MWR : Forgiveness for slaying

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Aug. 3, 2009 issue

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Forgiveness for slaying

Paraguay 2009 daily worship

By Dick Benner For Meetinghouse

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ASUNCION, Paraguay — In a symbolic peace gesture toward the indigenous Ayoreos of the Chaco, Helmut Isaak forgave his brother’s killer.

ACT OF PEACE — Jonoine Picanerai, an Ayoreo chief, holding the spear he used to kill Kornelius Isaak in 1958, awaits his turn to go on stage and hear a statement of forgiveness from Helmut Isaak, brother of the slain missionary. — Photo by Lowell Brown/Meetinghouse

During the three-hour closing worship July 19 at Mennonite World Conference Assembly 15, Isaak read a statement of forgiveness to the man who killed Kornelius Isaak in 1958.

Jonoine Picanerai, now a chief of his tribe in the Chaco, came to the stage carrying the spear he used to kill Kornelius Isaak when a delegation of Mennonite missionaries was trying to win over the Ayoreos.

It is unclear exactly why the killing occurred, with different interpretations of the events from the different cultures involved.

Some 300 members of the Ayoreos are now Christians, the result of efforts by the New Tribes Mission some years after the murder, according to Edgar Stoesz in his recent book, Like a Mustard Seed: Mennonites in Paraguay.

“Fifty years you were a courageous young warrior of your tribe,” Helmut Isaak said in his statement. “You defended your territory against the invasion of the white man and you were a hero of your people… . Now we aren’t enemies anymore, but brothers in Christ. Brothers and sisters, this is a symbolic act of peace.”

Worshipers applauded when Isaak announced that a center of Christian faith studies will be established in Kornelius Isaak’s memory.

Swelling the number of those attending to 8,500-9,000 were local Mennonites who came to the assembly’s worship rather than their usual Sunday services.

Alfred Neufeld, a theologian and ordained minister at Concordia Mennonite Brethren Church, gave the closing message.

“Jesus needs you to love,” he said. “Christians are not only members of the church of Christ… . We need to be lovers of the church of Christ.”

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Comments

I was appalled as Mennonites silenced the less powerful in this staged presentation. One Mennonite invader has become a martyr, while many Ayoreo, who have died and been diminished because of deforestation and destruction of their God-given sacred territory, by Mennonites as well as others, were not mentioned. A spear took the life of one Mennonite man. Bulldozers have systematically taken life from many Ayoreo persons. Perhaps the Indigenous should have been presented with one of the bulldozers which was used to destroy their way of life. This would be a powerful symbol that Mennonites are turning from some of their own destructive ways.

- Willis G Horst (aug 16 at 6:40 p.m.)
Mr Horst, how was the less powerful silenced? Did not Jonoine have a choice in accepting the invitation to Asuncion? Did Jonoine and his people not have a choice when in the 1980's they decided to reach out to fellow Ayoreo's in the north and were killed for the Prince of Peace (also). Granted, this situation isn't as textbook tidy as North Americans would like things to work out, but I ask my North American friend if he has recently spoken to the indigenous people who once owned the land he now occupies? Our attempts may not be perfect, but in all our foibles we do call on the Prince of Peace to give us wisdom.

- K Epp (sep 1 at 10:04 a.m.)

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