| Alcwtg the Robeson Traif
, by Dr. Stanley Knick
R Director, US'CP Sative American Resource Center
In the last segment, we continued
the search for a broad context for the
Lumbee. We observed that the
writings of Thomas Harriot in the
1580s (among Carolina's Coastal
Algonkians) give us a glimpse of the
spiritual and ceremonial lives of some
of the Woodland ancestors of the
L urn bee. This week we continue that
search by looking for references to
the Iroquoian and Eastern Siouan
ancestors.
The writings of John Lawson also
furnish a view of the spiritual and
ceremonial aspects of Woodland
culture. Lawson traveled among the
Indians of the eastern Carolinas
during the period 1700 to 1711, at a
time when varying degrees of change
(due to European contact, diseases and
trade) had already occurred among
these Woodland societies. However,
his observations are in general early
enough that most Native people in this
region had not yet been subjected to
sustained acculturation to European
ways.
Lawson recorded that the Native
Americans of this region "carefully
preserve the Bones of the Flesh they
eat, and bum them, as being of
Opinion, that if they omitted such
Custom, the Game would leave
their Country, and they should not
be able to maintain themselves by
their hunting (1967:58)." This
reference shows us that part of the
belief system of these Woodland
Indian ancestors focused on the
spiritual relationship between the
human beings and the animals. Lest
they might offend the spirit of the
animals (and thus be unable to
survive), Native people treated the
bones of the animals with special care
and respect in order to maintain good
spiritual relations between humans
and animals. This kind of animistic
belief system was a broader spiritual
context than is common in modern
mainstream America. It embraced
Man's spiritual connectedness not
only to the Creator but also to all of
Creation.
Lawson's writings also re veal that
there was some flexibility in
ceremonial matters. Although he
consistently wrote that Carolina's
Woodland Indian people always had
a certain way of doing ceremonial
things ? an order of events, a way of
speaking, a respect for elders ?: the
ceremonies seem to have been
adjustable to various occasions:
"Their Dances are of different
Natures, and for every sort of Dance,
they have a Tune.... All these Songs
are made new for every Feast." In the
next passage, Lawson describes
ceremonies held in the fall and spring
of the year (probably about the time
of the autumnal and vernal
equinoxes): "The one, to return Thanks
to the Good Spirit, for the fruits of the
Earth; the other, to beg the same
Blessings for the succeeding Year
(1967:177)."
Lawson's travels took him mainly
among Eastern Siouan and Iroquoian
people in the Carolinas. Thus his
reports complement those of Harriot
(among Carolina's Algonkians) in
helping us to gain perspective on the
spiritual and ceremonial lives of the
ancestors of the Lumbee.
In the next segment we will
continue to look at the prehistoric
context of the Lumbee. For more
information, visit the Native
American Resource Center in
historic Old Main Building, on the
campus of The University of North
Carolina at Pembroke.
NEWS rai VETERANS
VFW Sets Up Hotline To Monitor VA Care
(NAPSJ?John Moon, the newly
elected Commander in Chief of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, called
the maintenance of the Department
of Veterans Affairs' health
care system "the biggest challenge"
facing the organization.
Moon, of VFW Post 2873 in
Grcver Hill, Ohio, also announced
that the VFWs Washington office
is opening a toll-free hotline for
veterans to tell them about the
quality of medical care at their
VA facility.
Speaking at the VFW national
convention in Salt Lake City,
Moon said he wanted to ensure
that the VA system will not only
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of health.' care t!o you, the.
yqt^tans of America/-and-formerjlfcfenders
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He told members the VFW will
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service networks?a change due
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unequally spread throughout
" '" thft nation.
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Moon said. "As the VA
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for the 21st century, we must
have the courage to face those who
would thwart this needed change "
Ill
. I I John M009
VFW Commander In Chief
Moon said the VFW will distribute
posters advertising the hotline
to its departments and VA
medical facilities. .Information
gathered from the hotline will be
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"Rest assured that we will
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The new commander noted
important decisions on veterans'
~n
issues are being made daily. "It is
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Moon said the challenge
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The VFW was formed 98 years
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of veterans who haiye .
honorably served their country? It
supports those serving in the military
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as Operation Uplink, a telephone
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Medical Hotline
The VFWiVrtedtcal care hotline,
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I
J]uis_Saith God
by Rev. Ted Brooks
Sex, Morality and the Protestant Minister. What
Sexual Standard should the preacher obey?
Dear Reader.
Once again I find it very needful to
write letters to you to warn vou and
myself as week that today's churches
are facing a double threat involving
Purity of Doctrine and Purity of
Conduct.
Paul, in his writing to the Galatians
in Asia M inor, sent a letter to instruct
the many Jews who lived in these
cities. The Galatians were noted for
their impetuosity, fickleness and love
for new and curious things.
