Our Native American Heritage and the Significance of a Name

Crazy Horse, Squanto, Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Chief Sequoyah, Chief Joseph, Red Cloud and other Native Americans received a pretty raw deal back in the day. Well, with the exception of Sacagawea, Pocahontas, the “Indians” in Massachusetts and Sequoia most were perceived as pretty unreasonable savages. If you were “American,” you were taught manifest destiny and the massacre of Custer’s Battalion, part the US 7^th Cavalry at Little Big Horn. That was in the early fifties. I was a little kid then and Gabby Hayes was circling the wagons. Then came Fort Apache sets, cattle drives and the stories of Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody and Gunsmoke. In those days you had to love TV westerns and the life of the cowboy.

American History in the early sixties helped to refine my understanding of the plight of the American Indian with the Trail of Tears, my belief in the American way and fairness, but it was when my son was in high school in the eighties that my understanding of how my government treated Native Americans that many of my beliefs and understandings were fundamentally reshaped. What happened at Wounded Knee and to the plains Indians, and Native Americans like Crazy Horse was simply not right. Even now, the plight of Native Americans is not right. Removal from the places they historically occupied and then all the broken treaties we made with them. They deserved better. I think we could say, they are really “first order Americans.” We have been so culturally insensitive. The American Indian simply could not understand the European concept of “private land ownership.”

My wife and I took our two granddaughters to South Dakota recently. We not only wanted them to share time with one another but also to expose and stretch them in their understanding of American history, its people, culture and landscape. We took them to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Deadwood, the Badlands, Spearfish Canyon and Devils Tower. There were other things we wanted to see, but our time disappeared, like smoke before our eyes and did not see everything that deserved our attention.

We adopted fictitious Native American names. My wife renamed each us. I was no longer Lee but “Giant Tree” and our granddaughters become “Dancing Girl” and “Sunflower Maiden.” My wife became “Morning dew.” You can imagine why someone might be renamed “dancing girl” and you would be on course. I’ve included a photograph that will help you visualize what was going on. I guess you could say some of us used our imaginations.

We examined the memorial museums, not only of the Presidents but Indian peoples. Because I grew up the first 12 years of my life in southeast Michigan, I told my granddaughters about going to Custer Elementary School and the little museum that existed for him in his adopted home Town (Monroe, Michigan). I told them about going to West Point Military Academy, his service in the Union Army during the Civil War, fighting at Gettysburg and that he was at Appomattox with Generals Grant and Lee. I also told them about the controversy of the paintings of the generals in McLean House room at Appomattox. Yes, there are several paintings. Check out the ones by Tom Lovell (Surrender at Appomattox), Alfred R. Waud (Surrender of General Lee) and Ken Welsh ((The Surrender of General Lee to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse). (Stop and seriously compare who is pictured in these images.) And then I told them that he continued serve the country in the American Indian Wars. These are just a few.

There is even a large statue of General George Armstrong Custer on a horse in Monroe. Because of his notoriety, it’s odd today for me to speak of Custer, knowing what happened at Little Big Horn (as known as Custer’s Last Stand) and his role in this page of history. When I hear his name every single thought I have of him jumps out of the pages of history. Bold and confident or recklessly incompetent? His name paints an enigmatic image of a backdrop of Indian removals and broken treaties, flawed US policy over many, many years against Native Americans.

Crazy Horse on the other hand, wasn’t called “Crazy Horse” when he was a little boy. He was called ”In the Wilderness” or “Among the Trees.” It wasn’t until he was a young adult when he went off as a young brave, had a formative vision and returned to his camp and given the name of Crazy Horse. It was the name of his father. His father then took another names. His vision and determination not to allow others to determine the fate of his people set him apart from his first name. He is remembered as “Crazy Horse.” He too was at Little Big Horn, leading a band of Lakota Sioux.

