Northern Michigan University Indigenous 2008 Earth Day Summit
Turtle Island Project Director Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard: Indigenous Peoples, women and children “are all thought of as expendable commodities”
“We have lost any sense of the sacred.”
(Marquette, Michigan) - Many of the rich around the world view Indigenous Peoples, women and children as “expendable commodities,” said Turtle Island Project Director Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard during Northern Michigan University 2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit.
Hubbard added he fears for the future of mankind and the planet because “we have lost any sense of the sacred.”
NMU Photo
Victor Steffensen performing on the didgeridoo at the Indigenous Earth Day Summit. The summit was a two-day event to gather and discuss ideas on how to obtain and share traditional ecological knowledge from Indigenous elders and put it in to practical use.
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The summit was held on Earth Day 2008 on the NMU campus in Marquette, Michigan near the shores of Lake Superior.
The two-day summit - the first of its kind at NMU - was April 22-23.
Photo by Ms. Aimée Cree Dunn, NMU Center for Native American Studies, Adjunct Instructor
The summit keynote was the Australian Aboriginal Delegation (Barry Hunter, John Hunter and Victor Steffensen). The delegation is bringing the Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways project to Native communities in Michigan.
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The other keynote presenter was Garry Morning Star Raven , a traditional Ojibwe teacher from Manitoba.
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Turtle Island Project Director Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard of Munising, Michigan was part of the Panel II discussion.
Rev. Hubbard said some Christians condemn Native American spirituality.
He said that amounts to spiritual terrorism.
“I think we have here two different forms of religion,” said Turtle Island Project Director Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard. “And it’s this religion of my ancestors that I participate in that I think really has been the problem.”
“I think we have to come to understand that religious consciousness evolves just like anything else does,” Hubbard said. “It's not just the material world that evolves but also our cultural world evolves and the realm of the concept evolves.”
Rev. Hubbard, who is pastor of Eden on the Bay Lutheran Church in Munising, Michigan, said Christians should wake up and begin listening to Earth-based cultures.
“We are going now, as a people - there was a time from prehistorical religions to historic religions - the religions of the book Judaism, Christianity, Islam - to this historic period,” Hubbard said. “Now I think that religious consciousness is transending to this transrational understanding of spirituality.”
Hubbard said that “as part of this transrational understanding of spirituality is an appropriation of this knowledge and spirituality of Earth-based cultures.”
“So its not going back, it's not criticizing buts it's learning from one another,” Hubbard said.
“It's very difficult because Euro-American people have had power for so long its subconscious to us,” Hubbard said.
“We don't even realize how imperialistic we are,” Hubbard said.
“It's very difficult for us to understand that - to get in contact with our own badness - because we have been projecting that on other people for so long it's very difficult for us but we have to do this now.”
Photo courtesy: johntrudell.com
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Rev. Hubbard, who co-founded the TIP, quoted ideas from well-known Native American author and activist John Trudell.
“I think we have to be open now to what John Trudell called ‘spirit making and escape.’ I love this idea. My spirit needs to make an escape from my religious consciousness.”
Hubbard said that “one of the ways my spirit has been greatly helped to make this escape from the techologic mining process that we all go through - is because of the grace of God.”
“I got to become friends with many people who extended friendship to me and taught me how to listen - taught me about myself and taught me these great learnings and teachings and wisdom that can come from our brothers and sisters - who still - despite their painful history at our hands that still goes on today.”
“The racial and cultural genocide that still goes on today inside this country - they taught me how to transcend myself and how to get to this other higher level of spiritual consciousness,” he said.
“And I am very grateful for that,” Hubbard said.
Responding to a question from the audience, Dr. Hubbard said some religions even resort to violence in proclaiming they are the superior religion.
“Judaism is an inherently ethical religion except you have to be a Canaanite,” Hubbard said.
“You may get your ass kicked or your head cut off but basically it's OK,” he said.
“But sky Gods and cultures that worship sky Gods are traditionally barbaric. Read the Old Testament. Wow! Talk about patriarchy.”
“But we are in a war,” Hubbard said. “It is not a war of my choosing but we are in a war.”
“I truly believe that it is a war for our hearts and our minds,” he said.
Answering a question from those gathered, Rev. Hubbard said even today it’s controversial to speak about the core beliefs of Jesus like poverty, social justice, and other issues.
Rev. Hubbard knows first hand the reaction that comes when you speak about the poor while criticizing some modern day entities that are part of creating a two-class system due to an incident at his church.
However, he encouraged those present to keep fighting for racial and environmental justice.
“We have to continually fight,” Hubbard said. “It's multi-generational.”
“We fight against great principalities and powers,” he said. “It's amazing.”
“If you stick your head up out of the foxhole just a little bit and you start speaking on behalf of the poor - those bullets are flying,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard said the incident start when “I said something about a corporation.”
