Native American Issues
The land that is now the United States and Canada was once the exclusive homeland of indigenous peoples. Non-Native American Anabaptists who live on this land benefit from the genocide and displacement of indigenous peoples, regardless of whether they were personally involved in these atrocities. Mennonite Central Committee is committed to addressing the injustices done to the Native peoples of this land, the First Nations in North America. MCC works with the Oglala Lakota Nation on the Pine Ridge Reservation and administers the Return to the Earth Project, which seeks to respectfully bury unidentifiable Native remains that are housed in museums, universities and scientific labs. The MCC Washington Office monitors public policy that seeks to address the current inequalities that are detrimental to Native Peoples. Public PolicyThe MCC Washington Office encourages policymakers in Washington to enact legislation that acknowledges and address the injustices (both historical and ongoing) to the Native peoples of this land. MCC advocacy focuses on three areas: ReflectionThe earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, Native Americans have traditionally believed that the earth belongs to the Creator and that they have been placed by the Creator on the land. This differs from the Western notion of private land ownership, but it does not contrast with Biblical notions of land ownership. Christians have often acknowledged that everything they have belongs to God, even if they haven’t always acted upon this sentiment. While Mennonites were not on the front lines during battles for land between U.S. militias and Native Americans, they often were quick to benefit by buying stolen land at outrageously inexpensive prices. Today, non-Native Mennonites, whether they reside in urban, suburban or rural areas, live on land that was unfairly taken from the indigenous peoples who once lived there. While it is too late to change a long history of oppression, it is critical that U.S. residents stop contributing to current injustices and begin to work towards reconciliation with their Native brothers and sisters. Reconciliation is impossible without justice, however, and we must find ways to actively and positively promote justice for Native Peoples.
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