More than 20 Annual Conference attendees gathered Wednesday afternoon outside of Wesley Chapel for a traditional Native American ceremony of smudging and prayer.
“It helps us to let go of any negative energy and to be ready for the work of holy conferencing,” said Reverend Jay Parkins of Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston.
“I only do what I’ve been taught and only when asked,” Parkins added, clarifying that though he is not Native American, he had been asked by the West Virginia Committee on Native American Ministries Chair Dr. Elle High, to perform Wednesday’s smudging ceremony and prayer. Parkins said he has been attending powwows since the age of 14 and holds great reverence for the traditions of Native Americans.
Displaying his blanket-wrapped bundle of herbs including sage, cedar, sweet grass, and tobacco, Parkins explained the importance of the herbs and their use in purifying space and people. He then welcomed participants for smudging, a ritual in which sage is burned in a seashell. Parkins used an eagle’s feather to waft its fragrant smoke around individual participants who later prayed with him while walking around Wesley Chapel. Some participants went inside to continue praying, though no herbs were burned indoors.
The West Virginia Annual Conference has used smudging ceremonies as a way to bless the sacred space we occupy and draw our focus toward the business before us.
The Annual Conference recognizes not only the Native American smudging tradition, but that Native people considered this ground sacred long before others did. High is scheduled to lead a Native American Greeting and Land Acknowledgement prior to the Opening Worship in Wesley Chapel Thursday afternoon.
By acknowledging that the grounds on which we gather and worship were sacred to the Native people of our region, we can more faithfully nurture the connections we have formed and continue to build bridges of peace and understanding between all people.
A video land acknowledgement will be presented at the start of this year’s annual conference session in a further effort by WV Commission on Native American Ministries to reconcile the harm done to native peoples. This video is meant to be not only used at Annual Conference sessions but also within the local churches at the start of meetings or other gatherings across the conference.