African-American, and a Native American do ritual together as women? What about a group which is 80% White women, with 20% women of color from various cultures? If Native women want to keep ceremony only in a Native context, given appropriation which is rampant, is there a way for Whites, Black, Asian and Latina women to honor the situation? If some Native women want to share ritual or teach, and others don't how do we approach that? Are we attaching a higher standard of authority for Native women, while we let White of Black women be "spiritual teachers" with no authority but their own?

ANCESTRY

What about those of us who are of partial Native ancestry, but were raised in White culture with White privilege? What is our heritage and our responsibility? How is this different or the same for Black people of partial Native ancestry? Is there a legitimate calling from the ancestors which draws us into connection with Native spirituality? How do we sort through the culture's racist and distorted images to find access to something we can rely on? Does biological heritage make a difference here, or is our adoption into White or Black culture the primary kinship in which we must make community?

And for those of any descent, how does ancestry influence spirituality? How does it shape our spiritual and ethical responsibilities? What about those women who were adopted or in some way cut off from their biological roots? What is the interplay between biology and community and spirituality? What about for those who have been abused by their kin? How do gay and lesbian people reconstitute family and kin in the face of rejection for sexual orientation? Are there certain responsibilities for those who go between various cultures and classes of people?

Despite the complexity of these issues which are raised, I believe the journey we embark on is not so difficult or unwieldy. It is rooted in a commitment to the life of the people, and a trust that we are not alone. In closing, I would like to remember the advice offered by the Menominee two-spirit poet, Chrystos:

Take nothing you cannot return
Give to others
give more
Walk quietly
Do what needs to be done
Give thanks for your life
Respect all beings
Simple and it doesn't cost a penny

…from the poem, "Shame On!"
in Dream On, (Vancouver Press Gang, 1991),
p. 100-101]