Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

Better a law-abiding Barbarian than a

scandalous Greek
were St. John Chrysostoms words quoted by the Very Rev. Fr. John Bakas after the Divine Liturgy on the rst Sunday in May 2006, the day after a million Hispanic residents peacefully marched the streets of downtown Los Angeles the day after the California legislature adopted severe anti-immigration laws. The rst Indigenous American Mayor of the city, Antonio Villaraigosa, appeared at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral that morning, and the Good News he heard there was that the essence of citizenship is to obey the law -- nothing else, certainly no legal documents. Since the Reconquest of Spain in 1492 Europeans in America have enjoyed a legal right, established by at and based on their national identity to invade and seize indigenous lands, to dominate indigenous peoples in spite of those peoples sincere efforts to internalize their religion. Today our Marines still hymn their exploits From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli. Thus our country hosts millions living within its political borders of those who by at have been made second

!1

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

class citizens by virtue of their indigenous national origin and skin color. I grew up with friends who freely crossed the border to visit their families in Mexico before when in 1964 their crossings were monitored and restricted by the U.S. government as Germans movements were restricted between East and West Germany or Palestinians movements restricted today in Israel. In 2007 the United Nations addressed Indigenous Rights through its International Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to include their right to pass on their languages and cultures to future generations. The United Nations denes Indigenous Persons as the descendants of the original people or occupants of lands before these lands were taken over or conquered by others. Last year, the World Council of Churches issued a statement on the impact of the Doctrine of Discovery,1
"

the idea that European Christians enjoy a moral and legal right based solely on their religious identity to invade and seize indigenous lands

1 !

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/executive-committee/2012-02/statement-on-thedoctrine-of-discovery-and-its-enduring-impact-on-indigenous-peoples !2

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

and to dominate, on indigenous peoples often in spite of their progress in enculturating the colonial religion. It is estimated that 80% of the worlds biodiversity remains on the 20% of land held by indigenous peoples.2#
"

Centuries of Indian wars resulted at the end of the

19th and early 20th centuries with Federal laws outlawing the practice of traditional religious ceremonies. As an alternative to removal to reservations, the concurrent U.S. campaign of cultural assimilation of indigenous Americans attempted to transform Native American cultures to European-American culture between the years 1790-1920 with policies designed to encourage this civilizing process, the primary method of which was public education. Boarding schools were established which indigenous children were forced to leave home to attend where children were beaten for speaking their mother tongues and forced to speak English, attend Protestant church worship services, and leave behind their cultural traditions. This era was further complicated for the indigenous by a simultaneous popular monolingual

__________________________________________#
2

http://rstpeoples.org/who-are-indigenous-peoples

!3

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

!4

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

white national movement that assimilated European immigrants into a dominant Caucasian caste as sangre azul was practiced in Spain during and after the Reconquista (and this invented white/Caucasian/fairskinned category maintained through hypodescent is

perpetuated in American policy), causing linguistic apartheid that rewards speakers of English principally through the licensing of urban professions exclusively in the English language, and their public nancial subsidization within this context, at the expense of those whose mother tongues are indigenous. This majoritarian
!5

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

emphasis on consolidating immigrant political inuence through language was legitimized through the institutionalization of doctrines of Augustinian Inherited Guilt in religion, Manifest Destiny in foreign policy and Social Darwinism in domestic policy against the indigenous as these were interpreted in mass relocation schemes, anti-miscegenation marriage licensing laws, homesteading and gun rights laws, eugenics, public expositions and mass media, as well as through racial discriminatory economic practices. Stigmatization of indigenous minorities, along with the inability of Western Christianity to address practice of white privilege provoked the rise of neo-paganism as well as the abandonment by many indigenous of totalitarian Western Christian faiths for the more sympathetic, and

