Honoring Indigenous Peoples
Our congregation's journey of learning and reckoning with the history of Native Americans took off in 2018 when, at 99, beloved UUFESian Harvey Stephenson announced that he wished to live out his days peacefully, with no more trips to the hospital for this or that. Concerned that the end was near, we asked how Harvey wanted to spend these precious days?
Harvey had a fervent wish: that the congregation read Roxanne Ortiz-Dunbar's new and extensively researched An Indigenous People's History of the United States (2015). The following year, the Unitarian Universalist Association selected the book as its "Common Read" to encourage discussions about Indigenous experiences within the community.
Harvey died in July 2019, two weeks before his 100th birthday. By then at least a third of the congregation had read the book and come away changed. The Book Group wrote a "Statement of Recognition of Indigenous Peoples." Sunday services address indigenous issues. Indigenous People's Day has become an annual day of honoring at UUFES.
In October 2020, the congregation planted a butternut tree to honor
the Indigenous peoples who for generations have lived with gratitude
and respect for these woods,
mountains and waterways.
The following year, we gathered to consecrate the space.
Sacred observances take place in what we now call The Indigenous Grove, a peaceful place for quiet contemplation.
UUFES Statement of Recognition of Indigenous Peoples
“We, members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Eastern Slopes,
recognize that the lands we now call New Hampshire and New England,
on which we live, work, play, and worship, were originally inhabited by indigenous nations.
We are aware of the displacements, slaughter, and injustices that many members of those nations have suffered;
many of those injustices were not remedied in the past, and some may endure to this day.
As we remember these nations, long resident in this region,
we acknowledge and celebrate their stewardship of these lands and waters, across many generations, and now for all of us.
We are grateful for their dedication and perseverance in their love of the lands,
the wider environment, their families, and their peoples.
We recognize and honor their enduring presence amidst our communities today.”
January 21, 2019
Last updated: 2/24/25