Indian Affairs Committee

The Indian Affairs Committee consists of approximately 12 members nominated by the Nominating Committee and appointed by the Yearly Meeting.

This Committee stimulates interest in and activity concerning American Indians. It cooperates with other Yearly Meetings and other Friends’ organizations in projects for the benefit of American Indians. It concerns itself with legislation on local, regional and national levels involving Native American issues.

The ongoing work of the Indian Affairs Committee is inspired by its history. In 1795 Quakers in the northern Shenandoah Valley, following the model established by William Penn in Pennsylvania, set up a fund under the care of Baltimore Yearly Meeting to pay American Indians for lands Quakers had settled. Unable to locate survivors of the natives, the Indian Affairs Committee distributes the interest income from this endowment to organizations which assist and advocate for American Indians.

This Committee recommends to the Nominating Committee each year one person for appointment by the Yearly Meeting to serve as the Yearly Meeting’s representative to the Associated Committee of Friends on Indian Affairs.

Are you seeking peace, justice, an earth restored?

The Baltimore Yearly Meeting Indian Committee, in partnership with Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Indian Committee, invites Friends to support THE LONGEST WALK 2.

What is The Longest Walk 2?

It is an extraordinary American Indian grassroots effort, open to all caring persons, to join in a witness to honor and heal Mother Earth. The walk is for the Seventh Generation, for youth, for peace, for justice, for healing the earth. The message of the walk is that

All Life is Sacred

This walk began on February 11, 2008 on Alcatraz Island and is proceeding across the United States on a five month journey of more than 4,500 miles, concluding in July 2008 in our nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C.

The Longest Walk 2 will sustain, enrich, and continue our historic Quaker journey with Native Peoples, witnessing for positive change in the world.

How can you help?

When the walk comes near your community join it, donate supplies for the walkers. make a financial contribution, start a clean-up campaign in your neighborhood. ...

For more information:

Celebrating Quaker/Native American Prison Ministries:
Baltimore Yearly Meeting Indian Affairs Committee
and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Indian Committee

April 14, 2007 was a beautiful spring day at Arch Street Meeting House in Philadelphia when Native and non-native Quakers from Baltimore and Philadelphia Yearly Meetings joined with other Native friends for an “Interfaith Dialog and Worship Sharing” with concern for Native spirituality for those imprisoned.

Utilizing sharing circle traditions all present introduced themselves and then began with story sharing by Native spiritual leader Maria Barrera, of "Within Without the Circle" prison ministries. Dialog and sharing regarding the prison ministry of Lenape Friend Brian Windwalker of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and Baltimore Friend William Miles illuminated the challenges of prison work on behalf of Native American Spiritual practitioners, whose rights to their spiritual practices are supposedly ‘assured’ in the federal American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 and yet are not adequately honored in many Federal and State prisons throughout the United States. (Religious ceremonies, including pipe ceremonies, smudging ceremonies, and sweat lodge ceremonies are broadly restricted for Native American religious devotees in American prisons. American Indians and Quakers have a long and continuing relationship on behalf of accessing these religious rights in American prisons.)

Following a simple lunch, all gathered on the Race Street space of the Meeting House here Maria Barrera and Brian Windwalker conducted a smudging ceremony, which included traditional drumming and was accompanied by the singing of Michelle Windwalker. Meeting for worship in the manner of Friends followed in the meeting room of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. Sharing of gifts and herbs concluded the day.

Eight Friends from Baltimore Yearly Meeting, joined 14 Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Friends and two Native/ non Quakers thus celebrating an event unique in the history of Arch Street Meeting House. It is impossible to minute the spiritual depth of the day’s gathering, yet Spirit moved deeply, leading to a commitment to continue to nourish such Quaker/Indian sharings and to work unceasingly for the spiritual rights of those who are imprisoned.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM)

Indian Affairs Committee (IAC)[1]

2007 Advance Report,

June, 2005

Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Indian Affairs Committee met in October 2006, and March 2007. The Committee will meet again on August 4, 2007 at BYM’s Yearly Meeting at Frostburg University, MD. Committee activities reflect the diverse interests and experience of Committee members and their commitment to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people.

The Indian Affairs Committee of BYM held its fall meeting on Oct. 21, 2006 at Homewood Monthly Meeting, Baltimore, MD. Elizabeth Koopman, Clerk Indian Affairs Committee, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting had gifted a ‘talking stick’ to the Committee. This talking stick was presented to the Committee at Yearly Meeting and another one was gifted to our guest speaker at Baltimore Yearly Meeting, Ada Deer (August 2006). This talking stick was used in our meeting to meet and greet people and provided to the speaker as a sign of respect.

Susan Lepper provided us with an update of activities at Torreon/Star Lake Chapter of the Navajo Nation. It has been difficult to keep the Torreon Store operating and it is now closed. The clerk had left and, before strategic plans were made about a replacement, there was a break-in (during the fall, this information was not available at Yearly Meeting). Add damage from a leaky roof, and the store had to be closed while the Chapter made repairs. In the meantime, a survey has been in progress in the community about the Store to find best hours of operations, types of purchased merchandise desired, etc. Another possibility to be explored for the Store is to combine with a new local post office for the Chapter; this apparently could be developed but would require some exceptions to existing Postal Service rules. While that is being worked out, the Store hopes to raise from contributions some extra operating capital which will permit it to hire a more qualified manager, at least part time, when the Store opens.

Dellie reported on activities from the Stony Run/Homewood Indian Affairs Committee that meets every 3^rd Tuesday for dinner. They are discussing a Minute on Leonard Peltier. Virginia asked Bill Miles to address Quarterly Meeting (to be held at Frederick Monthly Meeting) on his work and experiences with the Indian community. After this October meeting, Bill Miles graciously agreed to lead our Yearly Meeting workshop talking about Indians in prison and information about Leonard Peltier. Yearly Meeting week begins July31, 2007 at Frostburg University, MD. The theme this year is “Nourishing the Seeds of Hope”.

Bob Rugg reminded us that we can check on the activities of the Jamestown 2007 celebration by looking up the www.jamestown2007.org web site. The Rappahannock Tribe is still seeking federal recognition. Many activities are planned with Native American groups during the Jamestown celebration.

The next meeting of the Indian Affairs Committee was held on March 24, 2007 at Interim Meeting at Gunpowder Meeting. Donations for 2007 were quickly discussed; suggestions need to be made to Committee members by or before the next Interim Meeting, June 16, 2007. A quick discussion was held on the Committee’s action in regard to contributing to the Honor Wall at the Museum of the American Indian. There was no clearness or concensus from the Indian Affairs Committee or BYM participation in the Honor Wall.

Virginia Spencer stated that this year she would be stepping down as Clerk of the Indian Affairs Committee as she has served on the Committee for six years. Her last Meeting as Clerk will be held at Yearly Meeting, Sat., August 4, 2007 at Frostburg University in Maryland. Committee members were encouraged to select a new Clerk as quickly as possible so that we can notify BYM and continue IAC activities without interruption.

Pat Powers, the Legislative Secretary for FCNL’s Native American Advocacy Program, made a presentation to the IAC on legislative issues. Before discussing current bills on the Hill, Pat highlighted new legislative challenges that flow from ideological issues related to past conservative opposition to affirmative action and accusations of reverse discrimination. Native Hawaiians are included with FCNL’s Advocacy program.

The Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act would create federal recognition of this group of indigenous people. Such a move is important because courts have begun ruling against the right of Native Hawaiians to have their own programs and schools such as the famous Kamehameha School. The Akaka bill, named after its chief sponsor, nearly passed in the 108^th Congress. To counter that prospective legislation, ultra-conservatives began a campaign to say that Native Hawaiians were seeking privileges, that the legislation would create balkanization in the U.S., and that the law would be unconstitutional because they are a race group and not a group entitled to a unique political status under the constitution like Indian tribes. By now, nine hearings have been held. The bill, which had enjoyed bi-partisan support, was made controversial by alarmism. Many ultra-conservative columnists joined with the Heritage Foundation to vigorously oppose the bill (and to challenge sovereignty by the back door). Many Congressional Republicans have “jumped on the band wagon” to oppose the Akaka bill. However, their criticisms are more thoughtful.

Very conservative Republicans are opposing programs as different as Native Hawaiian housing and Indian urban health care with the argument that many indigenous people are actually racial groups using ancestry as a pretext and therefore it is illegal for them to receive special benefits. This is a strange argument since Congress has passed more than 100 bills that deal with such matters as Native Hawaiian language preservation bills and other aspects of maintaining and honoring a unique culture that predated formation of the State. So far, these hurdles have been overcome.

