Indigenous Peoples
At the Indigenous Peoples pre-assembly event in Porto Alegre, 2006
With a view to prepare themselves and their contributions to the WCC 10th Assembly, some eighty representatives of the churches and communities of Indigenous Peoples from many parts of the world will meet from 28-29 October with acts of sharing and celebration, listening, learning and reflection, focused on the theme: “God of life, renew the people of the land”.
The theme of this pre-assembly event affirms the interconnection between land, life and justice. In a way it rephrases the theme of the assembly: "God of life, lead us to justice and peace", in the language, experience and visions of the Indigenous Peoples. It highlights three important aspects:
It is a prayer for the renewal of the Indigenous Peoples and their movements for solidarity as they struggle for their home lands, cultures, spiritual traditions, identities and dignity in many parts of the world;
It is a prayer of the Indigenous Peoples for the whole people of the earth so that they may come to realize and reclaim their essential earth-rootedness and be more responsible towards one another and the earth.
It is a prayer for the renewal of the people of the earth because the earth is not only God’s creation but is also God’s abode because it is where God’s gift of life is experienced, shared and defended, even as it is often denied, abused and destroyed.
Against the backdrop of these theological convictions, the pre-assembly event will reflect on the stories and experiences of the Indigenous Peoples in their struggles against exploitative, extractive industries and unfair development policies.
