From the Grounds Up: A Model for Contextually Attentive Decolonial Movements between Indigenous and Christian Communities

This paper seeks to model an attentive, locally informed approach to studying and supporting decolonial Indigenous-Christian relationships through an examination of the values and practices of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and the Catholic Norbertine or Premonstratensian Order. Attention to the particular historical, environmental, and ritual circumstances of neighboring or intermingled Indigenous and Christian communities will offer those communities reliable paths for dialogue and cooperation, who in turn can offer principles distilled from their distinct situation as information or inspiration to broader Indigenous-Christian conversations and movements. After identifying core elements of Oneida and Norbertine thinking and acting, the paper will detail areas of harmony and dissonance between these groups and suggest concrete ways for these communities to live with and for the benefit of each other and the Green Bay region. The paper will end by drawing insights from the Oneida-Norbertine relationship for wider Indigenous-Catholic interactions in North America.