Look at the carving of Crazy Horse in the rock at the memorial. I must tell you this carving is huge! It is much bigger than the carving of the heads of the four presidents at Rushmore (Washington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt and Lincoln). Yes, the memorial of Crazy Horse is not yet finished. They are still working on it without United States funding. And if you want to contribute toward its construction, go see it when you visit Mount Rushmore. It is only 12 miles away from the four presidents. You might say, “They are making a statement.”

 

The stage was then set for “Wild Bill” Hickok, “Calamity Jane” and the transformation of Deadwood when Custer announced the discovery of gold there. The story of the naming of Devils Tower also fell into place. Maybe there’s good reason the name for Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota didn’t become Wal-Mart.

 

So, what’s in a name? Often times a powerful story! Your family may even have members who have been given nick names that have stuck. I know teachers who would never give one of their children a certain name. Names evoke many emotions and images.

Now, consider Scripture. What new names were given to Abram, Jacob, Saul, and Peter? There are wonderful stories of faith that hold significant meanings. We need to learn about the meanings they hold.

On this trip, my granddaughters only encountered glimpses of the American picture. We could only expose them to so much. Hopefully, middle school and high school will help them to connect the dots.

Scripture:

Genesis 17.4-5 – God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and tells him he will become the father of many nations.

Genesis 32.28 – God changes Jacob’s name to Israel after struggling with him during the night at Jabbok’s Ford.

Matthew 16.18 – Jesus changes Simon’s name to Peter, which means the “Rock.” Jesus in this passage refers to Peter’s faith as “The Rock” on which the church will be built.

Acts 13.9 – Saul, who in Acts 9.18 became a follower of Christ, became known as “Paul.”

Rowdy Encounters Noah’s Ark

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took, as part of our Kamp Keck activities, three of our grandchildren, Rowdy, Calvin and Hadley to The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, Kentucky. The Ark Encounter features a replica of Noah’s Ark based on the description of the ark Noah was to build in Genesis 6.14-16. In addition to the full-scale Ark, the park includes Ararat Ridge Zoo, Zip Lines, Gift Shop, Market and Restaurant. Ark Encounter is 45 minutes from Cincinnati, 95 minutes from Louisville and 50 minutes from Lexington, Kentucky.

 There are many “Ark Want-to-Bees,” but this is the real deal, which exists along with two other full-scale arks in the world that I know about. One is in water and has sailed several rivers, and is currently moored near Dordrecht, Netherlands. It is referred to a Johan’s Ark and like the Ark Encounter, it is an interactive and educational museum. The second is in Hong Kong and includes hotel rooms, along with its museum. 

A few reduced scale replicas exist, but the one I find most interesting was built by Greenpeace to warn us about the “impending climate disaster.” It is located in Igdir, eastern Turkey, not far from Mount Ararat.

 So, in a sense, the “deluge” or catastrophic flood of the Bible is larger than faith. Yet, many doubt. On the other hand, the Bible and many other sources say it did. Accounts have been told and recorded from many cultures and from around the world. There are African, Asian, South American, European as well as from the Middle East. Most pre-date the Biblical story and faith of Abraham. Most place the event the earliest of early events in the world. So this is the context. We don’t know a great deal about the people and culture of the time, except that the Bible as well as some of the myths dealing with the flood say the people on earth were evil (Genesis 6.1-7).

 Back to the “real deal.” I write this because the size and investment in these 3 structures is no small feat and the interactive materials provided are extensive. You may want to re-read Genesis 6-8 to understand the context behind the ark. Scripture says:

·         The ark is to be 450 feet long (300 cubits) and 75 feet wide (50 cubits) and 45 feet high (30 cubits).

·         It is to have 3 decks and a door in the side. It is to have a roof. It is to have rooms.

·         The ark is to be made of gopher wood covered inside and out with pitch.

·         Noah was instructed to bring 2 of every living sort, male and female onboard.

·         Only 8 people were allowed to go-onboard: Noah and his wife and his 3 sons and their wives.

·         God warned them that the earth was being judged and would be destroyed.

In other words, these three arks are huge. So, when we entered the Ark in Kentucky, Rowdy, who is only 7 years old went straight to the theological questions. Why did Noah need this boat? Is this Noah’s boat? Why did God want to send a flood? The kid is serious minded! But, he has always been that way.

