Natives canoe in Israel

Eskimos in the Kinneret?  No, this is not a jokeBathers enjoying the waters of Lake Kinneret yesterday had a chance to observe a highly unusual sight: a group of Native Americans, Maoris and Inuit sailing past them in a canoe.

The visitors were part of a group of 450 members of tribal peoples who are currently visiting Israel for a conference at the Nof Ginosar hotel. They come from countries as varied as the United States, New Zealand, Finland, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Canada and several African nations.

Most of them belong to evangelical churches and have a high regard for Israel and for Judaism. They are seeking to maintain their evangelical faith while also trying to preserve their native heritage and culture, which European colonizers largely destroyed.

The group conducted ceremonies that included traditional costumes and tribal dances. They also toured traditional pilgrimage sites and met with kibbutz members in the Galilee area. Yesterday, the Native American contingent held a special purification ceremony at Ginosar, in which they placed hot rocks inside a special cleansing tent and then entered the tent to purify their bodies through perspiration.
Comment:  Perhaps the Natives find it hard to combine their evangelical faith and their native heritage and culture because the two are polar opposites.

For more on the subject, see Hercules vs. Coyote:  Native and Euro-American Beliefs.