Thus, where gambling was used in the past to block everything from federal recognition of the Virginia tribes to trust responsibilities, a new critique has emerged. One theme is that there should be total unity (assimilation) and another theme is how unfair it is that indigenous people have distinct land rights. The desire to grab land belonging to indigenous people appears to be a motivation. As matters are evolving, it is possible that trust funds established over a century ago for Native Hawaiians and for American Indians will not be honored.

The public does not understand the distinction between race-based and government-to-government (“polity”-based) groups and views all such populations as minorities. Nor does the public understand that a group can be land rich and dirt poor in indigenous lands. Quakers can serve as educators and interpreters between the indigenous and non-indigenous cultures.

In her further update, Pat reported that the Native Languages Bill passed! However, support is needed: 1) the trust funds issue is ongoing with a history of mismanagement by the government: no records, land stolen, royalties unaccounted for; 2) the Indian Health Care Improvement Act needs reauthorization, H.R. 1328, health delivery systems need modernizing and updated, cosponsors are needed for this legislation, e.g., Senator Mikulski, also we need to contact Mariah Sixkiller from Steny Hoyer’s; 3) in the FY2008 budget , Indian education’s Johnson O’Malley (JOM) Act is proposed to be eliminated, these funds go to public schools and are critical to the continuation of the programs they support. Letters are needed now on all on these issues. For the latest information, please check the FCNL website www.fcnl.org or contact Pat at pat@fcnl.org or (202) 547-6000. Pat also provided us with an update on FCNL’s media symposium held last March in Washington, DC. She brought a copy of their new publication, and also photos to share. She also recommended that we see “In Light of Reverence” about sacred sites, now at the Museum of the American Indian.

The Committee thanks all who have contributed to this year’s Indian Affairs activities.

Sincerely,

Virginia E. Spencer, Clerk

[1] The ongoing work of the Indian Affairs Committee is inspired by its history. In 1795 Quakers in the northern Shenandoah Valley, following the model established by William Penn in Pennsylvania, set up a fund under the care of Baltimore Yearly Meeting to pay American Indians for lands Quakers had settled. Unable to locate survivors of the natives, [Friends] the Indian Affairs Committee has distributed the interest income from this endowment to organizations which assist and advocate for American Indians The ongoing work of the Indian Affairs Committee is inspired by its history. In 1795 Quakers in the northern Shenandoah Valley, following the model established by William Penn in Pennsylvania, set up a fund under the care of Baltimore Yearly Meeting to pay American Indians for lands Quakers had settled. Unable to locate survivors of the natives, [Friends] the Indian Affairs Committee has distributed the interest income from this endowment to organizations which assist and advocate for American Indians

In August, the Committee was honored to have Ada Deer, former Secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a guest speaker at Yearly Meeting. In addition, we had special guests join us from the Torreon/Star Lake Chapter of Navajo Nation: Joe Cayaditto, Chapter President, Evangeline (Evie) Tachine, Chapter Secretary/ Treasurer, and her sister, Miranda. At that time, the Committee recommended support for the Torreon Community Store, Inc., to assist the Store in providing longer and more convenient hours and for advertising. Subsequently, the Store was broken into and damaged, as well as suffering a serious leak in its old roof. This has meant closing the Store for renovation, largely funded by the Chapter. Our contribution and those of individual Friends and Meetings are going into a fund to provide money to hire a new Store manager.

The IA Committee also recommended that we support the efforts of the Rappahannock Tribe in Virginia in developing materials for the Jamestown 2007 program to include information on the Visitor’s Center, map and brochure. Recent publicity about the 400-year anniversary celebrations have yet to give much attention to the residents who were here before the British came, but growing focus on the celebration gives an opportunity for Rappahannock to gain some useful recognition.

We are looking forward to this year's BYM Program: Bill Miles will make a presentation entitled: The Man In the Iron Horse. Description of Workshop: "What is the condition of Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate #89637-132? Why do Amnesty International and two Baltimore Monthly Meetings consider him a “political prisoner” who should be immediately and unconditionally released? What happened at Wounded Knee, SD, in the 1890s and in the 1970s? What happened at the Jumping Bull Ranch on June 25, 1972? What was COINTELPRO? What has been the progress in investigation of seventy murders on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation thirty-five years ago? Why did I nominate a man convicted of the shooting deaths of two FBI agents for an Honorary Degree from Haverford College?"