On deck one there were a variety of cage types, pots and animal exhibits. Rowdy and Calvin loved the dinosaur-like creatures. The exhibits were thought-provoking. The creatures on display were familiar, yet not so-familiar. Deck one contained worms, reptiles, amphibians and flying creatures, along with water storage vessels. Of course, Rowdy wanted to know about each and every animal. At the Ark Encounter, animals were set apart by “kind.” Depending on your translation, “sort” is also used (Genesis 6.19-20). The analytical exercises these folks went through reminded me of the classification of animals in biology. The experts behind Ark Encounter came up with nearly 1400 different “kinds.” Rowy didn’t ask about this and I was glad.

Deck two held more reptiles, clean and unclean animals (Genesis 7.8-1 and Leviticus 11) along with food storage and living quarters, but the major focus was on the “Pre-Flood World.” Mid-deck there is a theater that loops an “Interview with Noah.” Deck 2 also has dioramas showing the “Working Quarters” of Noah’s family.

 

 On this deck Rowdy asked, “What are they doing? Did God Make Satan? Why is Satan evil? Does Satan look like a snake? Why is the snake on that seat? Why are they being so mean to him?” I should pause here to explain that Rowdy, living the first 5 years of his life in China, had been exposed to snakes, either physically in his environment or as a threaten menace. We don’t know which, but he is extremely fearful of snakes. When we are at a zoo he will not go near a herpetology house. So the Biblical concept of Satan as a serpent was resonating with him. Be advised, if you have a child with you, prepare to answer a lot of questions.

 Like Rowdy, I had my own questions. How could Noah have done this? What were his resources and timeframe to build it? Was it possible to build a viable, seaworthy structure of that size in antiquity? Was there space enough for all the species of animals that lived? How did he provide for them while it rained and while they waited over a year to leave the ark? 

 This deck also provided great illustrations alongside dioramas. The most thought provoking dioramas were a library, carpenter and blacksmith shops. Now imagine that Noah worked through systems dealing with ark air ventilation, water and solid waste management.

 These stimulating questions are the foundation to the Ark Encounter. Answers provided will stretch your mind and faith. Did Noah and his family have that kind of technology? What did people before the flood know? Did they read and write? If the Tower of Babel came generations after Noah and his sons, is that evidence that people were more advanced than we might think? Maybe we moderns need to think more “outside the box.” How did the Egyptians build the pyramids? How did Gobekli Tepe come about? What about the ruins at Macho Picchu and Sacsayhuaman? How was Stonehenge constructed? We don’t know what technologies these ancient civilizations may have had.

  Deck three imagines the “Living Quarters” of Noah’s family (Shem, Ham, Japheth and their wives). There were looms for weaving cloth and areas for growing vegetables. There is another theater, this one showing “As in The Days of Noah.” The second half of deck three is more apologist than the earlier decks presenting an argument for “Why the Bible is True.”

Midway through this deck, Hadley, Rowdy and Calvin had pretty much run out of steam. Rowdy’s stream of questions wasn’t what it was. They were ready for the gift shop and an icy drink and something to eat. My granddaughter, Hadley and our junior counselor, has never seen a gift shop she didn’t like. So, deck 3 was pretty much a quick walk through. What we missed were exhibits pertaining to the concepts of general geology, the Tower of Babel, and the Ice Age.

 

  I think we will return some day, maybe without grandchildren, but primed with what we have encountered to finish the Ark Encounter. It will take our own day to completely digest this experience.

Scripture:

Genesis 6.14-16 – The Story of Noah, His wife and three sons and their wives

Ezekiel 14.12 – The righteousness of Noah, Daniel and Job saved their lives.

Matthew 24.36-42 – As with Noah, things change. God’s promises (His Son’s return) are true.

Hebrews 11.7-8 – Noah by faith constructed an ark for the saving of his household.