The new things among us today
seems to be "everybody is doing it."
In the next few weeks, if God should
allow, I want to speak to you on the
subject: What Sexual Standard
Should the Preacher Obey? Some
months ago Christopher Darden
summed up his disillusionment with
theO.J.. Simpson trial saying, "I never
got a change to cross examine
Simpson and I didn't want to anymore.
I just wanted to talk to him and
to make sure he knew that he hadn't
fooled all of us and that his dream
team hadn't fooled all the American
people.
"I wanted to tell him that there was
another court that would hear his care
one day, with a Judge who could
separate racist policemen and murder.
A Court where the only witness
will be the eye witnesses Ronald
Goldman and Nicole Brown."
Dear reader, there is an undercurrent
in our church today (wading itself)
deadly cry ing "everybody e Ise is
doing it!" No, my dear friend, not
every one is doing it.
Sexual conduct outside of marriage
will one day be judged. God
keeps a record of the sins of men. "For
god shall bring every work into judgment-with
every secret thing, whether
it be good or whether it be evil. Every
idle word that men shall speak, they
shall give account thereof in the day
of judgment." Thus saith our Savior.
"By thy words thou shalt be justified
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
EccL 12:14. Matthew
12:36-37. The secret purpose and
motives will appear in the unerring
register, forGod will bring to light the
hidden things of darkness and will
make manifest the counsels of the
hearts. I Corinthians 4:5 "Behold, it is
written before me...your sin and the
iniquities ofyour father together. sailh_
the Lord. " Isaiah 65:67.
; A book of remembranceis written
Before Gdd'hyvAiich are recorded the
V' gooddfeWSofthemthatfihrtfdd and :
inOfe Who meditate upbfCWJSTiame. J
Malachi 3:16. Their words of faith,
their acts of love are registered in
heaven. Nehemiah refers to them
when he says "Remember me, O my
God, and wipe not out the good deeds
that I have done for the house of my
"God." Nehemiah 13:14. ,
Now you andi might wonderwhat
or whey we seem to be surprised at
what has taken place in our churches.
We need to look and see how we got
so caught up in man who has taught us
that God doesn't keep a record and
that He can't see our sin. Man seems
to say "live as you please, regardless.
We are on our way to Caanan's fair
land."
Oh. my friend, while you have
been so busy and preoccupied with
elevating people to such dizzying
heights, we are now unable to distinguish
a skill that we admire from the
reality the the skills does not describe
the whole person. We have forgotten
that giftedness says absolutely nothing
about integrity and character.
God's qualities for a minister are
far above your thoughts and mind.
This attribute called character has
nothing to do with how well one may
speaker. One may be a world champion
boxer and have a bad character.
With God, my friend, character does
matter. You may be a gifted speaker
(preacher) but character is God's
choice of man. God's choice is always
based on character and integrity, faithfulness
and a trust in God which does
not fail.
The church is joining up with the
world's standard. She wants celebrities.
Some how she has come to believe
that performance is demanded
and that her preacher being a celebrity
defines his essential worth. We
have gotten caught up in the billboard
of T.V. stars. We don't seem to care
about character. But God does, my
friend.
What does God says about His
church that practices adultery and
fornication from the pulpit? Now/
you Deacons, may skirt the issue for
your pastor and even your closest and
dearest friends, but God will not skirt
the issue. You ask him a candid question.
God will be frank with you.
People often say be honest with me.
Tell me the truth. The truth is we all
have an alternative. You don't have to
live a life of corruption, and worldly
lusts. Our alternative is to live soberly.
The powerofchoice, my friend,
is a gift from God. There was only one
choice you could not and did not
make, whether to be born with a sinful
nature. That decision was made by
Adam and Eve long ago. We have
absolutely no choice about the kind
of nature we possess at birth. It was
and still is a sinful nature. But if it be
left unchanged, it will lead to eternal
death.
Even though we were bom with a
fallen nature, god gave us the choice
about changing it from evil to good
Without a doubt, it constitutes the
most important decision that any persons
faces during his or her life time.
The choice is.whether we yield to that
sinful naftire and die eternally, or
I receive a new nature through'faith in
Christ. The choice is yours.
There is m uch disagreement existing
over the kind of choice offered to
each of us. There are perhaps millions
who believe that god opens the
door only once in a life time for a
decision and then closes that door
forever. Once you are saved, always
saved, they say. In the back of our *
minds we know there is a deadly
undercurrent which is crying out that
no matter how much bitterness 1 possess,
no matter how rebellious 1 become,
I cannot escape eternal life.
One thing you have forgotten, my
friend, personality does not over ride
the truth, nor does a gift over ride
character "The soul that sins shall
Every man's work passes in rel
c lew before God and is registered forB
faithfulness or unfaithfulness in I
heaven. The books will be opened
and entered in these books with ter-1
rible exactness every wrong word. I
every selfish act, every unfulfilled I
duty and every secret sin, every hurt- 1
ful assembling, heaven sent warning;, I
and reproofs neglected, wasted moments,
un-impro ved opportun ities, the
influence exerted for good or evil, or
for evil with it's far reaching results
All are chronicled by the recording
angel.
