The North Carolina Synod office is located on the original and ancestral homelands of the Keyauwee people, and we give thanks for their presence here since time immemorial. We also wish to recognize and honor all our indigenous siblings who have called and continue to call this land their home. |
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We are following the list of topics suggested by native leaders in the ELCA to continue our learning together. In April we explore the UN Rights of a Child and ask ourselves, "How were children made even more vulnerable in boarding schools?" |
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April 2022: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child |
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An Overview
- This Convention is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and has helped transform children’s lives around the world.
- "Contained in this treaty is a profound idea: that children are not just objects who belong to their parents and for whom decisions are made, or adults in training. Rather, they are human beings and individuals with their own rights. The Convention says childhood is separate from adulthood, and lasts until 18; it is a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity" (UNICEF).
- While the United States played an active role in drafting the Convention and signed it, it is the only UN Member State that has not yet ratified the Convention. However, the Convention has been ratified by 196 other States.
- The U.S. did later ratify two of the optional protocols which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000: the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
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Key Resources & Concepts
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Another such global treaty was developed by the United Nations in 2007 on the human rights of indigenous peoples worldwide. Read full text | Download PDF
- Four UN Member States originally voted against this Declaration but later changed their votes—the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The United States changed its vote once the statement was made that the document was not legally binding and has not enacted further laws to protect these rights. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have since adopted laws that better protect these rights than this Declaration alone.
As part of our learning this month, Pastor Rosemary Peek talked to a Cherokee elder about the concept of childhood in Cherokee culture and offers a comparison to children in Western understanding.
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Indigenous Concepts of Childhood
- Cherokee and other eastern indigenous peoples have traditionally perceived very young children as having a kind of "child wisdom" without the agendas of adults.
- The Cherokee word for "child" is the same word that means "to carve" which is used to describe the act of cutting down or making small. Traditionally, children are not thought of as "miniature adults" but rather respected as small humans.
- Indigenous adults often pay close attention to children as they develop to identify and guide them in the direction of their interests as adults.
- Childhood developmental milestones such as a child's first smile, first word, first steps, puberty rites, etc. have often been marked by traditional ceremonial celebrations.
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Western Constructs of Childhood
- The Western understanding of childhood began to develop in the 17th century, particularly in England, and has developed over centuries to become what we think of today.
- In 1690, John Locke wrote about children as being Tabula Rasa, or "blank slates" when they were born. Captain Pratt makes reference to this notion in his speech.
- The first child protection agency, New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, was founded in 1874, just five years before the Carlisle Boarding School was founded in 1879.
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child is currently seen as a "useful starting point for the discussion of childhood" which is commonly understood in Western culture "as a biological and developmental phase in which individuals lack maturity and are therefore in need of protection" (Ocen, 1596).
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Theological Reflections on the Rights of the Child |
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As you read and reflect on the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, we invite you to wrestle with these theological questions:
- A backbone of the boarding school program was the puritan work ethic. The days were marked by afternoons of labor treating the children as adults. How did the boarding school program violate the Rights of the Child?
- Jesus’s words about kids are always words of welcome; how does the Convention help us welcome children well? Further, Jesus' words of welcome are always an affirmation of people's humanity. How are we valuing the humanity of the children in our midst?
- Learning how children are traditionally seen in Cherokee culture, how would boarding schools contribute to on-going harm of children?
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Native Mascots continue to be a place of harm for indigenous communities. In fact, studies show that native names/mascots have adverse affects on indigenous youth including, "low self-esteem, low community worth, increased negative feelings of stress and depression."
Allow yourself to learn from and reflect on a recent study about the affects on native children. Holding the UN Convention, Jesus' unending welcome for children, and facts about harmful effects in mind - we invite you to consider how you can advocate for changes in mascots in your local area.
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Additional Learning Resources |
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UNICEF | for every child
The Convention the Rights of the Child is a rich resource. To help explore the content in-depth, UNICEF has developed resources to explain the Convention and help children, parents, teachers, businesses, NGOs, and governments learn more about child rights. |
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Questions?
If you have questions about any of these resources, contact staff liaison for our Learning Team, Pastor Danielle DeNise.
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Click here to join the synod's monthly Indigenous Learning e-News.
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