Author: admin

Here and there in the landscape of this great land is dotted with Baptist churches. These consist of many ethnic groups-races of people.

Have you ever visited a Baptist church and it didn’t feel right? It wasn’t familiar, comfortable, and the music style and sermon style just didn’t feel Baptist to you? Maybe the name was wrong? A change from First to Crossways, New Life, New Beginnings, maybe Word of Life?

Does changing the name of the congregation change its’ beliefs?

 It shouldn’t!

A name change should never go cross ways with the Baptist faith and message.

The Baptist faith and message is that our faith resides in Jesus as savior.

The message they preach is that there is no other way except through belief in Jesus. That he is the author of Salvation and no other way to the father except through him. Which is what Jesus preached!

It is a different life, a new life—and a new beginning—that comes out of the Bible the word of life.

That there is only one way and one cross that embodies salvation – nothing apart from the redemptive work of Christ Jesus.

Baptist is not a faith rather the denomination or the name of a group of believers. Who are named for their belief in baptizing those that have professed their belief in Jesus as their savior.

You can see many ethnic Baptist church like the Korean Baptist, Vietnamese, Indian, and Black Baptist churches.

I’ve attended an Indian Baptist church i.e. Cherokee.

Sometimes there is a misunderstanding of what we do as believers and live.

One person asked me what is a native American food? And you know they say that Baptist love to eat!

Well, duh!

One has to eat in order to live! If you don’t eat you starve and die!

Anyway, I told him there are four basic Indian foods and those are bar-be-cued bologna, fried bologna, plain bologna, and smoked bologna.

The local congregation I attend does love to eat! They are generous with the portions too. There is usually enough for second helpings.

Wouldn’t you know it the name of our local congregation is you guessed it “The Second Helpings Baptist Church!”

Well not really, but it does sound like a, uhh, don’t you think the name of a Baptist church?

Now when was the last time you visited your tribe?

Did it seem right to you like the language spoken? Maybe the food wasn’t native enough an Indian taco really? Taco?

The clothes were too fancy for you because you don’t shop at the Ye olde Authentic Indian shop?

You drive a Jeep Cherokee and not an Indian car nor a rez clunker, junker? Your hair isn’t long enough for them? Nor do you wear a Buzzards’ feather in your cap or hat.

You don’t live in a teepee but a nice brick Indian home. You don’t go dancing at the stomp dance because you have two right feet as opposed to left ones.

You mention you eat Squirrel and they look at you like you’re a disgusting heathen. They in turn mention they’re going out to eat but they don’t invite you.

They agree to eat at McDonalds’ laughing they say “we don’t think McDonalds serves Squirrel.”

Mary Daniels, Jim Smith and Jack Jones walk away from you, you Joe (Indian name The Hunter) Birdtail.

Go figure!

Have you ever?

Its’ been a year since I caught co-vid. Wait! I didn’t go looking or chasing after it but, somehow, I was infected with it. I do not go searching for a disease or virus. “That’s just a dumb” as my brother-in-law Delmar used to say.

The people i.e. the government is clamoring for you to get vaccinated-this is to inoculate you against the corona virus known as co-vid 19. That’s so we won’t catch it later this year or at all.

Which was the view but no longer true.

They already have a booster shot ready for everyone.

They overlook natural immunity. That thing God has put into the body for its’ protection.

This is a good place to start with a view of Christianity and our immunity.

Just as people get sick from co-vid and some die all are subject to infection. Some worse than others.

Sin is like that too. We see some die in their sin while, others are rarely affected by it or so it seems.

It does say “that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “That the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:23-6:26)

Think about this the world is out to inoculate the families against what they consider the disease of Christianity.

But we are the ones that have passed from sin and death to eternal life. When one confesses Jesus as savior then we are given the Holy Spirit to live in us.

He is our antibody (if you will) and he keeps the soul from death. “For we have been sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise until the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

We are immune from the sin of death because no disease can touch the soul that is inoculated against that.

Though we may protect ourselves from viruses by using a vaccine we do eventually die.

The body is subject to this fallen world we live in.

The thing that is saved is the soul!