Oh, my friend, the Law is the standard
by which the characters and I i ves
of men will be tested in the judgment
Sexual and Morality ofall Clergya
man who claims to be God's voice
who sang from hi is old gospel hymn
book and preached from the Hols
Writ of God and sneaked out of his
house and whispered in the ears of
another man's wife that he loved her
and showered her with worldly kindness,
then go back to the pulpit as
though no sin had been committed
God shall judge him! These same
kinds of things David had done and
they displeased the Lord. Job said, if
I sin, then thou markest me and thou
wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.
II Samuel 11:27 and Job 10:14.
Just recently the National Baptist
Convention, the largestBlackdenomination,
gave their President a vote of
confidence in spite of the fact that his
wife of 25 years had publicly announced
that her husband had been
unfaithful. Yes, my friend, God is
keeping a record. You and I may
count the requirements of chastity of
little value. God will mark us! We
may even modjfy the scripture on
condemning adultery and fornication,
but you can hear those words. It displeased
God when David had slept
with Bath-sheba and committed the
great sin. It was told that she had
conceived and David began to plan
and scheme. He sent for Uriah to try
to get Uriah drunk and to return home.
Verse 9 of II samuel 11 says that
Uriah slept at his is door,
Somebody needs to tell you who
are in the pulpit and practicing adultery.
God is going to get you. You
may not appreciate this letter, but
God will get you for scattering His
flock, no matter where you go. God
will stand at your door.
When this life is over, every man's I
work will pass in review before God.
The Book will be opened. There the
Moderator, the Deacon, the Pastor,
the Board Committee?all will be the
there. Also, here on this side we have
given men of adultery a "vote of
confidence" But at the Judgment,
1,000x1,000x1,000, million will be
there. All the lives of all who have
belleVed On Jesus will cOMt in review
<- , GSJJiEj ? Heteevery
name, every?) ame will
be mentioned, every case closely investigated.
Name are accepted. Names
are rejected. Because of sins remaining
upon the book, record, unrepented
and unforgiven, their name will be
blotted out ofthe Book of Life and the
record of their good deeds will be
erased from the Book of God. Remember,
the Lord declared to Moseswhosoever
hath sinned against mewill
I blot out of my book. Exodus
32:33. Ezekiel 18:24.
Let me close with this. David committed
adultery. He did not attempt to
blame anyone else, or to say everybody
else is doing it. No sir, his sin
was against God. II samuel 12:7. God
said David I anointed you King over
Israel-1 delivered thee out of Saul's
hand-1 gave you thy master's house,
master's wives- David, when you were
able, I reached the top. I putyou there.
You see. Preacher, when you got
to that well paid position with fine
cars, God said I gave it to you and
when you sinned, it was against God.
No wonder Joseph cried, How then
can I do this great wickedness and sin
against God. Genesis 39:9
Let*s Keep
LARRY T. BROOKS
Working For You on the
Pembroke Town Council
Vote for Experience
*20 Years on the Pembroke Town Council
*14 Years as Mayor Pro Tern
*16 Years in Private Business: Owner/Operator-Lela Anne's
Learning Center (Employs 6 full-time employees; 2 part-time
employees)
*16 Years Member Lumbee Guaranty Bank Board ofDirectors-Chairkman-Executive
Committee
*13 Years Principal of a Public School-Supervises 35 employees
'Veteran of the United States Army
Vote for Continued Progress
During the Past 20 Years Our Town Has:
*Received more than $14,300,000 in Federal and State
Funds for Community (received $5.4 Million during the last
four years) Development and Other Needed Projects
*Grown from a tax base of $9,000,000 to more than
$70,000,000 and continues to grow rapidly.
A larger tax base means lower tax rates!
Vote for Someone Who Speaks
Up For Your Best Interests
*We must continue to hold the line ofhtaxes and water and
sewer ratea.
'Continued, Open, Responsive Goverment and Equal
Treatment for All with Special Privileges for None.
Your Vote will be appreciated!
( Carolina Indian Voice
is published every Thursday by
First American Publications
304 Normal St.-Collegc Plaza
P.O. Box 1075
Pembroke, North Carolina
28372
Phone: (910)521-2826
Fax (910) 521-1975
Connee lirayboy, Editor
One Year In NC $20
Out of State $25
Second Class Postage Paid at
, I Pembroke, NC
PEOPLE ARE!
SWEET ON THE
FRESH TASTE!
OF HONEYBEE.
honeybee
A
NOW IN PIAST1C CANS.
V wiwc'V
'( M?n<i I