From the Editor's residential schools, which in some
places remained active well into the
Desk 1990s. These schools were devised
expressly to break up Indigenous families and communities, separate chil-
LINDA S. COVEY AND dren from their culture and identity,
ROSHAN DANESH and destroy languages and cultures.
As has become fully apparent to the
In 1916 'Abdu'l-Bahá instructed the broader Canadian public only in recent
nascent Bahá'í communities of the years, although justified as advancing
United States and Canada to "attach civilization, the residential schools
great importance to the indigenous were, in fact, utterly pernicious vehipopulation of America" because of cles for systematically imposing physithe unique potential of those peoples cal, psychological, cultural, social, and
to "enlighten the whole world" (qtd. spiritual harm. This same realization
in Shoghi Effendi, Citadel 16). 'Abdu'l- caused the United Stated to pass the
Bahá penned these words as part of Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978 and
His blueprint for the unfoldment of to gradually cease allotting federal
the Divine Plan, which would assist funds to these residential schools.
in the dissemination of Bahá'u'lláh's For the small Bahá'í communities
revelation and the advancement of the of Canada and the United States, fugoal of creating patterns of justice, eled by the core Bahá'í teaching of
equality, and peace among all the unity in diversity, 'Abdu'l-Bahá's empeoples of the world. phasis on the importance of Indig-
At the time of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's mes- enous peoples presented a challenge
sage, there were no Indigenous Bahá'ís to establish a pattern of thought and
in North America, and Indigenous course of action distinct from that of
peoples in Canada and the United the broader society, a plan that had to
States were enduring exceptionally include recognition of the value of
egregious treatment. In both coun- diversity and the importance of cultries, colonial oppression, racist laws, ture, love, and inclusion in community
and policies fueled by Social Darwin- building. This challenge led to an inism, missionary zeal, and disease had creasing intersection between Bahá'ís
decimated Indigenous populations and and Indigenous peoples in the 1920s
communities and disconnected them and 1930s, including more systematic
from their traditional lands, family efforts by Bahá'ís to reach out, share
and community systems, and govern- Bahá'u'lláh's message of fellowship
mental structures. Far from recogniz- and unity, and create a diverse Bahá'í
ing the "great importance" of Indig- community.
enous peoples to the "whole world," In the 1960s these efforts expanded
both Canada and the United States massively, sustained by the leadership
continued to establish a network of and dedication of both Indigenous
4 The Journal of Bahá'í Studies 26.3 2016

and non-Indigenous Bahá'ís, including It would be impossible to find
Bahá'í leaders such as Amat'ul-Bahá a nation or people not in a state
Rúhíyyih Khánum, who traveled to of crisis today. The materialism,
meet Indigenous peoples across the the lack of true religion and the
Americas on their lands and in their consequent baser forces in human
homes. Through these efforts, the nature which are being released,
unifying message of Bahá'u'lláh's rev- have brought the whole world to
elation was shared, and the Bahá'ís' the brink of probably the greatest
commitment to a new pattern of just crisis it has ever faced or will have
relations between diverse peoples was to face. The Bahá'ís are a part of
visibly demonstrated. the world. They too feel the great
Over the past number of decades, pressures which are brought
in addition to ongoing and strenuous to bear upon all people today,
efforts of individual Indigenous and whoever and wherever they may
non-Indigenous Bahá'ís, there have be. (Letter dated 19 July 1956,
been a wide range of institutional qtd. in Lights of Guidance no. 440)
initiatives to create new structures,
campaigns, and gatherings aimed at Reflecting on the complexity of transencouraging and deepening the pres- forming entrenched patterns, Shoghi
ence of, respect for, and recognition of Effendi further emphasized that eradi-
Indigenous peoples within the Bahá'í cating racial injustice requires not only
community. To be clear, in the Writ- "complete freedom from prejudice,"
ings of the Bahá'í Faith, there is no but also demands that society address
naïve or simplistic utopian perspective the reality that racism is sufficiently
about the challenge faced by society pernicious that it can infect "the whole
to extricate itself from patterns of social structure" (Advent 22, 33).
oppression and injustice and replace Accomplishing this essential
them with relationships based on unity change requires the hard work of
and peace. Such work is slow, arduous, transforming mindsets and behaviors.
and multi-generational. It requires It also necessitates that humankind
recognition that while this important discover and implement methods for
work progresses, individual Bahá'ís reordering detrimental social and
and Bahá'í communities will inevitably structural patterns and establishing
be influenced by the broader dynamics collaborative relationships upheld by a
and forces in society, even while striv- collective vision of justice and fellowing to be guided by and to become ship at the levels of the neighborhood
compliant with the ideals, standards, and community life. But this journey
and goals set forth in the revelation of toward justice and unity is one of
Bahá'u'lláh. As Shoghi Effendi empha- learning, trial and error, sacrifice, love,
sized in 1956: and pain.
For these reasons, in their efforts
the condition that the world is in, to contribute to the advancement of
is bringing many issues to a head. society, Bahá'ís have been broadly
From the Editor's Desk 5

