Creating a wider community and place to network
One hundred and fifty people came together to learn how language informs our journey and shapes our faith. The 10th Symposium hosted by NAIITS was held at Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto.
NAIITS faculty and board honor Justine Smith,Cherokee from Oklahoma (center) during the symposium. (L to R): Terry LeBlanc, Wendy Beauchemin Peterson, Cheryl Bear, Justine, Vincent Yellow Old Woman, and Ray Aldred.
TORONTO, ON—About 150 people gathered between June 6-8, 2013 at Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto, Ontario for the 10th Annual Symposium on Indigenous Mission and Theology, hosted by NAIITS (North American Indigenous Institute for Theological Studies).
This year’s topic was “Shaping Faith: How Language Informs the Journey” and featured a mix of academics presenting papers on issues of orality, literacy, translation and culture, as well as practitioners sharing their experiences in the work of translating Scripture into Indigenous languages.
“I really enjoyed seeing the two panels present some of the challenges and triumphs of translating the scriptures into their languages, said Terry LeBlanc, founding chair and current director of NAIITS. “And to listen to them talk about how important their language is to sustaining and shaping their faith which, of course, was the theme of our symposium.”
“My hope is, as with any of our symposiums, that people will go away with a sense that faith needs to be resident within specific cultures and take on the cultural forms for it to be substantive and for it to be a vibrant, growing faith,” continued LeBlanc. “What the NAIITS learning community is doing is creating a space for us to explore that as indigenous people, while including people from other ethnic and cultural vantage points, and in that way, creating a wider community that embraces and encourages cultural expression of faith.”
“Bringing academic people together with practitioners is probably unique for [this symposium] and is always a highlight for me,” says Wendy Peterson, chair of My People International and secretary and editor of NAIITS. “It’s a stretch for practitioners to listen to academic papers but it is always worthwhile and informative for academics to hear the practitioners’ point of view.”
“It seems like NAIITS is beginning to hit its stride. There’s a growing maturity about our conversations that’s pretty amazing,” LeBlanc remarked. “There’s an evident maturity that’s been taking place over the last few symposiums—and in the journal. At this symposium there was an expression of confidence; the NAIITS learning community has grown into a place that’s comfortable for people to come to and participate in.”
Vincent Yellow Old Woman was formally appointed protocol director for NAIITS. “We include music as a part of our conference, which is not the norm for an academic conference,” Peterson noted. The symposium opened with a drum song, and other indigenous expressions of worship and/or protocol were featured throughout the weekend. “We’re trying to make it integral to our symposiums, so that music as a language is not separate and in another class from the spoken word or written word.”
“I love watching people network,” Wendy Peterson remarked. “People meet each other for the first time and realize how they can bring their ministries together to do a greater work for the Kingdom of God,” Peterson continued. (This reporter agrees; I have attended six NAIITS conferences over the last eight years, and learned that while the papers and presentations are good, the real gold happens in the “cracks”—the times between presentations, when I get to meet and talk with people doing exciting work in Native communities, hear their stories, and share ideas and strategies).
This year’s conference featured two concerts and four musical artists. Steve Bell and Michael Jacobs shared the stage on Friday night, while Cheryl Bear opened for Broken Walls on Saturday night to conclude the conference.
This was the first NAIITS conference lacking Dr. Richard Twiss, former NAIITS chairman, who passed away in February. On the first night, Terry LeBlanc led the group in remembering Richard with a short video and honoring his widow, Katherine Twiss. The conference ended with an honor song for Richard from Broken Walls. Richard’s son Daniel joined Broken Walls and a few members of the NAIITS board.
Next year’s Symposium will be held at George Fox University in Newburg, Oregon. It will be the first symposium to include a graduation ceremony, as students of the NAIITS-designed Masters in Intercultural Studies will be receiving their degrees.
