It was in August of 2013 that I traveled to New York City with the Faith and Politics Institute (FPI) and a group of Congressional Representatives on what was described as “Becoming America”: a pilgrimage to celebrate the immigrant story and the role immigrants played in the creation of the United States. As the photographer for FPI, I was there to capture images from the pilgrimage. We visited many places during the three-day trip. At each place we visited, the history specific to the immigrant story was shared. Everyone had an opportunity to share their own stories related to that location.
One of the more significant visits was to Ellis Island. During this stop, the immigrant story was held up and celebrated as a core element in the establishment of the United States. As we were traveling to Ellis Island, I happened to be sitting on the bus next to a citizen of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribe, Kitcki Carroll. Kitcki is the Executive Director of the United South and Eastern Tribes, an intertribal organization comprised of 26 Tribal Nations. As we rode along we got to know each other – talking about work and families, as people do. I told some of my story, and Kitcki told me some of his. I immediately liked him.
During that ride, the president of FPI came by and asked Kitcki if he would speak to the group at Ellis Island. Kitcki was very gracious, but at the end of their discussion he declined to speak. It puzzled me that he did not want to speak, but before I could ask him about it we had arrived at the ferry and I had to start taking pictures. We were not able to talk again during that trip.
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The next morning I awoke suddenly at 4 AM and remembered my conversation with Kitcki. I understood why he had declined the invitation to speak at Ellis Island. What could he say?
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In time I forgot about our exchange, until one day many months later, when I participated in a workshop sponsored by the Society of Friends called “Toward a Right Relationship with America’s Native Peoples.”
The workshop proceeded according to a narrative delivered by 4 different voices: a narrator, a European, a historian, and a Native American. Together they described events that took place from the time of the first encounter with Europeans in the 15th century to the present day.
Photo Credit: Office of Public Witness
The central issue addressed in this narrative is the Doctrine of Discovery, a doctrine first articulated by Pope Nicholas V in the 15th century. Before this experience, I had no idea what the Doctrine of Discovery was. During the workshop, I learned that the Doctrine of Discovery “authorized ‘discoverers’ to invade non-Christian lands to capture, vanquish, and subdue all…pagans and other enemies of Christ…to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery…and take away all their possessions and property.”
As these events were described, there were pauses to reflect, remember, and honor many groups of Native Americans: those who were forced by the colonists to move from their homelands to areas beyond the Mississippi River; those who were killed in wars with the U.S. Army as the United States sought to expand its land holdings; those who were ripped from their families as children and sent to boarding school in an attempt to “kill the Indian and save the man” (sic); and those who died from diseases brought by the Europeans. The few Native Americans who remained after this were forced onto reservations, which were often in the most undesirable parts of the country.
The goal of the workshop was to shed light on the often-untold story of the genocide of the indigenous peoples of this land and to provide an understanding of the Doctrine of Discovery, which served as justification for the many atrocities committed in the name of creating a new democracy known as the United States. The doctrine continues to have a lasting negative impact in the lives of Native Americans and U.S.–Tribal Nation relations.
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Collectively, the stories we were remembering that day at Ellis island started a domino effect that continues to have implications and consequences for Native peoples today.
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The workshop was a deeply moving experience for me. When it was over I introduced myself to the leader, Paula Palmer, and expressed a desire to become involved in some way. Little did I realize in that moment the journey that these two experiences would begin.
The next morning I awoke suddenly at 4 AM and remembered my conversation with Kitcki. I understood why he had declined the invitation to speak at Ellis Island. What could he say?
How could he join in a celebration of events that led to the systematic taking of land and resources from his people? How could he commemorate actions directly attributable to genocide committed against his relatives? How could he celebrate the people who viewed his own people as “undesirables,” “savages,” “barbarians,” “heathen,” and – ultimately – an impediment to the “Manifest Destiny” of the United States?
He knew that these European immigrants took actions that led to the eradication of 90% of the pre-European Native American population. How could he celebrate immigrants who in actuality caused Native Americans to become virtually invisible in terms of their role, their culture, and their unrealized contributions to a developing nation? Collectively, the stories we were remembering that day at Ellis island started a domino effect that continues to have implications and consequences for Native peoples today.
I knew that I had to make contact with Kitcki to tell him about my awakening. I wrote him an email describing who I was and what I had discovered in my own personal journey. I asked him if we could meet, and his response was immediate and positive. He remembered me and invited me to meet him for lunch the next week, while he was in the midst of the annual convention of the National Congress of American Indians.
