Reading the Bible on Turtle Island INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHORS
RACHEL HASTINGS IVP assistant academic editorial director
Rachel Hastings: Why did the two of you decide to pursue this project? Zacharias & Hoklotubbe: We wanted to write a book we wish we had as young, Indigenous graduate students in biblical studies. We spent many years marinating in the stories, wisdom, and relationships with Indigenous ministers, leaders, and practitioners across the U.S. and Canada. We knew to do this project justice we would need to participate in worshiping communities, listen to online sermons, sit in coffee shops, set up tipis, smudge, perspire in sweat lodges, and laugh with Indigenous people across Turtle Island. RH: What is the significance of calling North America “Turtle Island”? Z & H: The Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Wabanaki/ Abenaki peoples, among other North American Indigenous peoples, have creation stories that describe the present- day United States, Canada, and Mexico as residing on the back of a turtle. We call these lands “Turtle Island” as one among many Indigenous names for this land in contrast to a colonized, Euroamerican name. Using “Turtle Island” in the title underlines the importance of land for Indigenous identity, as well as the storied history of these lands prior to colonization. RH: What are ways that Turtle Island hermeneutics illuminate how we can read Scripture better? Z & H: For one, Turtle Island hermeneutics recognizes that humans share an interdependent kinship with places, spaces, and stories and the land that has formed them. This recognition can help readers identify how the values of kinship among “all our relations” are grounded in the Genesis creation story and played out in the stories of Jesus’ life and teachings. A second example is attuning to stories of how Creator has communicated to our own ancestors and healers through dreams and visions. This can help us reframe how we interpret Paul of Tarsus receiving and developing his gospel. It turns out Paul, in certain respects, may have more in common with Native American medicine men than scholastic Reformers like Martin Luther.
RH: I’d love to hear about the NAIITS community and how that shaped and supported the writing process for you? Z & H: NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community is proud to be the first Indigenous designed, developed, delivered, and governed theological institute to be accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. The leaders of NAIITS and its wider community were foundational for both our journeys toward revitalizing our connection to our Indigenous cultures as mixed Cree-Anishinaabe/Métis (Danny) and Choctaw (Chris) men. This book celebrates this vibrant learning community and we hope to entice audiences to learn more about NAIITS’ work. RH: One thing that surprised me in my reading was how North American Indigenous history interacts with biblical interpretation. How does understanding history help us better understand how biblical interpretation is informed by our social location? Z & H: Everyone’s social location is informed by their communities’ shared histories. Most Western Christians are deeply unfamiliar, or entirely ignorant, of the histories that haunt the social locations of Indigenous peoples. This includes family stories of being displaced from their ancestral lands, being “scooped” from their families, and navigating forced residential schools. Scriptural stories of displacement/ exile, honoring/breaking treaties, and surviving religious persecution resonate in distinct ways with Indigenous peoples. RH: What do you hope readers will get from reading this book? Z & H: Our hope for this book is that it would encourage and empower Indigenous followers of Christ to recognize and creatively apply the assets of their Indigenous heritages and histories in interpreting Scripture and following Jesus the way God made them. Along the Bright Path through the Bible, illuminated by our ancestral stories, is an invitation for the whole church to be blessed, challenged, and renewed. ■
ORDER IVP ACADEMIC TITLES AT IVPACADEMIC.COM
15
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease