Indigenous Allies at Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church

WHO WE ARE : Indigenous Allies began with Marti Dever and Sarah Hartzell who recognized in each other a need to share their passion for justice for Indigenous people. It is now led by a steering committee composed of representatives from multiple churches and other groups in Boulder County. The committee works with advisors from the Indigenous Community to plan monthly events and activities open to the public. Space to gather, technology, and other support are provided by Boulder churches. Programs are funded by donations and fund-raising events.  Please click here to be taken to the Indigenous Allies website.

WHAT ARE WE ABOUT?:  We seek, through our work together, to establish right relationship with Indigenous people, to learn the truth of the past and present, to reckon with our role in the harms caused, and to stand in solidarity with our Indigenous kin as we seek an equitable future together.

WHO WE WORK WITH: 

TO JOIN: If you are interested in becoming a member of Indigenous Allies or in donating to our effort, please contact St. Ambrose parishioner Sarah Hartzell (SarahHrtzll@gmail.com) or Marti Dever (m.taylordever@gmail.com) for more information. Sign up for the newsletter by clicking here.

TO MAKE A DONATION: If you’d like to make a donation to support our speakers programs please send a check marked “Indigenous Allies” to St. John’s Episcopal Church 1419 Pine St., Boulder, CO 80301. You can also make an online donation through St. John’s by clicking here.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the Indigenous Allies group: We acknowledge that the land on which we live and meet is the traditional territory of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute, and many other peoples, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, in the watershed of Boulder Creek. We honor the Indigenous people who once lived on this land, and support the resilience and strength of their descendants living among us today.  We also acknowledge that the many harms caused to the people and the land began with colonization and continue today.  We seek, through our work together, to establish right relationship, to learn the truth of the past and present, to reckon with our role in the harms caused, and to stand in solidarity with our Indigenous kin as we seek an equitable future together.

 

Support the Sacred

Oak Flat (known in Apache as Chi’chil Bildagoteel) has been a sacred site for Native Americans since before recorded history. Located in Arizona’s vibrant Tonto National Forest, Western Apache religious and cultural identity is inextricably tied to Oak Flat. It is the sole place where they may perform key sacred ceremonies that have been critical to their people for centuries. It is recognized in the National Register of Historic Places, and its religious significance has been compared to that of Mount Sinai for Jews or St. Peter’s Basilica for Catholics.

 

The federal government had promised to protect this place of worship. However, in 2014 it caved to pressure from special interest lobbyists and initiated a land transfer to a foreign-owned mining company with plans to construct a mine that will obliterate this sacred site, swallowing it in a crater nearly two miles wide and over 1,100 feet deep, and erasing core Apache religious ceremonies forever. Apache Stronghold filed a lawsuit arguing that the  destruction of their sacred site violates the Religious Freedom Restoration

Act (RFRA), the U.S. Constitution, and an 1852 treaty promising that the United States would protect their land and “secure the permanent prosperity and happiness” of the Apache.

Read more: https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20221116140807/Oak-Flat-One-Pager_11152022.pdf

Sign Petition .https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/i-support-oak-flat.  asked for organization name put in St. Ambrose Episcopal or Indigenous Allies. 

 What else can you do? Email Sarah Hartzell at sarahhrtzll@gmail.com to find out. 

 

Indigenous Ministries in the Episcopal Church

As an institution, The Episcopal Church recognizes and repents of its harmful treatment of Native Americans. In 1997, the church signed a new covenant of faith and reconciliation, apologizing for its past actions and launching a decade of “remembrance, recognition and reconciliation.”

In 2021, Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and House of Deputies President Gay Jennings issued a statement in response to the discoveries of mass graves of Indigenous children on the grounds of former boarding schools in Canada, condemning such practices and committing to “the work of truth and reconciliation with Indigenous communities in our church.” For more information about the Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church, see the website here.

At Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church, the Indigenous Allies group seeks to be part of this vital work of remembrance, recognition and reconciliation with Indigenous communities.

 

Past Events of Indigenous Allies at St. Ambrose:

September Meeting of Indigenous Allies

Our September meeting was held on September 30 at Boulder Mennonite Church 3910 Table Mesa Rd and on Zoom with Cathleen Osborne-Gowey, who is a member of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma. Cathleen told us about her tribe, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, their past history and contemporary issues, the dynamics of forming relationships with tribes, ways of working together, and potential problem areas.  

 
 

Who She Is Film Screening

August 24, 2023 at Chautauqua Auditorium, Boulder

Door time: 7:00 PM, Showtime: 7:30 PM

Who She Is tells the story of four individual women caught in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic. By bringing these missing women to life on screen, through animation and first-person storytelling, the documentary aims to humanize the people behind the statistics. Audiences will learn each woman’s loves and losses and will come to know their story. Through these women, the documentary hopes to shine a light on the wider MMIW epidemic and gendered violence.

 

Repair Network Training July 10

Monday, July 10th, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. CT

First Mennonite Church of Hutchinson, KS (Zoom option available)

Sarah Augustine and Katerina Gea will offer training on moving toward right relations with Indigenous Peoples on Monday, July 10th after our Annual Coalition Gathering in Hutchinson, KS. We highly encourage those who can join in person to attend, as this training will involve somatic elements and group discussion opportunities that the Zoom option does not fully support. Registration and description is below!

We will facilitate two 3-hour modules that focus on two areas:

1) Moving toward “Right Relations” in interpersonal and intergroup relationships with Indigenous Peoples so that we can show up in a good way when invited to deeper partnership.

2) Moving toward “Right Relations” through intergenerational, structural change work with Indigenous and other oppressed communities.

Sarah and Katerina will introduce several interactive learning exercises and skills, including active listening, power analysis, pursuing repair when harm happens, and working through real-life challenges toward the goal of redistributing power with communities experiencing oppressions. We will also offer a Zoom option.

Cost: $30 per person for materials.

Register: @ RSVP for 2023 Coalition Gathering

Questions: katerina@dismantlediscovery.org

 

The Doctrine of Discovery is Not Dead Yet and Neither are We

Interactive Presentation, July 25th 3:00-4:30 PM St. Ambrose Episcopal Church

Please join us for this interactive presentation led by Rev. Carol Rose, Pastor of Shalom Mennonite Fellowship on Tohono O’odham Land in Tucson, AZ. The presentation will emphasize God’s spirit in God’s world as we examine and tie together the history of the Doctrine of Discovery and practices related to land exchange and use in modern times.

Rev. Rose is the leader of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery Oak Flat Initiatives and is the former director of Community Peace Maker Teams. The meeting, which includes large and small group discussions, is available both in person and on ZOOM.

 

AVA HAMILTON Loving the Earth, an Arapahoe Perspective

April 15, 2023, 1:00 PM St. Ambrose Episcopal Church

I love being a human,” Ava Hamilton says. “I love being alive, and I love the Earth. I want everyone to love the Earth instead of money,” she says. *

Over the years, Ava has worked across different communities in Boulder County — as well as throughout her vast network of connections in the Native American community — to convey the importance of indigenous knowledge. An avid historian of Arapaho culture, Ava is constantly seeking new information and knowlege about the history of her people, and how it relates to her presence in this place on Earth. *

Indigenous Allies is a group of people dedicated to creating  Beloved Communities by working to dismantle racism and engage in continuous efforts to tell the truth about our history as it relates to the lives of the Indigenous population. We engage in advocacy and education to raise consciousness, take action to repair the egregious acts of our history, and work to honor the dignity of the Indigenous Community.

To reserve child care, to join, or to donate to Indigenous Allies, please contact Sarah Hartzell (SarahHrtzll@gmail.com) or Marti Dever (m.taylordever@gmail.com)

Land Acknowledgements and Reparations Possibilities with Rick Williams and Indigenous Allies

March 28, 2023 3:00-4:30 PM
St. Ambrose Episcopal Church 
7520 S. Boulder Rd, Boulder 80303


You are invited to join this working group meeting of the Indigenous Allies Ecumenical Group. We will work with Rick Williams to create a land acknowledgement suitable to be adopted churches and other communities. 

We will also hear from Rick about the two projects he has proposed and what we can do to support them. One is the proposal to add $100 to closing costs on real estate transactions  Boulder County, The second one is a proposal to establish an embassy in Denver for Indigenous people.  We’ll have time to discuss, and choose one we might work on, and perhaps identify some first steps.   

Contact Sarah Hartzell or Sara in the office for more information.

Why Are There No American Indian Reservations on the Front Range or Eastern Plains of Colorado? 

 The Iniquitous History of the Fort Wise Treaty of 1861

and how the Cheyenne and Arapaho lost 53 million acres of land. 

Richard Williams, Indigenous Consultant for People of the Sacred Land will answer that question by presenting a brief history of Colorado from 1861 to 1864. The presentation will provide the truth behind the theft of 53 million acres of land during a time when fraud within the Indian Bureau was nefarious. The details and background of the 1861 Treaty of Fort Wise with the Cheyenne and Arapaho people reveal one of the most sordid examples of fraud ever in Indian Country.  The indisputable facts of corruption, collusion, conspiracy, nepotism, and cronyism are all included in the story of the removal of Indians from the Front Range and Eastern plains of Colorado. 

Feb. 28, 2023 Time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm including questions.

Location: St. John's Episcopal Church, Boulder,  Colorado Donations accepted with great appreciation

Richard B. Williams, Indigenous Consultant People of the Sacred Land, https://peopleofthesacredland.org/ 720.724.6453, rbw.consult@gmail.com

 

Boarding Schools for Indigenous Children

On January 31st, 3:30-5:15pm, Jerilyn DeCoteau (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) of Toward Right Relationship will present a slide show about the history of boarding schools for Indigenous children. The presentation will take place at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church (7520 S. Boulder Rd.), co-hosted by St. John’s and St. Ambrose Episcopal Churches.

The Episcopal Church has a long history of operating and supporting boarding schools that sought to strip Indigenous children of their culture and ways of life. Many children were brutalized and even killed in the schools. In its 80th Convention, the Episcopal Church resolved to engage in truth-telling and reconciliation for this egregious history. To that end, the Episcopal Office of Government Relations has published several resolutions including: investigating, creating a platform for school survivors, building community healing centers, and supporting federal legislation to create a healing commission.

The process of reconciliation must begin with education and understanding so please plan to join us and Jerilyn on Tuesday, January 31st.  We will have light snacks at 3:30 and the presentation will begin at 3:45.