Confronting our shameful history can heal and humble
BY MICHAELA DRAIN
It is difficult to listen to stories in which you or someone you love is the bad guy. There are a lot of things that must go right to make this moment healing. The storyteller must feel comfortable enough to be really honest and the listener must be humble enough to actually hear. This creates a space for even the toughest of tales to invite God’s peace and presence into our future together.
On November 15, 2023, I was honored to be one of the U.S. Army Chaplains that welcomed the Comanche Nation Elders in a tour of the sacred sites around Fort Sill. The tour is a part of Fort Sill’s Acts of Healing Project. The project is helping to promote deeper understanding between the military and Native tribes.
The tour group journeyed through various grave sites, Medicine Bluff, and the Fort Sill Museum stopping to share stories and pray at each spot.
I was grateful to be a part of the tour as someone who was born and raised here. As a United Methodist, I have always been blessed to eat and worship with my Native American neighbors through the various ministries of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. At that moment, I got to represent the Oklahoma Army National Guard. I also got to share about what our local United Methodist churches do to create more sacred spaces for worshipping together.
Hearing the stories of the people and the land was cathartic. Humbly listening helped me, as a local, to confront my previous lack of curiosity about my friends and neighbors. Sharing the stories in these sacred spaces allowed us all to acknowledge the pain of the past and look forward to the hope of continued reconciliation in the future.
I encourage you all to continue sharing the stories of your church and its involvement in history. Some of our churches have been around for a long time. They hold the hurtful and hopeful memories of generations of Oklahomans. I hope that you not only share the stories where we are the good guys but also the ones where we are the bad guys. Because if we want to really heal from the hurt of the past, we will need to continue to create spaces where both can be shared.
If you are in the area, I encourage you to visit these sites to read about or share your own stories of Oklahoma’s history. Here are a few photos from the event. If you would like to read more about this tour, there is a lovely article written by Chris Gardener. Her articles and photography capture more perspectives from the Comanche Nation Elders.