encouraged by the Universal House of after 'Abdu'l-Bahá articulated the im-
Justice to recognize that the believers portance of Indigenous peoples in the
must pursue a "wide latitude for ac- unfoldment of the Divine Plan. It is
tion," must be granted "a large margin also an opportune moment because of
for mistakes," should recognize that broader societal dynamics. For exam-
"human beings are not perfect," and in ple, in recent years Canada has been
light of these realizations, seek to fos- awakening to the fact that one of its
ter encouragement and not succumb central social, political, cultural, ecoto criticism at the "slightest provoca- nomic, and spiritual challenges is that
tion" (Letter dated 19 May 1994 to a of reconciliation between Indigenous
National Spiritual Assembly ¶7). and non-Indigenous peoples. Likewise,
For these same reasons, having in an ongoing effort to recognize the
Indigenous and non-Indigenous peo- American Indians and their cultural
ples coming together in new ways presence and distinctive history, the
to build a community that actualizes United States declared 1992 as the
Bahá'u'lláh's teachings about unity in "Year of the American Indian" and
diversity engendered, in the process, designated the month of November
the expected trials and sacrifice, as as National American Indian Heritage
well as progress and achievements. Month.
The experience of Indigenous peo- There is growing global awareness
ples within the Bahá'í community, and of how essential it is that the world's
the Bahá'í community's experience of approximately four hundred million
engaging with Indigenous peoples, Indigenous peoples be recognized
has been at times contiguous with and that their rights as individuals,
predominant patterns seen in society communities, and nations be fully acat large and, at others, drastically dif- knowledged and respected. The Unitferent. While there has been conscious ed Nations Declaration on the Rights
striving to infuse a commitment to of Indigenous Peoples (2007)—now
the spiritual and social imperative of fully endorsed by many countries
unity—including valuing the distinc- around the world, including the Unittiveness and diversity of Indigenous ed States and Canada—establishes one
peoples—in efforts at forming new of the necessary foundations for the
patterns of community life, there have full participation of Indigenous peoalso been complex challenges, such as ples in human affairs.
the need to confront old world order It is in this context that the contribpatterns and attitudes. utors in this issue of the Journal offer
This special issue of the Journal a wide range of voices and perspecof Bahá'í Studies is a beginning effort tives on the intersection between the
to explore some of the complexities Bahá'í Faith and Indigenous peoples.
of the history of the intersection Linda Covey's article, based on a spebetween Indigenous peoples and the cific case study that identifies critical
Bahá'í Faith. It comes at a particularly outcomes regarding Bahá'í teaching
propitious moment—exactly a century work among Indigenous populations,
6 The Journal of Bahá'í Studies 26.3 2016

provides valuable insights about those about how the history of the North
skill-sets and sensitivities required for American Bahá'í communities might
this important endeavor. Joyce Bald- inform current social discourses such
win and Alfred Kahn Jr. share their as that of reconciliation.
personal stories, providing us with a Our attention to the experiences of
window into their lived experience as Indigenous Bahá'ís does not end with
Indigenous Bahá'ís and conveying the this issue of the Journal: consideration
wisdom and insights derived from de- is being given as to how to support furcades of dedication to the Covenant of ther contributions that are specifically
Bahá'u'lláh. Patricia Verge also shares aimed at informing and influencing
her life experience working to advance local and global public discourses rereconciliation, drawing on her vast garding Indigenous peoples. Articles
expertise as an author who has chron- are already in the works that will share
icled pivotal aspects of the history of more on the experience of Indigenous
Indigenous Bahá'ís. Chelsea Horton Bahá'ís in Canada. As always, we value
draws on her doctoral work on the your comments and suggestions, and
history of interaction between Indig- we welcome submissions for possible
enous peoples in North America and publication.
the Bahá'í Community as derived from
personal interviews with Indigenous WORKS CITED
Bahá'ís. Horton's article provides a
historical perspective on the challeng- Shoghi Effendi. The Advent of Divine
es faced by Bahá'ís in actualizing the Justice. Wilmette, IL: Bahá'í
principle of unity in diversity—les- Publishing Trust, 1971.
sons that can be helpful as the Bahá'í Print.
process of fashioning unity at the lo- ———. Citadel of Faith: Messages to
cal level proceeds under the guidance America 1947-1957. Wilmette,
of the Five Year Plan of the Universal IL: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
House of Justice. 1980. Print.
While each article stands alone as a ———. Letter dated 19 July 1956. In
distinct contribution by its author, tak- Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í
en together they raise interconnected Reference File. Ed. Helen
themes and questions. As such, the Hornby. New Delhi: Bahá'í
reader is strongly encouraged to read Publishing Trust, 1994.
all the articles, preferably in the order Print.
in which they are published. By ap- The Universal House of Justice.
proaching the subject matter this way, Letter dated 19 May 1994
it is hoped that this special issue will to a National Spiritual
offer perspectives that can assist ongo- Assembly.
ing efforts at the community level to
advance critical work such as learning
through the institute process, inform
teaching work, and help generate ideas
Members of the Omaha Nation form the first all-Native American
Local Spiritual Assembly in Macy, Nebraska, in 1948.
(Photo courtesy of National Bahá'í Archives, United States)

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