!6

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

authentic, Eastern Orthodox Christian faith retained by indigenous Alaskans.# # The long term effects of

forced assimilation policies, especially language suppression and marginalization, resulted in indigenous popular resentment as well as illnesses of dislocation such as disproportionate levels of poverty, incarceration and school dropout rates.3 Native American
"

children, like other indigenous children, have long been given the message that they can be either a Native American or a smart, educated person, but they can't be both. Indigenous lan-# __________________________#
3

http://www.justicepolicy.org/news/1907#

!3

!7

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

gauge revitalization programs have been key to reconciling these two identities. By using indigenous languages for instruction in schools, children no longer see a conict between education and indigenous identity.4 #
"

their

The benets of late 20th century

efforts to address cultural genocide through ofcial bilingualism as well as language revitalization in public education, as alternatives to imperialistic monolingualism are now widely accepted. Dr. Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed identies recent research showing that personal bilingualism promotes a key cognitive

4 !

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/05/20_lang.shtml !8

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

skill called executive control.5

"

Heritage bilingual

immersion programs respond to the threat of extinction of language and culture of an indigenous people, since cultural learning that is non-Western is taught alongside and through the indigenous language. Bilingual education in America also has enjoyed popular support since the turn of the 21st century,6 with many of these schools exceeding State
"

average standards of graduation and college enrollment rates. #

5 6 !

http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/PRN-learning-languages-benets-brain-156973.aspx http://www.gallup.com/poll/8782/does-bilingual-education-translate-success.aspx !9

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

Today there are 35 such Hawaiian language

revitalization schools operating in the State of Hawai$i (whose Constitution has specied two ofcial languages since 1978) serving students representing the spectrum of the States diverse ethnicities who desire Hawaiian-English bilingual education. Since loss of language use accompanied loss of culture and identity, the benets of these programs within the community extend also to the pride developed and identity regained by the children who attend. Children enrolled in these programs have a much greater sense of who they are and have regained a sense of heritage. Loss of identity for teenagers often leads to gang activity, alcohol and drug abuse, in addition to a high dropout rate. The success of the Hawaiian language revitalization project, like the Hebrew revitalization

!10

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

project in Israel, has depended upon the warmth and structure of parental involvement and support, including that of indigenous language authoritative communities that set moral expectations and encourage spiritual and religious development of their youth. # # Noteworthy in Albert J. Schutz The

Voices of Eden: A History of Hawaiian Language Studies, are his observations of churches help during era of indigenous language persecution by colonial American governance during the rst half of the 20th century in Hawai$i, how some churches continued to serve the indigenous Hawaiian speaking community through their newspaper publications, radio broadcast sermons, church services and Sunday school taught in the Hawaiian language. To the extent that English has been associated with irresponsible business and political activities, including the exploitation of the living environment to which indigenous persons relate in familial ways, Hawaiian

!11

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

languages role as a connection to the (mauli) has been ke Ka$& o ka

medium of spiritual Hawaiian heart and spirit reinforced. $O ka $%lelo Mauli (Language is the cultural identity) is the $Ula o Ke$elik'lani Language at the Hilo. Protestant content is not

ber that binds us to our motto of the Ka Haka College of Hawaiian University of Hawai$i at Hawaiian religious

segregated from many public Hawaiian immersion schools whose programs often include singing of hymns during school assembly meetings, although this has been criticized by secularists as well as anti-Western neo-pagans who also operate others of the immersion schools. # # Within this materialistic context of politicized and fragmented religion, an integral

Orthodox Christian ethos will help us to navigate through this post-colonial era of multilingualism and multiculturalism, especially now that a fundamental linkage has been established between language, traditional knowledge, and biodiversity. Studies suggest that indigenous language loss has had a negative impact on biodiversity conservation.7 Since indigenous communities have elaborated complex classication
"

systems for the natural world, reecting deep understandings of their local environments embedded in indigenous names, oral traditions, and taxonomies, which can be lost when a community shifts to another language, the urgent need to follow up Western
7 !

