For more than a decade, Earth Ministry/WAIPL has engaged the Northwest faith community in supporting Indigenous-led campaigns to protect Native treaty rights, fishing areas, and sacred sites. Following the leadership of NW Native tribes, we have mobilized people of faith to successfully oppose climate-damaging fossil fuel projects and to support tribal efforts to recover salmon and orca populations through river restoration and prevention of further pollution in the Salish Sea.
Earth Ministry/WAIPL has engendered significant trust with regional tribal partners through authentic relationship building and effective organizing, which has led to requests for faith community assistance on Native-led campaigns. Current tribal partners include Lummi Nation, Nimiipuu (Nez Perce Tribe), and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.
Our work together toward environmental justice connects the wellbeing of human and natural systems within a moral framework that compels action. Earth Ministry/WAIPL sees support of Native climate and creation justice campaigns as a moral issue connected to shared values of stewardship, responsibility, legacy, and justice. Given the Church’s historical disrespect of traditional Native American spiritual practices and traditions, we acknowledge that the Christian community in particular has an added obligation to strive toward reconciliation with Native neighbors and humbly strive to show up as good allies.
Resources
Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s Land Acknowledgement Guide
Letters of Apology from Northwest Christian Leaders to Native Nations
More Resources
Environmental Justice with Indigenous Peoples – Creation Justice Ministries
Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery – Indigenous Values Initiative & American Indian Law Alliance
Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery: A movement of Anabaptist people of faith
Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery in your Meeting – Friends General Conference
Doctrine of Discovery Resources – Presbyterian Church U.S.A
List of Indian Boarding Schools in the United States by State and Denomination
Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report
Indigenous Reading List from the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
Treaty Trail—Washington State Tribal Treaty History and Impact
Tribal Legacy Project—Maps of Tribal Homelands and Presentations from Tribal Nations
Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty In Washington State Curriculum
Indigenous Peoples Language Guidelines
Rethinking Thanksgiving Toolkit
*See Earth Ministry/WAIPL’s Native Land Acknowledgement Guide for more resources
Current Campaigns
At tribal request and direction, Earth Ministry/WAIPL provides opportunities for members of the faith community to support tribal-led efforts to protect Native treaty rights, fishing areas, and sacred sites:
Tacoma LNG
Halting a fracked gas facility being constructed by Puget Sound Energy on ancestral land of the Puyallup Tribe
Snake River Salmon
Recovering abundant salmon runs on the Lower Snake River to uphold treaty promises to the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce Tribe)
Orca Recovery
Protecting endangered southern resident orcas and supporting Lummi Nation’s efforts to bring home Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut
Indigenous Voices
The following articles feature Indigenous leaders speaking on these and other campaigns. We share these articles to help amplify Native voices and express gratitude for Indigenous leadership.
United States/Canada Announce “Agreement in Principle” on CRT
Remembering Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut
2023 All Our Relations Snake River Campaign
Faith Voices for Solidarity
The following posts and articles are written by non-Indigenous faith leaders speaking on the importance of the non-Indigenous faith community being in solidarity with Indigenous peoples.
Remembering Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut
2023 All Our Relations Snake River Campaign
Bishops issue statement for care of creation
Events
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