“I said we created these corporations and political structures that aren't moral entities because if you are a moral entity you have to say things like: ‘I'm sorry. I made a mistake.' You have to admit your humanness.”
“When's the last time your heard a politician ever admit a mistake unless they were forced to? ‘I did not have sex with that woman - I did not inhale - yes I smoked but I did not inhale.’”
“I said some corporations are like this too - they are not moral entities because they cannot do these things like apologize,” Hubbard said.
“Well, good Lord that's attacking a sacred cow,” he said.
“There's a guy in my congregation who just went ballistic - who quit the church because he had spent his entire life benefitting from, working for, a non-moral entity,” he said.
“I did not say all corporations were liked this - I just said some corporations are like this,” Hubbard said. “Well that's all you have to say.”
“And you start talking to Euro-American people about the reality of Native American peoples - in my world,” Hubbard said with a look of exasperation while shaking his head and pointing to another audience member who had a question.
Rev. Hubbard said Americans - and all people who call Earth home - need to protect the environment.
He said we have lost the sense of the sacred - a lesson that can be learned from Native Americans and other Indigenous peoples.
“I understand this because I feel desperate,” Hubbard said. “What John Trudell was talking about is the same way - we've lost our way.”
Photo courtesy Public Broadcasting Corp. PBS.org
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“We do not have any spiritual sense because we have lost any sense of the sacred,” Hubbard said.
Photo of Mircea Eliade courtesy:
http://autori.humanitas.ro/eliade
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“A great historian of the religions Mircea Eliade who was at the University of Chicago where I for many years - I did his funeral,” Hubbard said.
“Mircea Eliade had this notion that in order to have a hierophany - an experience of the sacred - you have to have sacred space,” he said.
“If this Earth is not sacred to you - which it isn't to Mickey Mouse - then you can't have an experience of the sacred,” Hubbard said. “I deal with people every day in my congregation who have lost or are losing any sense of the sacred.”
“And it's not only - like you were saying this relationship between Earth and women - and the earth and man. If you do not have power in a capitalistic society - you become part of - and you are thought of in terms of the Earth.”
Concerned about the future of the human race, Dr. Hubbard said the rich look down on the poor.
He said humans should not be measured by wealth.
“Women who have less economic power, children who don't have any power at all unless somebody gives it to them - Indigenous communities - you are all thought of as expendable commodities.”
I’m Greg Peterson and you’re watching Turtle island TV
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Related links:
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Watch Rev. Hubbard’s entire presentation and others on Panel II: Indigenous Earth Values and Philosophies
http://mediasite.nmu.edu/NMUMediasite/Viewer/Viewers/ViewerVideoOnly.aspx?mode=Default&peid=3826bb5a-34eb-4e80-810e-c0399158caa3&playerType=WM7&mode=Default&shouldResize=true&pid=d4934bee-4708-4bd7-a12a-aeb55bb75dfc&playerType=WM7
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All Summitt presentations:
http://mediasite.nmu.edu/NMUMediasite/Catalog/?cid=f8f4eb58b2d64f849144ef026e7088bb
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Center for Native American Studies
Northern Michigan University
112F Whitman Hall
Marquette, MI
49855
Ms. April Lindala
Center for Native American Studies, Director
Indigenous Earth Day Summit Project Director
906-227-1397
Ms. Aimée Cree Dunn
Center for Native American Studies, Adjunct Instructor
Indigenous Earth Day Summit Project Coordinator
906-227-1397
NMU Center for Native American Studies homepage:
www.nmu.edu/nativeamericans
2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit page:
http://webb.nmu.edu/Centers/NativeAmericanStudies/SiteSections/Calendar/IndigEarthDaySummit.shtml
Office:
906-227-1397
Fax:
906-227-1396
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NMU Environmental Science Program (summit co-sponsor)
http://webb.nmu.edu/Departments/Geography/index.shtml
Dr. Ron Sundell
Environmental Science Program, Director
906-227-1359
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NMU Office of International Affairs (co-sponsor)
http://www.nmu.edu/iao/
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Summary of Turtle Island Project websites:
TIP Main website:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
Other TIP News Sites:
http://groups.msn.com/WhisperingTurtle
Turtle Island TV - Video sites:
(blipTV)
http://turtleislandtv.blip.tv/
(youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/MunisingWhiteHorse
(myspace)
http://www.myspace.com/TurtleIslandProject
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Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways project:
http://www.tkrp.com.au
NMU media meet interview with TKRP delegation by host Sonya Chrisman:
http://tkrp.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=114&Itemid=107
TKRP as hosted by Balkanu:
http://www.balkanu.com.au
Traditional Knowledge Recording Project:
http://tkrp.com.au
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Turtle Island Project:
http://www.turtleislandproject.org
http://turtleislandtv.blip.tv
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Three Fires Council Genealogy
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~minatam
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Native American author and activist John Trudell:
http://www.johntrudell.com/
http://www.ipl.org/div/natam/bin/browse.pl/A203
John Trudell Photos:
http://www.johntrudell.com
http://www.pbs.org
http://www.visionmaker.org
http://www.nativetelecom.org/images/trudellsit.jpg