The Bible does say “it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgement”. (Hebrews 9:27)

The Christian vaccine is the blood of Jesus that protects us. Though it gives immunity to believers, it confers nothing to the lost. Hence the world doesn’t reach herd immunity.

Herd immunity is for his sheep and only for his sheep.

It is also a personal immunity given to those who believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, is the son of God and is God. That belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ we have eternal life.

This is a one-shot deal that lasts throughout eternity. Gods’ vaccination program is one of a kind that being in the shed blood of his son Jesus!

We get our boost from the Bible. Preaching and meeting with the church which is not a physical building but a Holy Ghost building of believers.

And as Indians, natives or whatever, can we claim something other races don’t have? Where does our immunity come from?

I know some will take offense at what may seem, as too much of a cavalier view of the pandemic and of salvation.

Oh well, I understand.

An interesting word “tethered” a word synonymous with hooked, lashed, tied, or chained to.

We can look around us and see this word or it’s meaning a very big part of our lives.

It can be likened to an umbilical cord as we were tethered to our moms before birth. Later we’re asked to cut the apron strings. We leave the nest and sometimes cut ties with family.

But we really can’t since, there is always an invisible connection.

In the grade school playground was a game called “Tetherball.”

It had a 10ft pole with a metal ring on top of it. To this was tied a cord of about 7ft in length. The cord is attached to a hard rubber ball sort of like a soccer ball. The ball has a place where the cord was attached to it. The game required two players who hit the ball back and forth trying to get the cord wrapped around the pole before the other player could.

Our lives like the ball are tied to a central pole or if you will a point. Whether through the family lineage or history we have a beginning and an end.

The internet is another of those links we have to other people and things.

How we use it is important because it can become too intrusive in our lives. I see people with their faces glued to a little screen, fingers moving rapidly over it.

As I am in writing this but my sixty-five-year-old fingers don’t move as rapidly!

What is written just like the “Tetherball” can wrap us around an idea whether it’s good or bad.

Indians-indigenous whatever are without excuse too as it has invaded their lives. Movies use to show us communicating with each other by using drum beats, smoke signals, and then mirrors as we acquired technical expertise.

The animal and bird calls that we use to do by making them with our voices are now included in the phone apps. As the comedian Yakov Smirnoff used to say “what a country” yes “what an app!”

Natives are Tethered to the land and so are those who were born here. So now we have a common ground. Yet we are still separate. Will we ever be able to say together “what a country we live in?” Will we become “one nation under God?”

Right now, it seems like we are many nations disgruntled all disgruntled and oppressed.

“Are we going to be tethered to hate?”

A name that evokes more memories, images and a vast array of emotions.

I’ve visited the Arizona memorial and seen the footage of all the destruction that took place.

We have many monuments to heroic deeds and reminders of what happens when countries disagree. Disagree not strong enough rather “hate” that seems to be the theme running through our land.

Yes, our land!

As a native I have to bridal my tongue, and emotions as I look around me. If we are to move forward and come together as the country did after Pearl Harbor, we have to lay aside our own animosities.

Though the fight for rights of peoples goes on.

We can take down a statute because it doesn’t represent everything or everybody.

But!

Can we take down the ideas set forth by them that reached further than their own nose or vision. Truly vision is something that changes because it is taken up by others who improve on it or are supposed too!

Pearl Harbor represents an attack on a country and its ideals but also the strength of it to rise up and fight for its right to exist.

Pearl Harbor decades later still exists. Old enemies become allies but new enemies rise up. Let us remember that out of destruction rose a new strength and purpose.

People laid down the pen, brush, pitchfork, and most importantly their culture to meet the enemy.

Pearl Harbor Day, when America rose in strength from the smoke of destruction.

May God always bless. Amen

Another day of celebrating with family. Friends plenty of food and football games.

What is this day that America celebrates?

Is it just to eat turkey?

Watch football and Americas’ team the boys from Dallas?

Let’s venture back into “Hysteria’’ that word is better because today there is more of it. It tends to change everything that it doesn’t agree with into something it can agree with.