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Kitcki Carroll was skeptical. “Isn’t this just an excuse to do nothing?” Many organizations, churches among them, avoid doing something by saying they want to “study” the issue.
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It was in that meeting that we began to envision the creation of a Native American Dialogue Group, which now meets at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, where I am a Parish Associate. This group, which has been meeting monthly for over a year, is composed of an almost equal number of church members and Native Americans who live and work in DC.
As the members of the group got to know one another, we talked about the level of ignorance that exists regarding Native Americans and the deplorable way they have been treated. We began to realize that at the core of this was the Doctrine of Discovery and its lasting negative impacts. The European Americans among us learned that in 2007 the United Nations passed a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which essentially repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery. The United States did not endorse the declaration until 2010 – it was the last country to do so. Eight religious organizations have taken action to repudiate this doctrine, but the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is not among them. We determined as a group that it was necessary and appropriate to recommend to the General Assembly the need for our church to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery.
We drafted an overture and submitted it to the Bills & Overtures committee of National Capital Presbytery. They posed a question: “Assuming that the General Assembly approves this overture, what do you hope to accomplish next?” We answered that we hoped the denomination would learn more about the Doctrine of Discovery and seek to foster strong relations with Tribal Nations and peoples who lived in their communities.
Their (understandable) response was, “You are asking the denomination to repudiate something before they understand what it is? Isn’t this getting the cart before the horse?” While repudiation remains one of our primary goals, we also understand that the opportunity to educate and create broad awareness could result in greater ownership of this issue. Therefore we adjusted the overture and added the recommendation to create a task force to study the Doctrine of Discovery. We asked that this task force consult with Native Americans across the country to find out how this doctrine impacts them, at the same time engaging congregations in ways to encourage learning and create relationships with Native American tribes and individuals. This is the overture (Overture 11-17: On Reviewing the Doctrine of Discovery) that we are now presenting to the General Assembly for action.
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We hope that we will find ways to impact the U.S. legal system (a system still based on the Doctrine of Discovery) that consistently seeks to diminish the inherent sovereign authorities and rights of Tribal Nations.
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Kitcki Carroll was skeptical. “Isn’t this just an excuse to do nothing?” he asked. His point was a good one. Many organizations, churches among them, avoid doing something by saying they want to “study” the issue. I agreed and pointed out that many denominations, after they repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, have in fact done very little about it. If we were to pass a resolution like this, then we would need to take definitive action to insure that something significant happened. The final form of the overture asks the task force to report to the 223rd General Assembly in 2018 with specific recommendations for action.
Photo Credit: Office of Public Witness
We have received three letters of support from the Native American community. The first is from the United South and Eastern Tribes, signed by Brian Patterson, President, and Kitcki Carroll, Executive Director; the second from the National Museum of the American Indian, signed by Kevin Gover, Director; and the third from the National Congress of American Indians, signed by its President, Brian Cladoosby.
In the course of bringing this overture to the General Assembly, we have gotten to know many people in our church who are involved with and concerned about working for social justice for Native Americans. We share their concern for achieving justice, awareness, and a truthful understanding of the history, issues, and communities most often ignored by Americans of European descent.
As Presbyterians explore the Doctrine of Discovery, our hope is that we will discover ways to impact the discrimination, prejudices, misconceptions, and untruths that Native Americans experience. We hope that we will find ways to affirm Native American culture and the role Native Americans play as dual citizens of their Tribal Nations and the United States, through the unique trust relationship that still exists between Tribal Nations and the United States. We hope that we will find ways to impact the U.S. legal system (a system still based on the Doctrine of Discovery) that consistently seeks to diminish the inherent sovereign authorities and rights of Tribal Nations.
Our group is excited, encouraged, and hopeful. We want to make a difference, and we believe this is an opportunity to do just that. We believe we have a clear indication that the Spirit has led us to this point and will energize us as we take these next steps together. In this respect, we share the same beliefs as our Native American brothers and sisters: that the Spirit we worship will guide and support our efforts.
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AUTHOR BIO: Byron Buck has masters degrees in theology and business and vocational experience in ministry, consulting, management, and entrepreneurship. He is now retired and living in Washington, DC, where he serves as Parish Associate at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church. He currently co-leads the Native American Dialogue Group – a group composed of members of his congregation and an equal number of Native Americans who live and work in DC. The group meets monthly and focus on issues important to both of these populations. The overture concerning the Doctrine of Discovery is a direct result of these discussions.
Read Overture 11-17: “On Reviewing the Doctrine of Discovery.”
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