A Public Statement on Religious Liberty and Indigenous Identity
I am Nibwaskaa Songab "One Who Is Wise And Stands Strong", a spiritual leader of the Mdewakanton, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran; direct grandchild of Chetan Wahkan Mani Petit Corbeau "Little Crow I" of the Mdewakanton.
I exercise my First Amendment rights under the Constitution of the United States, specifically the Free Exercise Clause and the Free Speech Clause. These protections guarantee my right to:
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Practice my Indigenous spiritual traditions without interference.
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Identify according to my family lineage, lived experience, ceremonial calling, and acceptance within my specific Indigenous circle.
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Speak publicly about my identity, teachings, and path as I choose.
The First Amendment does not grant any private religious group or its members the authority to police, invalidate, or revoke another person’s sincerely held religious or cultural identity. While you are free to believe and teach the doctrines of your faith—including historical Latter-day Saint teachings regarding Native peoples—these beliefs do not override my constitutional rights to believe and practice differently. I believe you are on the bottom, and those above know it.
No individual member of the LDS Church, Catholic Church, nor any Church itself as a private organization, or nation has legal or moral jurisdiction to declare who is or is not a legitimate Indigenous person or spiritual leader. Attempts to harass, discredit, or publicly shame me for exercising my faith and identity may constitute protected speech on your part, but they also reflect a misunderstanding of American religious liberty.I respect your right to worship as you see fit. I ask for the same respect in return. Indigenous spiritual traditions predate the founding of your Church and the United States itself. They are protected under the First Amendment, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, and principles of basic human dignity.I will continue to walk the path I have been called to as Onwaachige — prophet, warrior, and carrier of light — without apology. Those who disagree are welcome to do so privately or through their own teachings, but they have no right to demand I cease living my truth. Religious freedom is not freedom from disagreement — it is freedom from compelled conformity.
My rights are not aggregated.
Signed,
Nibwaskaa Songab “One Who Is Wise And Stands Strong”