I ran across Tabithas story a few years ago as she was a friend on a social site. She let me copy the story "fair use" around so was sharing it here. I was so happy to hear someone else with a (very close ) to what I had been taught story. I contacted her mom. She confirmed the story being passed down as it was to me. There is another story but not the same called "elders of the three fires" that shows Tsalagi (Cherokee) having a similar story. I have read MANY accounts of the early whites being astonished of how we had all of these bible stories. The big question has always been were some "American Indian" (yeah its OK to say that now) and Canada's first nations people from Israel? Well I am not going there but. Our little Cherokee story we believe because of its source. Sad truth is you cant hardly find it "spread about anywhere but some disconnected families here and there".
Quoting: Giduwa Both my husband and I are Pipe carriers for the Ojibway (akaChippewa) nations and born into good Catholic families. Here is what we know:
*2,000 years ago, a semantic man dressed in white and named variations of Jeshua, visited almost 1000 tribes in the us and canada and healed many and taught them the sacred way to live. Details in a book called "He walked the Americas" or similar title. at this time there was the Old testament but no New Testament exsisted until 3-400 a.d. when the Catholic church took the hundreds of writings and selected the most credible and formed the New Testament.
*Middle ages: St. Mary of Agreda bilocated to the Natives of the Southwest and catechised them with love and patience.
Her diary, before Columbus acurately described the Navajo and Hopi people.
*1500sWhite buffalo Woman, whom some think was the Blessed mother, appeared to the Lakota and instructed them how to pray including contemplative prayer, fasting and the sweat lodge to cleanse sins and bad habits...and the Pipe:Offering prayer to the heavenly Father or "Great
mystery"
*the SPanish, just free of muslim rule arrive. Later, they had chaplains with who tried to help but failed miserably as these southwest peoples, living a good life were enslaved and murdered.
*1641: The Ojibway at sault Ste. Marie, MI invited the jesuits to come to teach. The Mohawks, a fierce people had no use for them and murdered them left and right.(see "seven north american martyrs).But we wanted that education. Our medicine people had many prophecies about their coming and we believed AS DID MOST NATIVES IN N. AMERICA IN ONE GOD, one Creator. So the transition was easier. They spoke our difficult language and read the Bible to us, old and new testament.
*18th century Venerable BIshop Baraga develops and prints, at his own expense a dictionary of our language and prayer books with the GOspel in Ojibway as well, He had a law degree and counseled our leaders in the treaties we were forced to make so that we got fishing, hunting, gathering AND free educational rights. He walked 1000 -2000 miles a year in summer and in snowshoes in winter. once he was on his way by dogsled to sugar island and the ice broke open and our people saw his sleddogs and sled run over the open water like it was glass. we were lucky, his guidance allowed us to escape the horrid death camps called Indian boarding schools (48% death rate) where the govt chose a religion for us. We were not citizens till 1929, and did not have freedom of religion til 1974. Yes, 1974. I have read the BIble cover to cover twice and go to Mass 3-4 times a week. God did not ever forget us.