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Religions historian Mircea Eliade:
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582232/Mircea_Eliade.html
Photos of Mircea Eliade from:
http://autori.humanitas.ro/index.php
http://autori.humanitas.ro/eliade/
http://www.viajechamanico.com
http://www.perennial.org
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Hierophany: "an experience of the sacred" - The Sacred and the Profane:
"The Sacred and Profane" by Mircea Eliade
http://www.amazon.ca/Sacred-Profane-Mircea-Eliade/dp/015679201X
A Synopsis of Eliade's The Sacred and the Profane
http://www.csun.edu/~rcummings/sacred.html
Hierophany
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierophany
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Corporations Moral? Christian handbook:
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=570372&kw=570372&event=PPCSRC&p=1010575
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Canaanite:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaanites_%28Movement%29
Judiasm:
http://www.judaism.com
http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_warviolence.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiasm
Here is additional information on summit presenters and the keynote delegation:
Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways (TKRP) project:
TKRP recently established a branch in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and, following on invitations extended to them from Indigenous communities, plans to expand TRKP to Turtle Island and Saamiland in an effort to unite Indigenous efforts at cultural and ecological restoration under an international Indigenous umbrella
Barry Hunter is a Indigenous Land Management Facilitator from TKRP hosted by Balkanu (http://www.balkanu.com.au/) and funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust. He has a B.A.S in Parks, Recreation and Heritage as well as a range of experience in land and sea management. His specialties include Aboriginal hunting and fishing rights particularly as they relate to turtle and dugong conservation and illegal commercial fishing issues.
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John Hunter is a TKRP Indigenous Land Management Facilitator for southern Queenslanda Ph.D. research scholar through Macquarie University and a professional artist. He has taught at the University of Western Sydney, Macquarie University and, currently, at the University of Queensland as both a permanent and part-time faculty member. He has various degrees including an Associate’s in Park Management; a B.A.S. in Parks, Recreation and Heritage; and a Master’s of Indigenous Studies in Research. His current Ph.D. work is focused on developing a Gamilaraay TKRP and Indigenous capacity building project. In addition, he plays the didgeridoo and will be bringing along an art exhibit and a display on the Stolen Generations.
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Victor Steffenson has a varied background on numerous issues such as methods of traditional knowledge recovery, application of traditional ecological knowledge in natural resource management, aboriginal history, the synergies between science and traditional Indigenous knowledge, Aboriginal culture and spirituality, and a range of contemporary Aboriginal issues
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The Turtle Island Project:
Turtle Island Project founders are concerned about the environment, global warming, climate change and species extinction and its effect on Indigenous peoples because over the past 500 years humans have killed off nearly 1,000 species.
TIP founders believes that species extinction and global warming are among the measures that demonstrate the dire future for Earth and humans if we don't change our attitudes.
Tip points out that nearly 15,600 species are threatened with extinction, according to several 2007 United Nations reports.
The U.N. reports state that almost one-third of the world's species of animals and plants are expected to be at risk of extinction within 50 years due to climate change.
During the interfaith retreat for religious leaders in late 2007, TIP director Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard said it's the responsibility of clergy to speak out on social issues like the abuse of the environment and racism.
Turtle Island Project founders say Euro-Americans can learn a lot from Earth-based cultures like the Celts and Native Americans.
TIP co-founder rev. Dr. George Cairns of Chesterton, Indiana said the human race and the planet (therefore its wildlife) are facing a “Kyros Moment” that demands a change in the basic way humans view and treat the planet and its natural inhabitants.
Kyros is a Greek word for “occasion' or timing.”
Kyros is the art of seizing the moment - a combination of understood context and proper timing.
Additional bio info on Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard:
Lynn Hubbard, M.DIV. D.MIN., is founder and director of the Turtle Island Project (TIP) in Munising, Michigan.
He is currently the minister of Eden on the Bay Lutheran Church in Munising.
In addition to graduating from Valparaiso University and holding advanced degrees from the Lutheran School of Theology and Chicago Theological Seminary, Lynn has studied at the Pedagogishe Hochschule in Reutlingen, German, the Religious Studies Department at the University of Indiana, and the Divinity School at the University of Chicago.
For many years he worked as the Associate Dean of Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago.
He has had extensive experience in both the interfaith and ecumenical communities, and served as the Director of Development for the Parliament of World’s Religious.
Most recently, in working in his capacity as spiritual director for Juvenile sex offenders, he has given national and international conference presentations on “Creating Ritual Process for Juvenile Sex Offenders from a Cross Cultural Perspective.”
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