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/Endangered_Lang_Conf/Endangered_Lang.html and http://www.unesco.org/ new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/biodiversity-and-linguistic-diversity/ !12

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

missionary Bible translation efforts to further translation and contextualization of the services of the Church, especially the Divine Liturgy, into the same indigenous languages becomes even more clear.8#
"

Aware of the fact that the Western Christian missionary drive was

unfortunately associated with colonialism, which cultivated an attitude of contempt

8 !

http://missionsinstitute.org !13

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

toward the religions and values of other peoples who were viewed as uncivilized $savages, the evangelical Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos points out that Christians of the East have often lived in societies characterized by cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity, as well as have always allowed a great deal of latitude regarding personal freedom of expression, but always within the framework of the living tradition. Indeed, the importance of human equality is immeasurable that humanity is capable of denying the importance of personal freedom, onelittle room for the creation Archbishop. Imposing a monotony always Orthodox Christian personal freedom and because of its conviction transcending itself. (B)y the human person and party ideologies have left of real culture, says the culture of uniformity and threatens to lead humanity

to an appalling state of impoverishment. Orthodox Christendom has always accepted cultural diversity and doesnt identify itself only with one region or people. The distinct singularity of local communities does not prevent different peoples from being united by mind and heart in a profound unity that is anchored around the mystical center of the Divine Liturgy; the power of the Gospel enables a culture to realize all of its human potential through the Churchs rhythm of worship, adopting local traditions, investigating indigenous symbolism, and promoting the individual characteristics of each society using its own particular tone and phrasing in its transcendent effort to know the Gospel.9#
"

9 !

A. Yannoulatos, Facing the World (Crestwood, NY, 2003), pp. 88-101 !14

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

The Archbishop identies Globalization as being clearly associated with the

invasion of a culture whose creators claim that it is the best and founded upon western capitalism and on the logic of a free economy, whose dynamic is dependent on the uninterrupted ow of prot. Further, he says, It is the invasion whether by direct or indirect means of a system of thought that either ignores or destroys the unique characteristics of individual people and nations. Orthodox Christian ministrys emphasis here is not on ethical laws and rules per se but on the principles of neighborly love, freedom and contextual reason that respect communities$ ability to maintain the integrity of their indigenous identities in the process of their own ethnic development. Millions of people are being marginalized by the technologically advanced access to information enabled by globalism, and Archbishop Anastasios sees how the ability of local societies to stabilize themselves through their own intellectual and social structures has been disrupted, with direct effects on the youth who seek escape through self-abandon, violence, and drugs. Respecting the complexity of systems that comprise integral cultures, the Archbishop has indicated principles that create a philosophical framework to address problems caused by globalism: # People who have different beliefs never lose the basic attributes of their spiritual identity: they never cease to be children of God, created in Gods image, and hence our brothers and sisters.Consequently, a spontaneous and sincere openness to making contact and serving all human beings, all peoples, without expecting anything whatsoever in return, is the criterion by

!15

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

which the true Christian is to be measured.#

Orthodoxy nurtures a willingness to accept people as they are, with deep respect for their freedom and without requiring them to adopt Christian views. This makes it easier to communicate with others, including those who belong to other religions or hold other ideologies. It also instills deep respect for human rights and an eagerness to work with others to attain universal acceptance for human rights and to defend them.#

#
#

We can remind people that the way to achieve spiritual equilibrium is not to subordinate nature to the desires of the individual, but to subdue our own, individual desires through renunciation, asceticism, and purication of the self.(R)eligious communities will become centers of resistance to the tendency of a particular center of power to impose one culture on everyone else.Instead of globalization that transforms nations and people into an indistinguishable, homogenized mass, convenient for the economic objectives of any anonymous oligarchy, the Orthodox religious experience and vision propose a communion of love, a society of love, and call on people to make every effort in that direction.The Orthodox ethos compels us to respect, with complete sincerity, the individuality and freedom of others, regardless of what they believe or even whether they believe. Fanaticism, xenophobia, and the transformation of ecclesial belief into some ideological construction are all out of keeping with the free spirit of Orthodoxy.10#
"

