Red Foxes Talking Circle (2)

[GigageiTsula]

This thread was split automatically after 1000 replies and this thread has been automatically created.
The old thread automatically closed is here: "Red Foxes Talking Circle"

This is from the OP...

Welcome to Red Foxes Talking Circle. This club is open to all. Its purpose is to bring people from all walks of life, despite their race, color, gender, or age, together for encouragement and support. It is open to help bring forth forgiveness, reconciliation and healing from the wounds of the past. All people are welcome to join with the understanding that there will be no criticism of Indigenous spirituality allowed. There is no debating allowed. Please be respectful of others.

We are a voice of peace and reconciliation.

We are vessels to usher in forgiveness and healing.

It is time to heal the wounds of racism.

Many indigenous peoples the world over have creation stories about a Sacred Hoop that originally encircled the world and all the creatures, rocks, and plants within it as Relations. Through human actions including enslavement and exploitation, forced relocation of whole populations, pollution of water, air and earth, pillage of natural resources and indiscriminate destruction of animal and human habitats, the Sacred Hoop has been broken.

Today our world faces a crisis as never before in human history. Everywhere people are hurting and killing each other because they are different colors, speak different languages, follow different religions. In addition, because of our technological "advances," we are literally capable of making the planet uninhabitable for ourselves.

Many people are working to address pieces of the problem, but few (other than indigenous elders) are asking the question: How may the Sacred Hoop be mended? We suggest that the spiritual perspective of the Old Ways is an important resource for people working to affect change, to help us see how our pieces of the work are connected in a larger framework, and to support healing on both personal and societal levels.

From the Earth Drum Council Website

 

[FaithfulWife]

YAY! I have the first post of our new thread! Can you believe it's been 1000 posts already?

Welcome friends! It is a GOOD day to be indigenous!​

 

[GigageiTsula]

Aw, I wanted to be the first one. Oh well. Yeah, our new thread!

 

[GigageiTsula]

In honor of Dr. King, I pose a question that is open for discussion. The question is this: What do you think we must do as a society (also individually) to put an end to racism?

 

[GigageiTsula]

I want to invite each of you to join me (and others hopefully) to a thread I started in the Indigenous Peoples forum. It is entitled In Honor of all the Indigenous People. In this thread I have shared a writing by a dear friend of mine, who is an American NDN. I have opened a discussion about what she wrote and included some of my own thoughts and opinions. All of this is my response to a comment pertaining to the attempted secession of the Lakota Nation from the United States. I hope that many of you will be able to join this discussion.

Red Fox

 

[DarkNLovely]

In honor of Dr. King, I pose a question that is open for discussion. The question is this: What do you think we must do as a society (also individually) to put an end to racism?

I think a huge part of seeing an end racism is to not see the problems that each individual ethnic group faces as their problem, but rather as our problem. When a Caucasion person sees a NDN's concearn for the preservation of their heritage, and a NDN person sees the common concearn with a Black American for the poverty facing both communityies, and a Black American can see the struggle that many Hispanics face and we ALL work toward those goals together, racism will end. We must become our brothers keeper.

 

[FaithfulWife]

Dear Nanaiya,

In honor of the wisdom and courage of Dr. Martin Luther King and his day, I've been contemplating your question all day "What do we as a society and as individuals need to do in order to end racism?"

Personally I believe we need to do one thing. Stop thinking of people as a gender, race or "society" even--and begin to see each and every person as an individual completely unique to themself.

By race and heritage, I happen to be German and Irish and Choctaw--so does that make me "white" or "red" or what race? What skin color am I? And what if I had darker skin--does that necessarily mean that I am of African American heritage? What if it's a medical condition that darkens or lightens my skin and not my race? Am I now THAT race??

No.

I am who *I* am. I am an individual and I am where I am partly due to how I was raised and partly due to my own personal choices. Every human being I meet is not their gender or race. They are who *THEY* are. They are an individual . I shouldn't have thoughts or expectations or conclusions based on their gender or skin but rather based on them and how they act as an individual. If someone treats me or others honorably they are a brother or sister. If they do not, it has nothing to do with their gender or race, but who they are as a person.