The Prodigal Son Can Be Found On the Ben Long Fresco Trail

Recently, while in Western North Carolina, Saundria and I took the opportunity to drive the “Fresco Trail,” or at least a portion of it. The fresco trail follows the work of artist, Benjamin F. Long IV, a native of North Carolina who, after training in the arts at the University of North Carolina and New York, joined the Marine Corps and served two tours in Vietnam. After Vietnam, Long went to Italy to learn the art of making frescoes. He spent over 8 years in Florence under Pietro Annigoni. He then spent 14 years in France, undertaking many notable projects. He now divides his time between Europe and the United States and has painted many wonderful frescos in western North Carolina. We plotted our course to view seven of his religious frescoes. The map shown here shows the location of the seven frescoes and the “trail” we followed. It makes a nice day-trip.

Our Route

A fresco is a mural painting on a wall. They are special because the paint is embedded in the wall itself and the colors are very enduring. Frescoes involve plastering and painting while the lime-plaster is still wet. But before any paint is placed on the wall, a scratch coat of lime and sand is applied to the wall. After drying, another coat or two are typically needed, before the artist makes a drawing, resulting in a “cartoon”. The cartoon is a full scale version of what the finished fresco will look like. The artist transfers the design to the wall by making a grid where the image is traced on the wall. The process is referred to as “pouncing.” A large needle is used to punch or trace the outline on the wall. A dotted outline is created on the scratch coat. In the final coat of plaster (lime and sand) the surface cannot be too wet or too dry. The artist applies paint directly on the wet plaster in a technique used over a thousand years. This is where the word ‘fresco” comes from. It is from the Italian “affresco,” meaning fresh. The fresco is painted in small portions, before the plaster dries. As the plaster dries, it produces a chemical reaction that binds the paint to the surface and seemingly glows from deep within it.

Between 1974 and 2006, Ben Long painted frescoes that are scattered all around Western North Carolina. You will not find them in a single location. They are in Montreat, Wilkesboro, Glendale Springs, West Jefferson, Crossnor, Morganton, Statesville and Charlotte. These frescoes were on the “trail” I will layout. This trail consists of 7 religious frescoes in a loop that includes 3 churches, one religious college and a religious school orphanage that can be driven in one day (if the day goes well for you). The seven religious frescoes include: ‘Mary Great with Child’ (1974), ‘John the Baptist’ (1976), ‘The Mystery of Faith’ (1977), ‘The Last Supper’ (1980), ‘The Return of the Prodigal’ (1998), ‘St. Paul’s Conversion’ (2002) and ‘St. Paul’s Writing His Epistles.’

Other Ben Long frescoes, not on the loop (see map) we took are located in Morgantown, Statesville and Charlotte. With the exception of the one in Charlotte, these frescoes are secular. The fresco of ‘The Good Samaritan’ in Charlotte is located at the First Presbyterian Church.

    The Prodigal

Because the fresco, “The Prodigal Son” is one of my favorites, I am going to elaborate on it and how each of the frescoes can speak into one’s heart. First, what do you see in the fresco? Jot down a few of the details. Now read Luke 15.11-32, taking some notes on what scripture (in this case Jesus) says happened.

Here is what I saw in the fresco:

·         The depleted, unworthy brother who had neither sandals nor robe

·         The older, incensed brother standing away from the reunion

·         The compassionate, loving father embracing his younger son

·         A robe being brought to the son

·         A slaughtered, fatted calf for the impending banquet

·         A celebrating servant

Here is what I found in scripture:

·         The returning son with a plan to make amends, living as a “hired man” with his father

·         In the parable, scripture never says, the younger sin “repented”

·         A brother who had been considered “dead” (as if “You’re dead to me”)

·         A picture of sin, the younger brother, possibly living in the Decapolis and an older brother who appeared to be obedient, but whose heart was really like his younger brother

·         A father running (or sprinting) to his son, even before his son could offer his plan

·         A father giving his son a choice robe, sandals and signet ring

·         An ungrateful, older brother who had been obedient, living with his father

·         An older brother resentful of his wasteful, younger brother refused to attend the banquet

Did you know the Prodigal of the Lost Son is known as the “Running Father” among middle-eastern Christians? And why do you suppose this parable follows two similar parables, The Parable of the Lost Sheep and The Parable of the Lost Coin? What is scripture telling us?

