Native American Spirituality in Prisons

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

The NY Times today published an article about the practice of Native American religion in a CT prison. Here's the link:

Worship, Dark and Steamy, for Murderers and Rapists


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/25/national/25religion.html?th&emc=th

And some excerpts:

The inmates in this traditional Indian sweat lodge in this most untraditional setting were practicing Native American spirituality at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in northern Connecticut. With roughly 2,000 inmates, MacDougall-Walker is the state's largest prison, a maximum security facility that is home to some of Connecticut's more notorious prisoners.

In this population are about 30 who identify themselves as Native Americans. Like the more than 500 prisoners statewide who declare themselves Native American on admission, whether they truly have a trace of Indian blood, an entire lineage or not one legitimate drop is of no concern to prison officials here, who find religious pursuit a productive use of inmate time and also have been pressed by the courts to be even more open to it.


And here's a few comments from me. I invite your comments as well:

1. I felt the title of the article was wrong-more like a tease, and implied something non-sacred.

2. I found the slideshow accompanying this article offensive-for any Native American spiritual ceremony I've been involved in states categorically that no photos or films be made. Of course, maybe the prison chaplain, Two Rivers, felt it was needed to explain what was going on, to open the idea of allowing the lodges in other prisons. I hope that he is right with the Spirits on this.

3. I observed that the title and a later comment in the article were judgemental (the author commented that when the prisoners were asked to name who they prayed for, no one mentioned their victims).

[pie]

1. Mitakuye Oyasin: To all my relations

Yes, the title sounds like something very seamy
is going on. Nothing, in fact, could be further from the truth.

I have always been allowed to take pictures at American Indian
ceremonies.

I hope these sweat lodges continue.
Sounds like the powers that be are trying to
destroy them.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. interesting

perhaps the ban on photos/films is just among the people I have associated with. Most are adopted/related to the Dakota or Lakota, though one is a Sufi/Native American who performed what he called a "Cherokee sweat".

[Broken_Hero]

3. No, the ban on photo's is pretty broad in my experience

In the NAC meetings i have seen, NAC=Native American Church, they don't allow pictures, or recording devices for their "meetings". The thought of pictures, or recording the songs of any spiritual meetings, is just a ploy by a white man, or a indian with money on the brain, to sell the songs, or pictures to interested parties. Anyone that advertises these so called spirtual meetings is also at fault, the meetings are advertised for all to come, they are spread through word of mouth, and it makes NAC members pretty up set when they see a profit being made from spirituality.

Another thing, about medicine men. Real medicine men don't advertise, or put their names out in newspapers and what nots, that they are a medicine man, real medicine men, dont' advertise, and their names, and locations are spread through word of mouth. The first question a real medicine man will ask you is this "Where did you learn about me from, who told you about me?...oh, by the way, i'm Haida, from Southeast alaska, i've been exposed to the NAC through a fellow Ho-Chunk frind of mine, and my wife is half Cherokee, for all the nay sayers...:D

[Broken_Hero]

4. damn it...

in the first paragraph, a mistake again, by me, but who's counting? "Anyone that advertises these so called spirtual meetings is also at fault, the way in which meetings are advertised is looked down upon by NAC members, in the NAC the meetings are spread by word of mouth, not by flyers"....that what i meant, sorry, again.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. What you said has been my experience

and I've only been in a lodge with one person who was affiliated with the NAC. And yes, also in my experience, spiritual advisors, medicine men, spiritual teachers (I've heard all these terms used) do not advertise their services. Also in my experience, a gift of tobacco with a request is all it takes for a ceremony or healing from someone on a Native American path, though love offerings are always accepted, and any money that changes hands is done quietly and without anyone noticing. The latter is also true of healers/teachers on other spiritual paths I've encountered.

There may be enlightened teachers who advertise and charge a lot of money for initiation and teaching, but I haven't met any-the enlightened beings I know go about their daily routines and live the teachings, which they are glad to share with those who ask about it.