Today's Marists 2024 Volume 8, Issue 2

to the periphery.” At the same time,
Nelson contends that the film makes
“a strong statement that it’s no longer
acceptable to extract valuable assets
from Indigenous communities –
whether that be our stories or our
natural resources – without our
consent and input.”
For white, American Catholics, Killers
of the Flower Moon’s importance
lies in its ability to stir our collective
conscience. As Pope Francis reminds
us: “We can never move forward
without remembering the past; we do
not progress without an honest and
unclouded memory” (Fratelli Tutti,
249). In this light, films like Killers
of the Flower Moon “keep alive the
flame of collective conscience” by
reminding us of the depravity that we
exhibit at our worst and inviting us
to restore wrongs perpetrated in our
past. A prayerful encounter with the film allows us to be wounded
by the atrocities of history and stirred into active solidarity.
Model of an Ally:
Betty Peace-Gladstone
As important as it is to be touched by the violence of history, it
is equally important to remember those who “amid such great
inhumanity and corruption, retained their dignity and, with
gestures small or large, chose the part of solidarity, forgiveness, and
fraternity.” (Fratelli Tutti, 249) Lily Gladstone’s mother, Betty Peace-
Gladstone, who stands among those examples of solidarity, testifies
to the presence of grace working amidst violence and inhumanity.
For Betty Peace-Gladstone, a white woman and (now retired)
professor of early childhood education, mothering an Indigenous
child convinced her that Native children needed to be connected
to their native language. As Peace-Gladstone told National Public
Radio, Indigenous languages carry a “reflection of the people’s
relationship to the land, the creatures, the elements that exist in the
land and kinship terms … as people study their own language …
those elements of culture become a lot more apparent to them and
a lot more dear.”
This experience pushed Peace-Gladstone to advocate for Blackfeet
language instruction in schools. While there were several members
of the community willing to serve as teachers, Peace-Gladstone
notes that there were institutional barriers: finding funding to pay
Indigenous teachers and overcoming certification requirements.
As a result of Peace-Gladstone’s partnership with the Blackfeet
community, the Blackfeet language is being taught more frequently
in schools.
Colinian Eschatology and
Indigenous Solidarity
Fr. Jean-Claude Colin, the founder of the Society of Mary, believed
that “the Society of Mary must re-create the early days of the
Church” (A Founder Speaks, #115, 5) by being a community
of cor unum et anima una – of one heart and soul. There is an
assimilationist temptation within this
eschatological vision: we become
Marist by all learning to think, feel,
judge and act in the same way. The
problem with this temptation is
twofold: first, it denies the uniqueness
of gifts given to individuals and their
own particular communities; second,
considering how frequently power is
abused, ‘subsuming’ particularities
under some larger universal should
rightly strike us as indicative of a
colonialist mindset capable of great
violence.
I propose that we understand Fr.
Colin’s eschatology as gesturing
towards a kind of solidarity rooted
in the heart of a mother. Re-creating
those days of cor unum et anima
una does not involve subsuming
differences, but rather expanding
consciousness so that all people –
especially those most on the margins of Church and society – can
experience the heart and soul of the Church in creative solidarity.
Given the continued obstacles to justice that Native American
communities face in the United States, I believe that white, American
Catholics can express this solidarity in four ways:
1. Education: White, American Catholics need to learn more
about Indigenous history, culture, and language. Start by
learning on whose ancestral home you live and work (this
interactive map, native-land.ca, is a good place to start).
2. Encounter: Use this information to encounter local Indigenous
communities, networks and advocacy organizations. Build
relationships and ask how you can offer support. Encounter
may also entail encountering stories, art, culture and language
of Indigenous peoples.
3. Acknowledge: Consider building a land acknowledgement
into liturgies, prayers of intercession or meetings. Such an
acknowledgement allows your community to situate itself
within the history and context of the land and its people
(view this resource, bit.ly/4a9W1sp, as a guide to land
acknowledgments).
4. Advocate: The United States government recognizes 574 distinct
Native American tribes. These tribes face unique challenges
and situations. Nevertheless, Indigenous rights organizations
highlight some common obstacles to justice that Native
communities face today: epidemics of violence, environmental
degradation and unequal justice before the law. Learn about
the needs in your local community or investigate resources
for advocacy from organizations like the Indian Law Resource
Center (indianlaw.org).
By expressing solidarity with Indigenous communities in these
ways, I believe that white, American Catholics can help bring Fr.
Colin’s eschatological vision a little closer to reality within our own
context.
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