Native American

Growing Up White

Posted on February 15, 2016February 14, 2016 by Abigail Clauhs

It’s funny how racial identity works. Especially whiteness. Especially when you’re taught, implicitly and overwhelmingly, that white is the norm. It’s funny how it’s not until you’re older�... Read More

Reflections on Nicholas Black Elk: Constructive Convergence, Appropriation, Inculturation, Syncretism, and Multiple Religious Belonging

Posted on November 3, 2012November 2, 2012 by Hans Gustafson

Nicholas Black Elk (1866-1950), the Oglala Lakota visionary and son of Crazy Horse’s cousin, has been the subject of both debate and inspiration. Inspiration comes from his alleged appropriation of ... Read More

Encountering the Painful Past in the Present: A “Cloudy Water” Spirituality of Remembering the US-Dakota War of 1862

Posted on October 1, 2012September 30, 2012 by Hans Gustafson

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Dakota-U.S. war which resulted in the execution of 38 Dakota men in Mankato (MN) on December 26,1862. It remains the largest mass hanging in U.S. history. ... Read More

Bury the Bloody Hatchet: Secularism, Islam, and Reconciliation in Afghanistan

Posted on January 21, 2011January 21, 2011 by Journal of Inter-Religious Studies

When the US negotiated peace with American Indians just a few years after the American Revolution, they used religiously-inspired, culturally relevant symbols to “bury the hatchet.” However, the... Read More