The Committee also looks forward to another year of participation of up to four Torreon youngsters in a two-week session at BYM’s Camp Opequon. The Navajo campers’ chaperon for the last two years, Joline Cayaditto, was a great success in teaching crafts and will be returning again. The BYM/Torreon Work Group needs contributions for camp fees and travel expenses. Contributions to the BYM/Torreon Work Group Fund, labeled “for camping." Please get in touch with the IA Committee if you'd like to sponsor a presentation about Torreon and this program at your Meeting.

Submitted by Virginia Spencer, clerk
with assistance from Susan Lepper and Bill Miles.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting’s Indian Affairs Committee met in October 2005 and April, 2006. The Committee was unable to meet in January and June, 2006. The Committee will meet at Yearly Meeting on August 4, 2006. Committee activities reflect its unique purpose and the diverse interests and experience of Committee members. Others with a concern for Indian affairs have continued work on Indian issues, for example, Stony Run’s Indian Committee has been active in the areas of prison ministry and in contact with the Baltimore Indian Center. Also, the Torreon/Star Lake Working Group continues its activities in coordination with Youth Programs and Camping Committees.

In September, 2005, Nora Caplan, Alden Lancaster, Mary Mallett and Virginia Spencer had the pleasure of meeting and dining with May Lee, director of the F.A.C.E. Program and Continuing Education for the Ramah Navajo School Board, Ramah Chapter of the Navajo Nation. May has long been the Committee’s contact at Ramah Navajo. She has provided information on the needs, progress and activities at Ramah. She has also shared information on the weaver’s guild and rugs made at Ramah. In December, Nora was successful in raising funds to support the Ramah Navajo F.A.C.E. literacy program.

Susan Lepper has been very busy with her visits and activities to the Star Lake/Torreon Navajo Chapter. Susan reported on her trip to Torreon in September, to see Pat Kutzner's house and visit with our friends there. The Community Store was busily planning for the next Eastern Agency Arts and Crafts Festival. Susan also had spoken with the Chapter President, Joe Cayaditto, about the invitation from BYM to come to Annual Meeting in the summer of 2006. Joe indicated that he would like to come himself but there were a number of uncertainties about who would come with him. She discussed our program of bringing Torreon kids to Opequon with a couple of counselors at the K-8 school at the Chapter; the counselors welcomed the possibility of BYM volunteer help with summer tutoring and recreation programs assisting students there whose families may be uneasy about their youngsters traveling as far as the BYM camps. Finally she laid plans to return in November to help with some projects in the Chapter office. The Committee is looking forward to greeting Joe Cayaditto, Chapter President and other visitors from the Navajo Nation at this year’s BYM Yearly Meeting. A concern has been raised about the Torreon/Star Lake Working Group. The concern is that we not let this Working Committee drop now that we have it spread more broadly to other committees in Baltimore Yearly Meeting, not just the Indian Affairs Committee. The Working Group includes: Nancy Beiter, Anna Brown, Susan Lepper, Rich Liversedge, Katrina Mason, and Pete Schenck, Aleen Starkweather, Sharon Stout and Jane Stowe. The Working Group’s responsibilities include Youth Programs Committee, the Camping Committee and Indian Affairs Committee. Do we expand the Working Group and include it as a Yearly Meeting activity or lay it down.

Pat Kutzner, former Committee member and dear Friend, has continued her work in New Mexico assisting with projects at Torreon/Star Lake Chapter of the Navajo Tribe. She welcomes visitors and invites them to join her in volunteer activities such as tutoring and helping with the Community Store at Torreon. Fundraising is also very much needed and while she is getting some help, more assistance in this area would be very much appreciated. Pat can be reached at 32 Church Rd. (PO Box 1169), Cuba, NM 87013; phone/fax: 505 289-9105.

Dellie James has reported from Stony Run Meeting’s Indian Affairs Committee including support for the Baltimore Indian Center, Leonard Peltier who has been transferred to Allentown, PA, and the issue of prison reform in Maryland where, even though permitted by the Federal government, the building and use of sweat lodges is not allowed for incarcerated Indians. Bill Miles of the Stony Run Committee has been working with the Eagle Speak Society within the prison. Bill has kept us informed about prison reform issues and has offered his services to the Maryland Indian Affairs Commission. He has also been honored and presented a ‘fan’ by members of the Greenstick Hoop. The State does not want to meet and does not want to change its policies regarding the use of sweat lodges in state prisons. Contributions of books for prison inmates would be most welcome.