There’s that familiar story of the first “Turkeyday” with those Pilgrims and of course the Indians. It is true at first mistrust came but co-existence was arrived at too. With any people mistrust is an unfortunate outcome from jealousy, greed, and lust. Which of these caused all the problems for other turkey days?

May we say all of them; and today this is where we as a country are at now.

As the saying goes “back in the day” there was no celebrating for me for turkey day. What mom and dad put on the table you ate or didn’t eat simple as that! Brown beans, fried taters, gravy, and homemade biscuits were the fare on this day. It included sometime during the year a good helping of rabbit, squirrel and porky pig.

As sis got richer the turkey started appearing but I still liked what mom cooked. At this time the chicken would make an appearance as we got richer too.

In other words’ better commodities!

I still like chicken instead of turkey even that old colonel’s kind too. You all do know he never served in the army? I don’t really know if he did or not and he might have just been a private.

Think what you will but be thankful for what you have. Family, friends, freedom for all these can vanish with the stroke of a pen it seems like these days.

Give thanks that our minds are set above the “hysteria” of the day. The food will be eaten, the game will end, we will be fed and entertained. I’m thankful I didn’t have cook the turkey! I just ate the chicken and meatloaf and egg salad and pies!

I thankful for sweatpants you can always stretch and not bust out of them!

Turkey day naw a day of thanksgiving for all the blessings.

Sunday the church recognized and gave thanks to those who served in the armed forces.

One that was formerly known as Armistice Day but changed to recognize the people who made that day possible.

A day that recalls sacrifice of time, careers, and most importantly lives lost. Freedom comes at a cost and for some a very great one.

Throughout time men and women have given their lives to a cause greater than themselves.

Remember the song about God loving the little children? All colors whether red, yellow, black and white? Veterans are of all colors or if you like nationalities.

Veterans day is for all Americans who served during the wars America fought in.

There is no national holiday for those who fought for their freedom to live on the land where that they were native to it.

Yet, these same peoples have given of their lives for this land called “America.”

The same ideas of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were the reasons the tribes fought to keep out invaders.

All too often we forget in our rush to celebrate a day.

Never forget there was sweat during the heat of battle, blood spilled on all sides, and tears of lost comrades, friends, and family.

We are reminded that we are all God’s children. Yet the past confuses us because of how this country came to be.

This country didn’t enslave people, didn’t kill others for the land it now occupies. America in itself can–not do all these things but people can and did. Men can and will and do justify themselves.

But! If we are to attain those lofty goals of the entity known as America. We must learn to truly love one another. We must give the respect due all people.

A veteran gives of self so others may have.

John 14:15 greater love hath no man than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Can we do this in laying aside our differences and animosities to live in peace?

Remember (all who fought for their ideals) lest we forget where we came from.

Sunday, I stood with those who served and Thursday I will do so again. A peacetime vet. A native if you will an American vet of the U.S. Army.

                                                        Amen

Its’ coming and now is. What you may ponder? If you’re able to and your mind doesn’t wander.

The 31st of tober is upon us. Kids are looking for those scary masks as if wearing a mask for the past couple of years wasn’t scary enough.

Time for those stories to appear on the boob tube and even them scarier houses on your block. All cultures have their stories and one was that scary masks frightened away the hobgoblins.

Really! Really! A mask is going to scare away a disembodied spirit?

Stories are always out there and every people group has them. This is one story I remember my Uncle Mack telling us. While we sat on the porch one night. With the smudge pot going to keep the skeeters away. This was in back in 1965 when there was mostly dirt roads and very little electricity in our neck of the woods.

He said “that the story was true.” I don’t know but here it is. 

“I was walking to my brothers’ house after visiting Uncle Snow. I had stayed too late and it was getting dark by the time I walked off Killer Mountain. I had about five miles to go and hurried as fast as I could trying not to break an ankle as I walked down the dirt road off the mountain. It twisted and turned, humped up and down as I made it to the bottom. So far and its’ all good. I turned right and headed toward Candy Mink Spring where Cherokee’s and white people get their water. Those that didn’t have wells or as the saying goes “running water.”

