OWNING OUR PAST: CHRISTIANITY AND NATIVE AMERICANS
Wisconsin Oneida and the Episcopal Church
Reverend Rodger Patience
Tribal Councilwoman Jennifer Webster
Pastor and Member of
Holy Apostles Church, Oneida, Wisconsin
March 21, 2022
PRESENTERS:
Rodger Patience is Vicar of the Church of the Holy Apostles on the Oneida Indian Reservation near Green Bay. The Church is the oldest Native mission of The Episcopal Church, beginning in the early 1700s in New York and continuing since 1822 in Wisconsin. Rodger serves on the Commission on Ministry and the Formation Committee of the Diocese of Fond du Lac and offers daily videos of Morning Prayer on the Church's Facebook page @holyapostlesoneida.
Jennifer Webster is a Tribal Councilwoman who has been engaged in Oneida government for 33 years in various capacities. She has served on the Oneida Judiciary for three consecutive terms as an Appellate Court Judicial Officer and is currently serving her third term on the Oneida Business Committee. Jenny hopes to strengthen the Nation's efforts to preserve the Oneida language, culture and tribal identity; protect tribal assets; and assure fiscal responsibility and accountability. Jenny is a lifelong parishioner, vestry member, and church schoolteacher at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Oneida.
RECORDING OF THE ZOOM session on March 21, 2022, can be found at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sjR082vu8YMNTENywY9DocZWdW-gp65K/view?usp=sharing
RESOURCES ON THE WISCONSIN ONEIDA AND THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH:
McLester, LG, Hauptman, L, House, KH. The Wisconsin Oneidas and the Episcopal Church: A Chain Linking Two Traditions. Indiana University Press. 2019
This unique collaboration by academic historians, Oneida elders, and Episcopal clergy tells the fascinating story of how the oldest Protestant mission and house of worship in the upper Midwest took root in the Oneida community. Personal bonds that developed between the Episcopal clergy and the Wisconsin Oneidas proved more important than theology in allowing the community to accept the Christian message brought by outsiders. Episcopal bishops and missionaries in Wisconsin were at times defenders of the Oneidas against outside whites attempting to get at their lands and resources. At other times, the Oneidas saw these clergy-initiated projects as beneficial—a school, a hospital, or a lace-making program for Oneida women that provided a source of income and national recognition for their artistry. The clergy incorporated the Episcopal faith into an Iroquoian cultural and religious framework—the Condolence Council ritual—that had a longstanding history among the Six Nations. In turn, the Oneidas modified the very form of the Episcopal faith by using their own language in the Gloria in Excelsis and the Te Deum as well as by employing Oneida in their singing of Christian hymns. Christianity continues to have real meaning for many American Indians. The Wisconsin Oneidas and the Episcopal Church testifies to the power and legacy of that relationship.
A review of the Book and additional information can be found at the following website: Anglicans Online | Review of The Wisconsin Oneidas and the Episcopal Church: A Chain Linking Two Traditions
More Information on the Church of the Holy Apostles
Anglican History and the Oneida
Oneida Hymn Singers – YouTube Video
Morning Prayer in the Book of Common Payer in Mohawk (Note the Mohawk word has been anglicized as “mornong”)
Oneida White Corn
On March 24, PBS Wisconsin aired an episode of Wisconsin Foodie telling the story of Oneida White Corn. You can watch it in its entirety here.