Two weeks before Thanksgiving, Brown University officially transferred 255 acres of its Mount Hope property to a preservation trust established by the Pokanoket Indian Tribe. That sounds great, right? Well, the issue is that, officially, there is no Pokanoket Indian Tribe.

Consider Mary and Joseph’s story in the Bible. They intended to get married and live happily ever after. Then God, through His messengers, changed their lives in ways they could not have imagined. God has a way of getting His way through changing our ways. Maybe you have a story like that.

While the tribal government recognizes the need for free speech and a free press, they sometimes balk at the release of information that, by all measurements, belongs to the members of our tribe.

“If the presence of God is in the church, the church will draw the world in. If the presence of God is not in the church, the world will draw the church out.”-Charles Grandison Finney

Last week, Senator Thom Tillis launched an emotional tirade on the Senate floor, targeting hundreds of tribal leaders and respected Native organizations with baseless accusations.

I am inspired and awestruck when I try to imagine the grandeur of our God. When I am down or lonely, depressed, or confused, I think about how God is there to lean on anytime, all the time. God is good, and these verses are meant to remind us. 

I have had a roller coaster ride with my emotions over the past two months. Sept. 27, 2024, will forever be in my memory and my wife’s. It was the day that we lost our home of 36 years to the flood waters of Hurricane Helene.

I’ve recently read an article titled “Carving a Path: The Future of Cherokee Art Collection” in my local paper about Driver Blythe’s journey into the world of art collection. While the article attempted to bring attention to a Cherokee centric view of art appreciation/appraisal, I believe it misses the point of art, specifically our Cherokee art.