Good Indian named Running Water oh sorry got slide tracked. Anyway…

He had hoped to catch a ride from anyone who was getting water or just driving by. A mile or so would help a lot and sometimes people would give you a lift all the way home. though it might be a mile out of their way.

Tonight, though I couldn’t catch a break nor did I see even a glimmer of far-off headlights. Now as I turned left away from the road to Salem, the road closed in further. It was really dark now with the trees lining the road and their branches hanging over the road. I knew there was a creek running close by. All this made it even darker and a little spookier!

I hurried my pace a bit as I wanted to get through this stretch of road. I passed the turn off to the Goodrich’s and the livers’ and now came “the bridge.” Bridge you ask? Yes, this one had a story of precious ribbons or some such buried there and a booger that guarded it! So, I was in a hurry to get past it when I heard footsteps coming down the road towards me.

My head felt all tingly like bugs were crawling around on top. I kept my eyes focused up ahead and tried not to look to my right. I had fired up a self-rolled P.A. cigarette (Prince Albert tobacco) and was puffing on it hard.

As I came abreast of the other walker he stopped and asked me “if I could give him a light?” I said “sure” and walked over to him and fired up a match. As the match flared-up I moved it toward the cigarette and stopped breathing for a second. There was no mouth holding the cigarette and worse there was no head!

I think my eyes got wider and breathing got harder. There was a big lump in my throat!

I think I heard thank you. I believe or thought I nodded and turned back up the road. I walked very hurriedly trying not to run. I had been told to never run from boogers! It had something to do with not being able to stop and dropping dead from it.

So, I was told!

I never looked back and finally made it to my brother Dutch’s house. This was his story.

As I said before “I don’t know if this story is true.”  Over time I’ve come to wonder what Uncle Mack might have smoked. This was before wacky tobacky, and Psychedelic drugs but there was some mighty hard liquor around at the time. Maybe some of those mushrooms that some ate or smoked?

Years later came this Halloween Night complete with masks and candy.

I remember wearing a right scary one. It was a cheap plastic Yogi Bear mask. Real scary huh?

The only hair-raising moments that happened during this night was when some scary looking girl tried to kiss me!!  She had mighty big red rubbery looking lips or maybe it was just the mask?

I still like the candy to this day. I still can’t stand wearing a mask!

Why are we so afraid of dead things?

Jesus asked “why look for the living among the dead?”

There was a day that irritated native people more than the 4^th of July! What day you ask?

Why Columbus Day of course! The 4^th was tolerable because you could blow up fireworks and have a good old time.

I remember working on Columbus Day. I didn’t even get the day off. It’s only a federal holiday for the banks and the federales to take the day off. Why heck even some Schools closed and tribal headquarters did too so their people could get the day off.

So now comes the change by the yonag in the yonag house. Signed, sealed, and super-officially delivered!

Why there was rejoicing in the streets of every reservation. Tribal headquarters shut down so people could go out and dance. Everyone had a heck of a “hullabaloo!”

A dated word I know but it fits with some mindsets about it.

WOW what a bration day for us a day off to celebrate being recognized as something! Well, a day off for those that work at a federal job like working for the tribe.

Native American day indigenous day….

History lesson 101 we are technically not Native Americans since we were here before there was an America.  So, the term Native American could be applied to everyone who was born in this country, after it got its’ name!  

Hmm I wonder why this country even celebrated a person who landed on some islands and what is known as South America?

Some now celebrate Cinco de mayo-the 5th Day of May. Which is supposed to be Mexico’s Independence Day. What?  Why celebrate that? I know so people can have an excuse to buy some corona beer! A clever marketing ploy.

We couldn’t be celebrating Italians since he sailed under the Spanish flags and with Spanish ships. Hmmm truly disorienting.

History sometimes doesn’t make sense does it or is it the way we celebrate things, events?

We gloss over the lives of individuals to fit a narrative so it goes on today.

Why do the blacks have a history month and we only get a day?

Oh well, just thought I’d ask.

Consider this and I mean truly consider.

Where would we be as native peoples if this land hadn’t been discovered? Then later on colonized?

And further ponder this point too.

