Missionaries Try to Steal Haitian Wakanyeja

Hanh mitakuyapi / Hello my relatives.

On NPR this morning, there was a story about a dozen or so Baptist missionaries being jailed by the way-overloaded Haitian government for trying to steal a large number of Haitian children.

The missionaries claim they were 'only' taking the children out of the country to a safer place - specifically, a shiny new (& empty) orphanage their group had just finished constructing.  Orphanages "need" occupants, right?  What better prospects than Haitian children?  There's the earthquake mess, parents are having a hard time finding their children & vice versa, and some parents didn't survive..  "Obviously" these children are ripe for stealing to a place where, the missionaries admit, "they would be given new, Christian, names & taught Christianity".

This is outrageous! 

Luckily for the children, the Haitian Voodoo Association was watching out for their wakanyeja, & got the authorities to stop the theft by the soul-collectors before it could happen.  It's a lot easier to stop such a theft than it would be to get the children back, after all.

My Sun Dance obaghi (sacred committment) is a a prayer to heal the Sacred Hoop of the world - Indigenous 'world' first.  That means, in part, stopping missionaries from further devastation of Indigenous Traditional spiritual Ways & reversing as much of the damage that has been done, as possible.  There is, of course, far more to it than that, but I rattled my tongue then, & I will continue to, along with strong prayers I invite you to join in, on behalf of the Haitian Voodoo Association, its members / believers, & those children.

It is part of my fervent prayer that the Haitian government slaps the Baptist missionaries - & all missionaries - hard & stops any further such efforts.  We Indigenous People of Turtle Island are still suffering - & I (sadly) expect we will continue to suffer - from the depredations of 'missionaries' of the past 500+ years, & for years to come.  Truly Red Jacket was right when he said, "We don't want your missionaries to come to our Nations.  You can all read the same book, & you argue endlessly about whose version is 'best' or 'most right'.  All you would do is teach us to argue about god." 

Our People may not have listened, & so cost our wakanyeja a great amount of grief which we see today in gangs & such atrocities - but if the Haitian people stand strong, perhaps a piece of my Prayer is answered, & from that, our Nations up here will be strengthened in our Traditional spiritual Ways, too.  Healing is not for the faint of heart & it is not easy.  But this action by the Haitian Voodoo Association makes my heart good.  All the best of luck to them.

Mitakuye oiasin - All, my relatives.