Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in St. Paul is planning a special Thanksgiving Eve Service that will celebrate the holiday from a Native American perspective. It will be Wednesday, November 23, starting at 7 p.m. at the church, 285 Dale Street North.
Joann Conroy (Oglala), a church member and ordained Lutheran pastor, is helping organize the event. Joann also is president of the ELCA Native American/American Indian Lutheran Association.
The details are still being worked out. Initial plans call for lifting up the ELCA’s recent vote to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, the 15th Century justification given to Christian explorers to seize lands from indigenous peoples and convert or enslave them. (More details in this blog.)
Redeemer’s choir will sing, but organizers are looking for others to participate, whether song or drums or speaking on The Doctrine of Discovery. Fellowship and food will follow the service, likely both fry bread and pie. They also may take a donation for the Water Protectors Camp near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota – for winter tents and camping gear.
More details will be printed here when we know them. Interested in participating? Contact Joann at joan.conroy@gmail.com
Authors to Read From: “All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths about Native Americans
Birchbark Books is delighted to welcome Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (An Indigenous People’s History of the United States) and Dina Gilio-Whitaker for an event in celebration of their new book “All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths about Native Americans.
The event is free and open to the public. It will be held Sunday, November 20th, 7 p.m. at Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church, 2020 West Lake of the Isles Parkway in Minneapolis.
Tackling a wide range of myths about Native American culture and history that have misinformed generations, the authors trace how these ideas evolved, disrupting enduring myths and challenging readers to rethink what they have been taught.
A Q & A with the authors and book signing will follow the reading.
Noted Indigenous Flute Player, Hoop Dancer Kevin Locke to Speak Here Oct. 25
We received a brief announcement that Kevin Locke, who is Lakota and Anishinabe, will speak at the Minneapolis Bahia Center, 3644 Chicago Ave. S. Tuesday, October 25, starting at 7 p.m. for an “evening of worship, words and enlightenment.” Locke is Bahia.
Locke is a noted player of the Northern Plains flute and a renowned hoop dancer. Here is a six-minute video of him hoop dancing.
In 2012, Indian Country Today wrote an article about him headlined: Kevin Locke: Elevating the Human Spirit Through Music and Dance.
He also spent his early years on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, the site of current efforts to protect the land and water from the Dakota Access Pipeline.
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