You know this country has some great ideas that start with this phrase congress shall not make ….  That’s a good thing but it never says holidays are always right.

If it is to recognize people then lets perhaps that the 4^th of July is all American peoples day?

Heck why not!

I celebrate it every day when I wake up. God bless America and I’m still here.

Yep maybe next we’ll look at holloween…..God willing.

I was at a creative writers group meeting a month ago. We sat around and talked about the state of the world and country. As we discussed the state of affairs I was asked “are you a Republican?” I replied by party affiliation yes, I am. I also said “but I’m a free thinker and look at things trying to sift through all the smoke of opinions. One has to dig deep down past all the fluff to arrive at at a conclusion.

But it must become your own and one that is well thought out. 

This is true no matter the political affiliation.

It’s also true of who you think you are, and, or, what others believe you should be.

So, what does identify you?

 Do you believe it’s the long hair and why?  Were you told that and is it a sign of your virility? A sign of your culture? Maybe you’re just too cheap to find a barber? Or you like long hair or is it a rebellion against what the predominant culture says you should do?

Could it be the beads that your people made before the coming of the white man? Do they now come from China?

Your footwear whether or not you make them yourself? Did you kill the animal for the hide to make your feetwear? Maybe they came from Wal-mart or the tribal gift store or again China.

Your language and or accent. This one is even now changing as we educate our people and form new words.

Then there is this where do you live? Is it the Rez, short for the word Reservation. I liked the idea of not living on one that was until the Mcgirt decision.

 Facial features and here again it has changed too with all the intermarriages. With different tribes and other nationalities mixed in.

The changing face of tribal America!

I see it in my own family but they are all mine and wouldn’t change nor reject any for the world.

Music has entered its own phase as Ndn’s have found a way to make a distinctive sound.it is truly their own. I still enjoy a good ol Creedence song along with Gospel and Country and Classical music.

What does identify us? Well for me it is Jesus Christ. This is another change for tribal people as to their spiritual beliefs. Others hang onto their tribal beliefs but what are they to you?

Here we must seek the truth out and let it set us free. As it tells us in the Bible verse of John 8:32.

Now you don’t have to take my word for it but check it out for yourself. 

Today people can look up their family tree by using the internet on a website known as Ancestry.com.

To others there is no way for them to find any link to their past.

 My wife who was born in Bogota, Colombia was adopted at the age of three.  She’d been found wandering the streets and taken to an orphanage.  Out of it she was adopted by a white woman. When she was brought to America and naturalized, she had to give up her Colombian citizenship. She told me she got angry and cried because she didn’t want to give up her citizenship!

She can’t trace her ancestry to a particular family tree or branch except for being a Colombian.

There are a lot of Indians-natives-indigenous, Blacks, Orientals, Mexicans, and of course Europeans’ who can only go so far back. While others have a story of their parents, grandparents were this and that.

We have stories of the battles fought, lives lost of those remembered and those forgotten.

Movement of people west.  The Old settlers were Cherokees who moved early from Georgia and North Carolina. Old settlers aren’t on the Dawes rolls which were used to identify Cherokees. Which in turn became the basis for the Allotment Act.

Who moved? Most importantly who were the ones who died on “the trail where they cried?’  where are the grave markers with names on them so we can know?

We aren’t the only tribe that has a history of the Trail where the old ones walked. Each tribe has their own trail.

The United States known as America is littered with graveyards and markers with names on them. Others are lost to time and erosion. There are some still being found to this day but what about the names? Time and nature erodes’ and erases names on gravestones if there were any.

Today there is a renewed effort to find tribal and family lineage. While some look for the goodies one can get others search for answers to questions of who and what were my ancestors. What is my culture.

My wife may not be able to find her family tree but she is still a Colombian and that doesn’t change. The same can be said for us as we strive to survive as a people.

With so many crying about America they forget why they are able too! I’m ndn or native or indigenous whichever is true but also American as it has given me by its’ Declaration of Independence the right to be.  What you say? It is the right to be! To exist and as a person by its’ acknowledgement of these words “we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights.”

Which tree the one that says American and the branch that says Cherokee.