Native and Indigenous Rights Fellow 2023-24

FULL TRANSCRIPT

CYNTHIA WILSON: My name is Cynthia Wilson. I'm an RPL fellow, as a Native and Indigenous rights fellow. I'm a tribal member of the Navajo Nation. And I come from Monument Valley, Utah. So my burning question is around the concept of the English language as it relates to religion. I think about the word religion, and it makes me think about the definition of power and human activity.  

Whereas, when we're talking about and thinking about Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and existing, it's more than power and human activity. It's more of our connection to our non-human relatives. And when we think about the concept of religion, when we think about the concept of power in general, it's about the patriarchy structure on greed, ownership, and property rights. Whereas, in my personal teaching, in ways of knowing and being, power comes from the natural order of life, comes from the actions of human. And how they contribute to their existence within this space, within this place.  

So for me, a religious piece is being in tune with the natural order of life, being in tune with Mother Earth, father universe, and the water people, mountain people. All that make up who we are as humans. So that's what I think about when it comes to religion. And even the terms of sacred and how sacred comes from the word sacrament. When you're thinking about sacred objects in the Indigenous ways of knowing is, does it fully translate to what we are trying to interpret, even when we're talking about the Holy beings or deities that comes and often referenced by the Holy Bible?  

So there's that disconnect in language. And I think the English language is a barrier to fully interpreting Indigenous ways of knowing and being. So that's something that I'm constantly thinking about. And what are better words to use when you're talking about religious literacy?