How were fathers viewed in the Jewish culture of the time? What hints does scripture (Exodus) provide? Were they not to be honored and respected? Even in America in the 1700-1800’s, how did gentlemen respond to embarrassment and disrespect? Andrew Jackson fought in many duels in addition to the one he had with Dickerson. Duels were quite common: Burr and Hamilton, Stephen Decatur and James Barron, William Glassell and Robert Ritchie, William Thornton and Francis Conway. Even among gangs today, it is important “not to be disrespected.” It has always been important to some extent not to reflect badly on one’s family (group, community or nation). In Jewish culture it was extremely important.

In many middle-eastern families today, aren’t children considered “dead to a family” if they “shame” their family? The practice is found in “Fiddler on the Roof.” A related term used in historical Israel was “Kezazah.”

Do you see that both sons were lost? One was spiritually “lost” and was going home to his father’s house because it was better there, even if you were just a servant, than it was in some foreign county (suggesting the non-Jewish area known as the Decapolis just east of the Sea of Galilee). The other son was also “lost,” only he had remained home with his father.

Do you find any similarities of this parable with the story of Jacob and Esau? In returning home, was Jacob not afraid of what his brother would do to him and his family? Is the parable based on Jacob?

And yet, what did the father do? He ran to his son and immediately embraced him. He didn’t ask him what his plans were. He didn’t set him down and give him a lecture. His kissed him and asked his servants to prepare a feast.

What was the brother’s reaction to the son who had gone off (possibly to the Decapolis region)? He was upset! His brother had just wasted away his portion of the inheritance. He had embarrassed the family. He should have been “written off” according to Jewish tradition. He had dishonored the entire family, but now he was back and the father is throwing a feast and giving him his ring.

Allow the scripture to speak to you. Carefully read it, considering what the gospel writer is including and not including. Yes, God loves us and at the same time don’t you think He might have been angry and disappointed in us, His creation. If you were a “just” being, wouldn’t you love all your children, not just one? How do you deal with disobedience and rebellion in the family?

Here are a few of the frescos we found on the Ben Long Fresco trail. Read the associated scripture (cited below) and ask yourself what is really going on. What is the point of this story? What does it tell me about God and his character? How is God being honored in this passage?

Suffer the Little Children

 St. Paul's Conversion

The Last Supper

 Paul Writing His Epistles

John the Baptist Mary, Great with Child

The Mystery of Faith

Additional resources:

·         The Cross and the Prodigal by Kenneth Bailey

·         Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey

·         Jacob and the Prodigal by Kenneth E. Bailey

·         The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri J. M. Nouwen with painting by Rembrandt (1662), ‘Return of the prodigal Son’

·         New Lens Biblical Studies (based in Franklin, TN)

·         Many resources exist on the internet pertaining to Honor and Shame and The Cutting Off (of Family). Explore this resource.

Scripture:

Exodus 20.12 – Honor (help, dignify, give respect) your father and your mother.

Leviticus 19.3 – You shall fear (not contradict) your mother and your father.

Deuteronomy 21.18-21 – A rebellious son shall be punished by the community.

Matthew 1.19 – Joseph did not want to expose her to public disgrace.

John 4.6-7 – The Samaritan woman came to Jacob’s well at the 6^th hour alone.

Ephesians 6.1-4 – Honor your father and mother.

Fresco related Scripture:

Luke 15.1-32 – Parables of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin & Prodigal Son

Luke 18.15 - Suffer the little children

Matthew 3.1-17 - John the Baptist

Luke 1.34-56 - Mary Great with child

Acts 9.1-17 - Paul’s Conversion

Acts 28.30-31; Romans 16.7; Colossians 4.10 - Paul in prison writing letters

John 19.16-30 - Christ on the cross

John 13.1-14.31 - Last Supper