Dec/Jan Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,
I can’t believe it’s been a year since I returned from IHP and, in less than two months, I will be leaving the country yet again. This trip will not only be a little longer than the last but is also much more personal to me as I will be representing Sycamore and the UCC in Japan.

As a Global Mission Intern, I will be assisting the director, Jeffrey Mensendiek, of the Kyodan Emmaus Student Center in Sendai, Japan. The Emmaus Center is a place for university students from the 15 college campuses in town to gather with their friends and take part in classes in a variety of subjects such as piano, guitar, English, Korean, Chinese, Ikebana, cooking, Social Issues, etc. The students come from a diverse range of backgrounds and religions. Jeffrey has said that many of the students are still searching for what they want to do but there is great pressure to get a job upon graduation and may jump into something before they know what they are truly called to do. An emerging pattern in Japan is for young people to quit their job within three years, he attributes this to a lack of maturity and sense of personal identity. I can see that I will learn a lot not only from staff but especially students.

The position is for one year with the possibility of extending for another year at the end of that time. My job will include leading and participating in classes, coordinating with staff and volunteers, planning activities, and connecting the center with the international community through you here at Sycamore. I am incredibly excited to start this new position but I still need to brush up on my Japanese and figure out all the logistics of moving to Japan. I will be keeping in regular contact through newsletter articles, e-mails, as well as updating my blog. If you are interested in learning more, I have recently posted some information about my position as well as links to other websites.

I was touched by the e-mails and messages I received while I was travelling and I am so grateful for your support for all of my endeavors. Of course, please let me know if you are ever in Sendai because I would love to visit with you. I hope that you will continue to keep in touch and send me news from the U.S.

With Love,
SKLT

September Sycamore Tree

Over a year ago I began a whirlwind tour of indigenous communities in four countries over three continents. The program, sponsored by Boston University, was the brainchild of Gustavo Esteva, an independent writer and grassroots activist in Mexico, Smitu Kothari, a political organizer in tribal India and visiting lecturer at Cornell and Princeton Universities on social movements, and Peter Horsley, a environmental conservation lawyer and an advocate for Maori communities in Aotearoa-New Zealand. It is an experiment in education where students learn through participation and engaging in intercultural dialogue. The program examines issues surrounding indigenous perspectives on governance and stewardship in the: Indigenous communities of Mexico, Maori of Aotearoa-New Zealand, Tribal and Indigenous India, and Native North American nations through interaction with government agencies, businesses, international aid organizations, and local community-based groups.

Our first stop was Mexico where we stayed with Zapotec and Mixtec communities in the state of Oaxaca. We arrived in Oaxaca at a time of civil unrest; the city was in the midst of a huge teacher's strike and a call for the resignation of their Governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz. The entire city was littered with graffiti and all the major roads were blocked with barricades and broken city buses. It was a chaotic time to visit Oaxaca but we did learn a lot about indigenous movements from first hand observation. Some of the organizations we heard from were Gustavo Esteva and Universidad de la Tierra (Unitierra), a center for alternative learning and cultural education, Vida Nueva, a weaving cooperative for Zapotec women, and SiPaz, an international organization that works on non-violent conflict resolution and community development.

Our next stop was India where we visited the newly formed state of Jharkhand. Jharkhand was formed in 2000 in response to a long history of protest and resistance from tribal groups in the area. We were the guests of Sanjay Bosu-Mullick, the director of the Jharkhand Save the Forest organization working on community development and improving communication between state governments and rural communities. There is no way to describe the sensations, sights, and smells that began when we first stepped off the plane in New Delhi to the 18-hour train ride to anchi, Jharkhand and 6-hour jeep rides through dirt roads in the forest. We had the good fortune of being accompanied by three university students from India working for local indigenous organizations to help translate and give us a lesson in local etiquette. I think that my experience in India will be the most confusing but also the most memorable for the hospitality of the people and their willingness to share their homes and experience with us.

For the third leg of our trip we flew down to Aotearoa-New Zealand. In contrast to our first two stops we were introduced to a situation where the government had just adopted Te Reo (the Maori spoken language) as a national language and the recently formed Maori political party gave a voice to Maori Iwi (local communities) in Parliament. We often stayed on Marae, traditional Maori land, where, as part of their welcome ceremony, we sang waietas in Te Reo to acknowledge our hosts and express our gratefulness for their hospitality. It was comforting to see this example of more open dialogue between native groups and national government after a violent colonial past in contrast to India and Mexico.

Finally, we wrapped up the program in British Columbia hosted by Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation. There is no way that I can talk about everything I experienced but what I took away from those interactions is a greater appreciation for home, community, and family. Indigenous communities, like any immigrant community, carry their cultures and traditions with them as part of their identity. Chief Campbell used the metaphor of a relay runner. Each one of us is carrying the history of our homes and families so that we can pass it on to future generations. As a community we must decide how best to preserve those traditions, like our Sycamore Church Bazaar, so that our future generations will still have a community to come back to. I am so grateful for the support of my parents and family. I am also thankful for my Sycamore family and your best wishes while I was away. My journal entries and photos are still posted at IHP.