Trunk-or-Treat contest help (completely corrected)?

Question

Hey! On Halloween night this year, my church is having a "Trick-or-Trunk" event at the fall festival. Each middle school and high school Sunday School class is going to compete...
...they're each going to decorate one of their teachers' trunks with a theme (nothing scary, as it'll be for the younger children).
The most original one will win!

So, the Sunday School class I attend came up with the idea of a Cowgirl & Native American theme. (Some of us would dress up as cowgirls, and some as indians. We would form a teepee with the trunk of the car and maybe give out sheriff stars a Bible verse on each of them.)

Although the theme does not have to be related to the Bible at all, we would really like ours to have something to do with a Bible verse. (For example, one another class is thinking about doing a princess theme, since the younger girls are God's princesses. They'll use the verse that mentions this as their main verse, I guess, and they'll have a throne in/on/near the trunk of the

that the children will be able to sit in.

Can you think of *any* Bible verse, at all, that may relate to the Cowgirl & Indian theme? That would be of so much help. Also, if you could theme of some better theme ideas, do tell!

Thank you!

God bless.

(I'm very sorry about the first time I asked this question. I should have proofread my question.)

I... I don't understand. Is there something wrong with that theme? Does it sound like we're celebrating the genocide of the Native Americans? It's really not supposed to...
....I don't know. Would someone please explain? I really don't mean to offend anyone, especially at the Fall Festival. :( :\

Jared, thank you! I posted something really important on that question. Everyone, if you've been recently checking back at this post, please check out my post at Jared's link. It says it all. *closes subject.*

Answer 1

"I don't understand. Is there something wrong with that theme? Does it sound like we're celebrating the genocide of the Native Americans? It's really not supposed to. . ."

I know you are young, and you didn't mean to be offensive, but your idea IS offensive. I taught on an Indian reservation for 18 years. . . and the genocide continues, although not as blatant. I have spent most of my professional and personal life educating people about the stereotypes perpetuated by your "theme." Please reconsider. And while you're at it, read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. In addition to the original book (more suited for high school age and above), there is a "young people's" edition that has been edited to remove the most graphic atrocities. It was required reading for my 8th graders when I was teaching middle school social studies.

Answer 2

When I read this Cowgirl & Native American theme didn't imply genocide to me, but after hearing what others have said I think you should change your theme. Try a western/ghost town theme instead, that should be easy and wont insult anyone. Or go with a pirate theme, I am sure you can find a ton of verses on treasure and boats and the like.

Good luck! And good thing you asked on here, your theme could have backfired.

Answer 3

Your intentions are innocent enough, dear, but what you want to do is not 'politically correct' in today's world. Americans have become enlightened to the shame of how we conquered this country and it is a touchy subject for many people. It would be like having a Germans and Jewish theme which would horrify many.
You have a good imagination and will think of something.
Don't feel bad about the insults you get over this. Many of the same people grew up watching "Cowboys and Indians" shows and one of the most famous actors in such was everyone's favorite, John Wayne.

Answer 4

The reason you are getting so much negativity is because of the outrageous crimes committed against the American Indians by people who were supposed to be "Christians" before the United States was even a nation. For instance, consider how Jesus would react if you told Him that you were planning on giving blankets that were filled with Scarlet Fever germs to people who had never been vaccinated with the disease, with the intention of causing them to die of a strange illness?
Don't think He'd approve?
Me, either, but some Christians evidently did think so, because this is one of the things that was done in order to exterminate the Indians in order to free the land for "Christianity". They believed some total nonsense that their church had come up with, called "Manifest Destiny"...in other words, they thought that God intended for Christians to have the land, and so it was OK for them to rid it of the natives who were already living here...they based this idea on the Bible story about the people living in "the Promised Land" when God led the Israelites out of Egypt...
There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that would relate to your theme.
If I were you, I'd think about changing it...maybe you could all dress up as Moses and Israelites, and re-enact the desert years...perhaps the trunk could be the "Ark of the Covenant".
Might be fun!

Answer 5

My earlier answer also stands. Given the cultural and religious genocide that was carried out against Native Americans by Christians, your display is tacky at best and outright insulting at worst.

EDITED TO ADD: My apologies for being so harsh; I missed how young you are.

Please educate yourself about the history of Native American genocide:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/genocide5.htm

and I'm sure you'll see why some people would see your display as posing a problem.

EDITED TO ADD: You've asked for an explanation; let me attempt to give you one.

The Native Americans (which you call Indians, a term that some of them find insulting) had their own cultures and religions before the Europeans came to North America. Because these Christian Europeans believed that it was their duty to "convert the heathen" (look up the term "manifest destiny"), they did things like kill the NAs in vast numbers, drive them from their land, forbid them to practice the religions they had practiced for thousands of years, and locked them away on reservations after stealing the land that had been the tribes' land for time out of mind.

The Christians did not hesitate to use violence to enforce their rule of law. People were killed, beaten, and tortured for trying to follow what was, by rights, their culture and their faith. And Biblical verses were often used as justifications for this horrible treatment.

THIS is why a display where Christians are handing out Bible verses with Indians around is insulting.

I hope that helps. If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me and I will do my best to answer them.

EDITED TO ADD: In response to Jared... actually, the purpose of my posting the other question was twofold: first, to express my frustration, yes, and second, to bring THIS question to more people's attention so more people would answer it (both positively and negatively), since perhaps many people would simply bypass it given its subject line. Evidently that part succeeded.

Answer 6

Oh, so you think it's okay that my entire culture has been assimilated by any means possible by the white people? That's something to be proud of? It's okay that they think they're making it up to us by giving us a free education and rounding us up like animals on reservations? Your mockery of my culture sickens me.


There are so many atrocities committed against Natives by white people. I'm Cherokee. I know this is one of the more prosperous tribes, and also one of the largest. I'm from Oklahoma, which is home to the largest concentration of Cherokee people. Wanna know why? There's a big reservation in Oklahoma. But Oklahoma hasn't always been home to the Cherokee people. We're originally from Georgia and North Carolina. Because of the white people who thought they were superior to Natives because of their skin color, we were forced to leave our homes where we'd been for thousands of years. They herded us like cattle and forced us to walk over 1200 miles. More than 4000 of my people died, all because of a law that the white people made.

Answer 7

o.k. i'm not easily offended, and i didn't really think anything about your theme except it just wouldn't have happened.

i don't feel that you were intentionally trying to be disrespectful, but since so many people feel that it is you may want to try something a little less controversial.

go with the princess theme...

good luck.

Answer 8

As a Native American that is offensive and insulting associating our culture with an insesitive religious system such as christianity that enslaved, raped, murdered and kidnapped Native Americans. Who gave you the right to speak for us? You destroyed us by the millions and then want to retain our likeness in your schools for a mascot. You honor our memory but you do not honor our people that live today nor those who came yesterday. You and your kind are not so pure as to have my voice.

Answer 9

My first answer still stands. Celebrating the genocide and oppression of america's native people's is insulting. But like I stated before, if you want me to look up biblical references to genocide in the bible, there are many I can post.

Why don't you do a positive theme? Something non-prejudiced?

Answer 10

Darling You can see this is upsetting to some,how about you go as cherubs-angels or cartoon characters like sponge bob.