In our engagement of indigenous youth into

their relationships with the persons of Jesus Christ and the saints, our challenge will be to do so in ways that are meaningful to them within the context of their cultures and communities while also remaining faithful to the ideals of the Gospel as they have been dened in the Ecumenical
10 !

ibid., pp. 43-45, 76, 193-203 !16

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

Councils. The Rev. Fr. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis reminds us that the apostolic faith, although it is always expressed and indigenized through particular cultural symbols, is transhistorical and transcultural in nature, and so the active presence of God in all cultures, either of the past or of the present, implies that Christians do not bring God to anyone through their mission, since God is always present and ahead of them. For us, this means that Tradition gives and gains new life as its signicance is realized in a new situation. In our faithfulness to the Gospel$s vision, Fr. Clapsis says we must be open to the possibility that every $other culture provides a new and vital understanding of the Christian faith that ultimately enriches the catholicity of the Church.11#
"

Examples of the successful indigenization of Orthodox worship in recent history

may be found all over the world, from the adaptation of indigenous tonal systems, healing and starring traditions among trilingual native Alaskans,12 Australian Aborignial
"

Orthoodox to Ethiopian Orthodox architecture and art,13

"

Indian and Indonesian

! 11

E. Clapsis, Gospel and Cultures: An Eastern Orthodox Perspective from Orthodoxy in Conversation (Brookline, MA, 2000), pp. 158-163
! 12

S. Crawford, American Indian Religious Traditions: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1 (Santa Barbara, CA, 2005), p. 513, M. Oleksa, Alaskan Missionary Spirituality (Crestwood, NY, 1987), and http://www.hnet.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=3889
13 !

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/27/travel/rock-churches-lalibela-ethiopia/ !17

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

Orthodox iconograpny,14 or Georgian Orthodox15 and Korean Orthodox psaltic chant.16

" " "

Professional standards of todays language revitalization efforts have set expectations for Christian education media which include not only printed materials but also various forms of electronic media with which many of todays indigenous youth are already familiar.17 We should not be surprised to nd
"

that indigenous cultures may not have highly developed youth cultures as may be found in industrialized societies, but that their youth may be more integrated in the traditional adult occupations of their families. # # As youth workers, we must ask

ourselves, How do we sometimes want to make people in our image, and in our likeness rather than seeing people in Gods image? and Have we forced others to conform to the culture and language of the Church? We need to be cognizant of problems created by those who have said to indigenous persons, Our music is Gods music and your music is pagan while at the same time be capable of sharing transcultural insights and techniques when they are desired. As worship is the foundation and starting point of Orthodox Christian youth ministry, we cannot ignore that far too often the language and symbols of one culture is

! 14 ! 15 ! 16 17 !

http://yahz.les.wordpress.com/2012/10/img_1674-p1.jpg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V8CoyzBc4E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nihdihp1i-4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAUgc5hHAHU&list=UUQElHOXARO_PycfKd6HPUg&index=9&feature=plcp !18

Practicum on Youth Ministry

Indigenous Youth Ministry 11/26/13

Michael E.M.K. Odegaard

forced onto another as the only acceptable way to worship the Triune God. We must ask ourselves, How can worship using indigenous language and symbol help us to express who God is? since imposition of culture affects identity, and worship engages us in a process of becoming the people who God made us as followers of Christ. We must be aware of the special needs and reconciliatory challenges our indigenous neighbors face to recover their stolen land, air, and water resources, to challenge negative propaganda and stereotyping, to secure equal responsibilities and rights as members of the international community, to develop their own cultures, and to work, to serve and be served in their own languages; our success will be measured, in part, by their attainment of these goals, as well as by the strengthening and stabilization of their families. Therefore, our comprehension of the language and engagement within the culture of those indigenous youth who welcome us must be reected in worship and practice of charity, adaptability, delity, hospitality, philanthropy, and compassion, so that we may both incarnate and serve Christ among indigenous youth according to our high calling to make disciples of all nations.

!19