| August 14, 2011 Worship | ||
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ALL MY RELATIVES... Forty-two years ago I spent the summer on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. Along with three other college students, we ran a summer recreation program for children in the city park. It was my first encounter with Lakota culture. In addition to the Lakota peoples’ reverence for the earth and all of creation, what I have most valued in their worldview is their understanding of “mitakuye oyasin” which in Lakota means “all my relatives.” In other words, we are all God’s creation and no matter our differences, we are all relatives. I have often thought if we all had such a world view, most if not all, of the world’s problems would be vastly diminished. The recent rioting in England only serves to remind us of the destructive divisions that exist based on economics, race and culture. Last month while our group from Gloria Dei traveled
in Namibia, we learned that although apartheid has officially been banned for over
20 years, its painful legacy of dividing people based on race and tribe still
has an enduring effect on people’s lives.
People are still expected to act in a certain way based on the color of
their skin and their tribal identity (more...).
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