the master of christianity are the same. One creator... one master. There is also a master of darkness. That is what I was referring to when I said... "makes me wonder what master he is serving."

And as for the quote that I have been talking about. It is Matthew 6:24. It was spoken by Jesus in the sermon on the Mount when he also gave the Lords's Prayer as a manner in which to pray... not to quote over and over verbatim.

The quote is " v. 24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (and mammon refers to money or material wealth, to be exact) I don't know why this minister would quote this in the first place, because you can see it really has nothing to do with what he was trying to insinuate.

As with all things I think you should read for yourself and come to your own conclusions as to what they mean to you. Here is a link if you want. If ya don't want... fine. Just take what I said as humor. http://scriptures.lds.org/matt/6/9-13%239

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"We see it as a desecration not only of a mountain but of our way of life. This is a genocidal issue to us. If they kill this mountain, they kill our way of life." ~Debra White Plume

quicksilverwade

Alright! Mato Minyan, kudos to you!

Blackbear