In March, 2006, Committee members participated and volunteered in FCNL’s educational ‘Media Symposium on Native Perspective’ held in Washington, DC. The goal of the conference was to engage writers, legislators, religious organizations and academics in being more active in bringing awareness of Indian issues to the public. This is the groundwork needed to develop a public relations task force on Indian issues. Many speakers and participants were leaders of national Native American organizations, media representatives, and tribal representatives. One of the speakers was Ada Deer, Director of American Indian Studies at the University of Wisconsin, former Chairwoman of the Native American Rights Fund, and the first woman Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Ada has been invited as our guest speaker at IAC’s Yearly Meeting workshop, “Native American Visions of Harmony: Yesterday and Today.” The workshop will be held on August 4, 2006.

The IAC continues to send emails of support Indian issues, including funding for the National American Indian Housing Council.

This year, Ed Nakawatase, National Representative for Native Affairs at AFSC retired. AFSC and Ed have played a leadership role in bringing Native and non-Native people together so that we can learn from each other and build upon each other’s strengths. We wish Ed much happiness in his future activities, and sincerely hope that AFSC will continue the important position of National Representative.

The Committee seeks to continue its efforts in support of Native American groups and advocates. Thanks to all who have participated, we look forward to working with all concerned with Native American issues.

The ongoing work of the Indian Affairs Committee is inspired by its history. In 1795 Quakers in the northern Shenandoah Valley, following the model established by William Penn in Pennsylvania, set up a fund under the care of Baltimore Yearly Meeting to pay American Indians for lands Quakers had settled. Unable to locate survivors of the natives, [Friends] the Indian Affairs Committee has distributed the interest income from this endowment to organizations which assist and advocate for American Indians.

BYM's Indian Affairs Committee members have enjoyed some special moments in the past few months. Susan Lepper made two visits to New Mexico to join friend Pat Kutzner who is now residing in Cuba, NM. Susan has been deeply involved for several years with children from the Star Lake/Torreon Chapter of the Navajo Nation who come to Baltimore Yearly Meeting's summer camps, and with visitors to BYM sessions. This year, we are looking forward to meeting Joe Cayaditto, Chapter President, and other visitors to BYM's Yearly Meeting in Harrisonburg, VA. In September, Nora Caplan, Alden Lancaster, Mary Mallett and Virginia Spencer had the pleasure of sharing dinner with May Lee, Director of the F.A.C.E. Program and Continuing Education for the Ramah Navajo School Board, Ramah Chapter of Navajo Nation, in Silver Spring, MD. May has long been our contact at Ramah Navajo and shared some beautiful rugs from the Ramah Weavers Association. In December, Sandy Spring Meeting held an alternative gift fair and Nora Caplan raised $290 for Ramah's F.A.C.E. Program!

Also, we have just learned of the retirement of Ed Nakawatase, National Representative for Native Affairs at AFSC. AFSC and Ed have played a leadership role in bringing Native and non-Native people together so that we can learn from each other and build upon each other's strengths. We wish Ed much happiness in his future activities, and sincerely hope that AFSC will continue the important position of National Representative.

Baltimore Yearly Meeting's Indian Affairs Committee (IAC) met in October 2004, and January and April of 2005. The Committee will also meet on June 18th in Richmond, Virginia at Summer Yearly Meeting. Committee activities reflect the diverse interests and experience of Committee members and their commitment to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. At the end of the 2004 Yearly Meeting Sessions, Committee leadership changed hands, and Flossie Fullerton, Clerk, stepped down having served the Committee for six years. Her active leadership is greatly appreciated and we warmly thank her for the time and dedication she devoted to the continuing success of the Committee. Virginia Spencer of the Frederick Monthly Meeting is the new IAC Clerk and is to serve through the 2007 Yearly Meeting Sessions. Virginia Spencer has been an actively involved member on the Committee since 2001, and has had a life long career in American Indian, Alaska Native and native Hawaiian housing, and most recently Indian education.

September 21, 2004 will stand out in our memories as we celebrated the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) on the Mall in Washington, DC. It was a great day, long needed and deserved, for Native American peoples and the Museum serves as a testament and monument to Native American endurance and their influence in the history and contributions made to the world. Many friends and IA Committee members have visited the Museum since its opening and have shared that rich experience with others.

