– from Vine Deloria Jr. to Zitkála-Šá (Gertrude Simmons Bonnin) to the Verde Valley – 

In a place like Sedona, where Indigenous religious practices are frequently stolen, co-opted, or imitated—often for monetary gain—it can be difficult to find meaningful engagement with the voices and perspectives of Indigenous peoples. This talk will present examples of Indigenous approaches to religion and philosophy from the words and texts of Indigenous peoples themselves, some prominent and some less so. It is not an attempt at some overarching Indigenous religious philosophy, but rather a reflection on approaches to the topic that brings religious agency back to Indigenous peoples and communities. It will be wide-ranging, from the continental to the local. While the presenter is not a theologian or philosopher, he has spent countless hours contemplating the meaning of Indigenous spirituality in the modern world, especially in light of the long history of religious colonization Indigenous people have confronted. Please come with an open mind and ready to hear some difficult truths.

Maurice Crandall is an enrolled member of the Yavapai-Apache Nation of Camp Verde Arizona and an Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University.

Reading: “Where we commit to discover how to live among the ruins” by Rev. Karen G. Johnston

Let us gather together

making a place of honesty

where we commit to discover

how to live among the ruins,

how we might move among the ruins

and find what can be saved.

With our collective liberation

in each of our hearts,

let us gather up those materials

we need to build and rebuild

Beloved Community in our midst.

In gathering this morning,

may we be strengthened

for what lies ahead.