Retreat at Good Shepherd Church Highlights Crisis of Missing and Murdered Native People
A retreat at Good Shepherd Church on the Shoshone Bannock Reservation in Fort Hall, Idaho, has brought attention to the crisis of missing and murdered Native people. The event, attended by Province VIII ECW members, was marked by powerful symbolism and calls for action.
The retreat, held at Good Shepherd Church, once a site of a residential boarding school, focused on the disproportionately high numbers of murdered and missing Native people. Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, a member of the Shackan First Nation Community of Canada, addressed the gathering, using fry bread, a staple food of Native people, as a metaphor for resilience and transformation.
Participants wore red T-shirts declaring, 'Carrying the Message: No More Stolen Relatives', highlighting the urgency of the issue. Melissa Bird, a descendant of the Shivwits Band of Paiutes, linked historical government tactics against Native peoples with current treatment of undocumented persons, drawing parallels between the two struggles. Lay vicar Ron Braman, a member of the Eastern Shoshone tribe, played a significant role in the retreat, leading the vibrant community that now thrives at the church.
The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs attributes the crisis to a legacy of government policies. Idaho Bishop Jos Tharakan commended the work of the ECW, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and loving people within the church and beyond.
The retreat at Good Shepherd Church served as a poignant reminder of the ongoing crisis affecting Native communities. Through powerful symbolism and calls for action, participants vowed to carry the message and work towards a future where no more relatives are stolen.
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