Other activities have included discussions on strategies for fundraising that would support organizations that assist and advocate for American Indians. The 2004 and 2005 donations from interest income on the IA endowment include: the American Indian Society's Scholarship Program, the Ramah Navajo FACE Program to support their literacy program and the Torreon/Star Lake Chapter of the Navajo Nation to assist artists for their upcoming Arts and Crafts Fair. In addition, BYM made a generous donation to assist with travel costs for Navajo youth attending Camp Opequon this summer.

Former IAC member, William Miles continues his prison ministry re: accommodation of sweat lodge practice in Maryland; the IAC affirmed his work and supported a letter to all BYM Meetings requesting a meeting with the Governor to express concern that a public official would not meet with them on the issue.

Members of the Torreon/Star Lake Chapter visited Washington for the opening of the Museum, and we are looking forward to this summer's camping program with youth from the Chapter participating at Opequon Quaker Camp.

Patricia Powers, Legislative Secretary, Native American Affairs for FCNL, met with the Committee and shared information and several handouts on current Indian issues. IAC is cosponsoring our Yearly Meeting workshop with FCNL where Pat will make a presentation: "Being Merciful: Casinos, Courts, Congress."

Committee members are gathering information about the history of Quakers and their Meetings and subsequent relationships with American Indians, particularly in this area. While we have a few references thus far, we request that knowledgeable friends help us with the gathering of historical references.

IAC sent emails in support of the National American Indian Housing Council's position to the revisions to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).

The Committee seeks to continue its efforts in support of Native American groups and advocates. Thanks to all who have participated this year and we look forward to being more active in the coming year.

Note:

The ongoing work of the Indian Affairs Committee is inspired by its history. In 1795 Quakers in the northern Shenandoah Valley, following the model established by William Penn in Pennsylvania, set up a fund under the care of Baltimore Yearly Meeting to pay American Indians for lands Quakers had settled. Unable to locate survivors of the natives, [Friends] the Indian Affairs Committee has distributed the interest income from this endowment to organizations which assist and advocate for American Indians

Our friend, Pat Kutzner, a long-time member of Friends Meeting of Washington, continues her sojourn with the Torreon/Starlake chapter of Navajo. Pat has now moved into an old but renovated adobe home in Cuba, New Mexico. She teaches an adult education class to elders, some of whom never had the opportunity to attend school. She helps the board of the thrift store (with its new furniture annex) to make its financial plans.

Pat is now the “ad hoc coordinator” of the community’s Second Annual Eastern Navajo Arts and Crafts Festival, scheduled for June 10 and 11. And she awaits word on the half-dozen or so proposals she helped to write to fund various projects in Torreon. Though Pat’s “retirement” plans provide her basic support, several Friends continue to send small monthly gifts ($5 to $25) to provide funds for Pat’s projects and “extra” things. If you would like to join the Circle of Support, please contact Ruth Flower, 711 Ludlow Street, Takoma Park, MD 20912 or rlflower@mindspring.com

Annual Report 2004

The Indian Affairs Committee met in March, June, October and November of 2003, and February, March and June of 2004. Committee meetings reflect the wide and diverse experience of work by committee members with Native People. This includes a housing advocate with Native Americans.

The main item of business for the Indian Affairs Committee was the change in the relationship with the Navajos of the Torreon-Starlake Chapter of Navajo Nation. The continuing link between Baltimore Yearly Meeting and Torreon-Starlake is a “Working Group” under the care of the Indian Affairs Committee. At this time the Working Group is arranging the participation of Navajo in the BYM camping program. They are also arranging a workshop during BYM Annual Session. In many additional ways individual Committee members continue to support the needs of both the Torreon and Ramah Navajo Chapters. Although the interest income has been greatly reduced, the Indian Affairs Committee contributed $300 to the local American Indian Society’s College Scholarship fund. Individual Committee members helped Nora Caplan mail books she had collected for the Ramah Chapter. The Committee received appreciative thanks for these contributions.

Committee members Roger Wolcott and Susan Lepper attended the Gathering of Friends on Native American Concerns held in Boulder Colorado April 28 –May 2, 2004. This gathering organized by AFSC, FCNL, and ACFIA was a follow-up to gatherings in 1999 and 2000. BYM Indian Affairs Committee members also participated in those gatherings .