Finally I think if we were to view people as individuals, in the same way we ought to give each person the same rights and responsibilities to their own personal property. Now, I don't mean "possessions" only! A person's body is theirs to keep and defend. If a person is willing to work and earns their wage, they should be allowed to keep it. If a person owns an item that they made or worked so they could buy it, it is theirs to use and defend. If a person chooses a spouse and has children, it is their responsibility to care for them and teach them and feed them. But give each person the same rights to their own and responsibilities to their own. The land is not something to "own" or take from others--it's something we borrow.

Those are my thoughts.


~Faithful

 

[wolfman544]

In honor of Dr. King, I pose a question that is open for discussion. The question is this: What do you think we must do as a society (also individually) to put an end to racism?

The answer was given a couple thousand years before.
We just need to follow our command to Love our neighbor as ourself.

 

[GigageiTsula]

Most excellent responses, my friends. And now I pose yet another question: If you could talk to any person in history: (1) who would it be? (2) why did you choose this person? (3) what would you say to this person? (4) what sort of questions would you ask?

 

[Amylisa]

Good morning Red Fox! Good morning everyone!

 

[Amylisa]

Most excellent responses, my friends. And now I pose yet another question: If you could talk to any person in history: (1) who would it be? (2) why did you choose this person? (3) what would you say to this person? (4) what sort of questions would you ask?

Well, this is a great question. I have to think about it!

My first answer would be, Jesus.....though of course we can talk to Him right now, I would love to talk to Him face to face! One day we shall!

When I was a kid, I always wanted to talk to Paul Revere. I just thought he was so interesting.
I will probably be back later after I think about this more.

 

[GigageiTsula]

Well, this is a great question. I have to think about it!

My first answer would be, Jesus.....though of course we can talk to Him right now, I would love to talk to Him face to face! One day we shall!

When I was a kid, I always wanted to talk to Paul Revere. I just thought he was so interesting.
I will probably be back later after I think about this more.

Good answer. Thanks for responding.

 

[GigageiTsula]

Today is my 15th Wedding Anniversary!

 

[wolfman544]

Today is my 15th Wedding Anniversary!

Happy anniversary

and to answer your question, right now i have no idea

 

[wolfman544]

On second though, either J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis, they were friends could I talk to both?

 

[GigageiTsula]

On second though, either J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis, they were friends could I talk to both?

Sure. But why them?!

 

[wolfman544]

great minds and wonderful authors, I want to know where/how they came up with their works

 

[GigageiTsula]

great minds and wonderful authors, I want to know where/how they came up with their works

Oh. That is a good answer. Is there anyone else you would like to meet?

 

[wolfman544]

Oh. That is a good answer. Is there anyone else you would like to meet?

probably. but i would have to think more

 

[GigageiTsula]

Indian Health Bill Draws Veto Threat

By MARY CLARE JALONICK – 16 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration on Tuesday threatened to veto Senate legislation designed to improve health care on American Indian reservations, objecting to expanded labor provisions in the bill.

The legislation would boost screening and mental health programs at the Indian Health Service, increase tribal access to Medicare and Medicaid and prompt new construction and modernization of health clinics on reservations. The Senate began consideration of the legislation Tuesday.

The bill would also expand the Davis Bacon Act, which requires contractors and subcontractors to pay workers locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits, to apply to some of the new American Indian projects. The Bush administration said in a statement that the labor provision would violate long-standing administration policy.

Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chairman Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the bill is a first step in addressing the "crisis" in American Indian health care. The system is underfunded and inefficient, he said.

Rates of most leading causes of death for American Indians are much higher than the rates for the rest of the country. Rates of alcoholism, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and suicide are especially high.

"Today it is likely somewhere on an Indian reservation someone is dying who shouldn't have to die," Dorgan said on the Senate floor.