As an American, I strongly believe in the Freedom of Religion and in Freedom From Religion. As a Pagan and Witch, I am often on the butt end when it comes to religious discrimination. For instance, a Pennsylvania police chief thinks it is okay to harass a local New Age shop owner. (Read NYT article https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/14/us/pennsylvania-witchcraft-tarot-law-police.html)
When I read through the newspaper archives, I often come across articles that show blatant religious discrimination against certain groups, especially native people. To say that it upsets me is an understatement. It makes me physically sick when people attempt to force their beliefs on another person or group. How dare they?
The following article was published in The Alaska Fisherman newspaper in November, 1930, and shows how potently the native people were discriminated against. Forbidding a culture’s religious practice is nothing less than cultural murder, even when it is “coming from your own people.”
Old Customs
Whereas, the Alaska Native Brotherhood is opposed to the practice of all old customs which are fakes and hurt our people, and we affirm at this time that the practice of Indian Doctors, witchcraft and fortune telling are pure fakes;
BE IT ORDERED, by this convention that it shall be unlawful for any member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood to visit any Indian Doctor or fortune teller even for fun or curiosity, and any one found guilty of so doing shall be liable to expulsion; and,
BE IT ORDERED, that the Grand Secretary draft a by-law prohibiting any such a member from visiting any Indian Doctor, fortune teller or crediting any belief in witchcraft.
Adopted this 17th day of November, 1930, at Ketchikan, Alaska.
Source: The Alaska fisherman. (Juneau, Alaska), 15 Nov. 1930.