BYM/Torreon-Starlake Working Group Annual Report 2004

In the first year of Baltimore Yearly Meeting/Torreon-Starlake Working Group, under the care of the Indian Affairs Committee, we have proceeded slowly along several paths which seem worth pursuing further. We had one general meeting, in the fall of 2003, attended by Friends mostly from the broader metropolitan area of Washington. We designated Susan Lepper (Washington), a member of the Indian Affairs Committee, as liaison between the Indian Affairs Committee and the Working Group. We did not succeed in choosing a Clerk, instead accepting the offer of several Friends to perform parts of this function. We will be seeking a Clerk over coming months. We are also still developing a comprehensive contact list that can be used more actively to draw Friends from a broader area within BYM.

Inter-visitation and personal contacts remain a keystone to this relationship. The Working Group is happy to advertise moderate cost and very comfortable accommodations now available, through Pat Kutzner, in the former parish house of the Cuba Presbyterian Church. (Cuba is the closest town, 26 miles from Torreon; it is where Pat Kutzner has lived since she went to New Mexico and continues to live and work with the Chapter). A major objective of the Working Group is to provide orientation in advance for Friends interested in visiting this part of the world and to arrange for sharing of these experiences afterwards. Help could be provided in arranging with the Chapter for mutually convenient times to meet chapter members and possibly to provide volunteer assistance with some Chapter project. Arrangements might also be made for a Chapter guide to Navajo culture and special sights. We would welcome the opportunity to hear the ideas of others for inter-visitation - such as Quaker School intersession trips — that we could help to explore with our friends/hosts in Torreon.

We planned an information sheet about some winter events, such as the Navajo Weaving exhibit at the Textile Museum in Washington, how to send contributions to the Torreon Community Store (thrift store), and some useful readings; this sheet was distributed at the fall Interim Meeting and a few other places. To our knowledge, three Friends-Ruth Flower (Takoma Park), Claire Morisset (Washington) and Susan Lepper (Washington) have visited Torreon since last Yearly Meeting Session.

We are delighted by the appointment of a full time Native American issues staff person—Pat Powers (Sandy Spring)—at FCNL and hope to facilitate an introduction between FCNL and the Navajo Nation Office soon.

Pat has told us that our assistance with arrangements for congressional visits would be appreciated.

We hope to explore further the topic of shared values between Quakers and Navajo - a topic opened at the workshop at last summer’s BYM Session, where we explored such themes as care for family and the environment and nurturing our spiritual values in the midst of a homogenizing culture. We will explore related topics further at this summer’s workshop. We feel an urgent need to pursue this further, in part in order to understand how we may be most useful to, and learn most from, each other in regard to visiting Torreon.

Youth activities have remained a key part of this relationship. We have reviewed guidelines for youngsters to come from Torreon to BYM camps. We are very grateful to the Camping Program Committee for a productive interaction and have benefited from good meetings and communication with Torreon Chapter officials. The summer of 2003 had been marked by an unsustainably large number of youngsters from Torreon-Starlake coming to BYM camps. For the future, it has been agreed for youngsters to come only to Camp Opequon, and to avoid introducing youngsters to BYM camps at an age when many of their peers would already have been there for a number of summers. The Camping Program Committee was understanding of the wish by a number of Chapter officials to broaden the number of TSL youngsters who can have this experience, by limiting the number of summers that any one child may return (this is a exception to usual camp policy of encouraging returns). It has been agreed that a maximum of four campers a year will be chosen by the Chapter with a view to their leadership potential and that, if the first year of experience goes well, a youngster would be eligible for one - but only one — further year. As a result of this “two-year” rule, we will greatly miss some friends from previous years, but we look forward to one returning child and three new campers this summer. A chaperon has been chosen, and planning is proceeding apace.

Also in connection with youth, we will continue to explore the possibility of a Torreon college student being interested in employment at Opequon. This could provide a more immediate and direct way for BYM’s approach to youth development through camping to be shared with Torreon. We will explore with this summer’s chaperon, a mother who is connected with the K-8 school on the Chapter grounds, other possibilities for interaction of youngsters from BYM and Torreon. Finally, a small incentive grant will be offered to enrich summer activities in Torreon, with encouragement that those activities involve the youngsters who have been campers at Opequon in the past few years, as well as explicitly involving focus on Navajo culture.

Friends look forward to the visit to Washington of a Torreon delegation to the opening of the Museum of the American Indian in September. This will be an important opportunity to welcome old friends from Torreon and to introduce them to others from BYM.

The Longest Walk 2