Nothing Can Compare

A Sermon by Dr. J.R. Norwood delivered at the Harmony United Methodist Church of Millsboro, DE on May 6, 2018…

Reflecting on Our Blessings

by Chief Mark Quiet Hawk Gould

To All My Relations and Supporters.

This has been a long seventy six year journey with many pleasant memories. We can fixate on the atrocities, but it serves us well when we live with the lessons that came with those atrocities. Those

Gratitude: Tribal Mothers

by Chief Mark Quiet Hawk Gould

Thank you to all of the MOTHERS that carried the Tribe through these trying years.

Celebrating 200 Years of Grace!

by Dr. J.R. Norwood

On May 6, 2018, I was asked to preach at a church in Millsboro, Delaware, that has a special place in the history of my family. 200 years ago, the Harmony Church trustees purchased a plot of land from

Pocahontas and the President

Originally posted on www.ACET-Online.org by Dr. J.R. Norwood, ACET General Secretary

In a ceremony at the White House honoring Native Code talkers, who are known to have been vital to the success and victory in World War II (and a lesser known fact is that code talkers even were used to aid the victory in World War I), President Trump decided to deviate from the focus on their valiant service to take a swipe at a political opponent, once again making a reference to Senator Elizabeth Warren as "Pocahontas" (see link below).

Heritage and Contextualization

By Dr. J.R. Norwood

After a recent presentation hosted by my church, “Building Greater Understanding about Native American History,” presented by the artist and activist Arla Patch for her group’s incubation grant aimed at educating, encouraging, and enabling non-Natives to speak to other non-Natives about Native American history and issues of social concern, there was an increased interest among the congregation regarding my own work in this area.    To that end, provided below are links to two academic works and one booklet that I authored. Click on the red text to link to the writings…

The Painful Overlooked Words of the Declaration of Independence

by Rev. J.R. Norwood, PhD

I write this on July 4, Independence Day in the United States. As many gather to celebrate America’s break from royal tyranny, they will read the Declaration of Independence both in public gatherings and in private homes. There will be a sense of pride as the words are spoken. Many have pointed to these words as a standard, or aspiration to which our nation continues to strive. For those who are enlightened, there is the constant realization that many who signed the declaration declaring their own freedom and inalienable rights were enslaving other human beings who they deemed to be unworthy of such blessings because of the color of their skin. But, for the Declaration of Independence, the argument has been that in its lofty wording can be found the roots of emancipation for those who were held in bondage at its signing. However, this does not apply to the words of condemnation placed upon indigenous people.  In listing the complaints against the British crown, far less lofty words are found: “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.”

These words are repeated again and again in the celebration of American independence as the declaration is read. They suggest that indigenous disputes with American expansion must have been stirred by foreign manipulation instead of the natural human response to broken promises, stolen lands, inhumane treatment and subjugation. We Eastern nations of Turtle Island, who in many cases practiced obligatory hospitality enabling the very survival of the ancestors of those who penned these awful words, who extended a welcoming hand to the early immigrants to share our land with the expectation of them continuing to acknowledge that it was indeed ours to share, who suffered as much as a 90% death rate in our population due to conflict and foreign disease (sometimes spread by accident and at other times as an early form of biological warfare)… we were the merciless ones? For my own ancestors, whose practice of warfare was typically limited to small skirmishes and characteristically resisted the killing of women, children, and the elderly… we were the savages? A simple look at the facts of history make the statement laughable at least and hypocritical at worst. But the damage is not limited to the mid-1700s. The impact of these hate filled words continues today. They stab at our hearts, reopening an old wound that refuses to be healed.

At American Indian gatherings, the American flag is held high and given great respect. But, as we claim our own place in this so-called “nation of immigrants,” we are constantly reminded that though we were here first, we are so often excluded, still treated as outsiders or non-entities, relics of the past whose issues, struggles, and concerns are easily ignored.

I acknowledge the significance of Independence Day, while also remembering it’s hypocrisy. In one sense it may have been a great stride forward in the human struggle to establish a government of the people and declare the right of the people to regulate their government. Yet, in another sense, it is a reminder that even in the most celebrated moments, human sin is still present and the need for repentance remains.  As Americans, often mindlessly, repeat the refrain, “God bless America,” it is far more vital that we thoughtfully and prayerfully summon America to truly serve God and be a blessing… and, realize the need for repentance, healing, and reconciliation.