Broken Promises

As a Native American (a.k.a. Indian), I would like to address the issue of the Catholic Church’s plan to build a social hall on the graves of my ancestors at Mission San Diego de Alcala.

My dear Catholic brethren: You seem to have forgotten your own history, as well as your promises to us natives. Do you not remember when you first came to this country, carrying your sword and cross? How gentle we were with you. Have you forgotten we welcomed you as guests? How naive and trusting we were.

And when you wished to stay, and you took whatever land appealed to you . . . how much fight did we put up? (Check your history books . . . San Diego Indians were not some mythical band of feather-decked warriors who scalped pioneers for pleasure. We were a much gentler people.)

When you needed laborers to build your mission, you used us, of course . . . even going as far away as the Laguna Mountains to drag us back in chains. Have you forgotten our women your soldiers raped for amusement? Just who were the Protectors of the Faith protecting? What higher order of civilization was this?

I already know the rhetoric used to answer my questions. You “loved” us. You loved us so much, you gifted us with your religion. Yes, I’d say you beat it into us. While you had us on our knees, we drank up empty prayers that promised we were the “children of God” . . . the lambs of The One True Shepherd. We were promised life after death if we would adhere to these strange new ways. And some of us believed.

And today? Today I wonder what my great-great-Uncle Estaco thinks about your Eternity. He tended your mission gardens many years ago. He rests somewhere on your mission grounds. Are you going to drive a post through him and “socialize” over his bones? Is this the reward of his trust? Is this what becomes of your baptized lambs . . . your native children?

While Msgr. I. Brent Eagen struggles with relocating the parish hall, I hope he struggles with his conscience long enough to provide permanent protection for a cemetery full of broken promises. In the meantime, I’m just damn glad to be a live “Injun.”

STEVEN THOMAS TWO HAWKS PFINGST

Solana Beach