On Sunday March 5th I formally started my training to be a Buddhist Chaplain at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The curriculum of the program characterizes the first year of the two year program to be working on our “inner chaplaincy.” This inner chaplaincy started for me in connecting with the land of this area of New Mexico and Arizona, called “Tewa” ( pronounced \ˈtā-wə) by the indigenous peoples.
The land of Tewa, and the people of the land have been subject to waves of encounters with the US government, corporations, and people like my ancestors. As Marian Naranjo, pueblo potter, grandmother, and activist shared early in the week, the anthropologists came before the economic wave that transformed a communal people into landowners, followed by scientists and resource extractors who devastated parts of the land.
It was the encounter with hydraulic fracking, that my friend, and Upaya Chaplaincy Program classmate, Jessica and I learned about from Daniel Tso within thirty minutes of arriving in Santa Fe to make our way to the Zen Center.
Elder Tso, of the Navajo and Tohe people was setting up his presentation at the Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse as part of Journey-Santa Fe , a kind of “church” (according to a regular attendee) which invites speakers on a broad range of topics.
According to the website, JourneySantaFe is a weekly gathering of progressive minded individuals who explore, through presentations, issues that influence our daily lives and the lives of future generations in New Mexico.
I noticed Mr. Tso and one of the organizers of the event needed some assistance connecting his large PC laptop to the projector, so I offered to help. He was appreciative and asked me to handle the slides. I was happy to help and have a good seat for his sharing.
Mr. Tso shared how the fracking projects in Chaco Canyon and elsewhere damage the health of the elders and children in a variety of ways and create areas of land which are made uninhabitable forever. He has been an activist for many years traveling between New Mexico and Washington D.C. to organize with other indigenous activists from the Dakotas and environmental groups as allies to put on educational events and community health and water studies to show the effects of fracking.
His work can be connected with at these websites and Facebook pages:
At Upaya the next day Elder Marian Naranjo emphasized that while being aware of our history of colonization we need to have the courage to engage with indigenous people, many of whom; especially the young people, are “sick” with the affliction of feeling devalued individually and as a people. She shared that her community is working with young people to build them up. She runs an organization called Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE).
Roshi Joan Halifax shared that we must take responsibility for our privilege and complicity in committing genocide on indigenous peoples. Elder Naranjo encouraged us to participate in her project of collecting prayers in order to share our wishes for healing our relationship with the Tewa land and it’s people. “It is not just me, it is us.” Here is the link to submit a prayer and here is the prayer I sent below:
March 8th, 2017
A Prayer
Dear Tribal Leaders,
My name is John Malcomson and I am from the MacLeod clan of Scotland from which my ancestors came many generations in the past. I live now on the land of the Salish Sea on Turtle Island, in what is called Seattle in Washington State. My Buddhist name is Forest Mountain, given to me by my teacher Changsan Sunim (Long Mountain) of South Korea.
I am grateful to have this opportunity to add my prayers as asked of me by Grandmother Marian Naranjo of Santa Clara Pueblo.
Participating in the chaplaincy training program at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, in Tewa, has given me the chance to spend time in your beautiful land. I have admired the mountains, the plants, and have seen many birds and some rabbits.
I am saddened to be lovingly reminded by Elder Marian Naranjo and also by Daniel Tso (Navajo and Tohe) of the disrespect and abuse of this precious land by my ancestors and the present day colonial actions of my government and many corporations.
I accept my personal responsibility for the destruction of these sacred lands and the ways the indigenous peoples’ lives have been jeopardized and the sacred relationship with this land damaged.
I pray that these colonial actions and policies be changed and apologized for.
I can start with myself: I apologize for my ancestors’ actions and any of my own that have brought you pain. I apologize to your ancestors, to this land of Tewa, and to the coming generations affected by the present and past actions of the US government, and corporations, and all those non-indigenous who have hurt this land and the people to whom it is sacred.
It is my prayer that the land be placed back in your control. I pray that this land can be healed by all our people working together.
May you have access to your sacred sites so you can conduct ceremonies as Creator so designed.
May we all live in peace, harmony, and beauty with this land and all those upon it.
Thank you for listening to this prayer!
Thank you Creator!
John Malcomson
Forest Mountain
