Have you ever been called by the wrong name? My younger brother Morgan and I are often mistaken for each other and called the other’s name. My internal voice says, “Can’t you see that I am handsomer than Morgan?” Brothers are like this!

I was hired as Senior Leader for Indigenous Justice and Reconciliation by the Christian Reformed Church in Canada. I have been introduced by many people on many occasions and I have noted a few things. In writing people sometimes say that I am the “senior leader for indigenous justice and reconciliation.” Here is where I become a grammar policeman. Senior Leader for Indigenous Justice and Reconciliation is a title and requires capitalization. It is “Prime Minister” not “prime minister!”

My second grammatic quibble is the word indigenous not being capitalized. The following quote is from Christine Weeber: 

So, why capitalize “Indigenous”? It articulates and identifies a group of political and historical communities, compared to the lower case “i,” which can refer to anyone. For example, being born in Ludington, I’m “indigenous” to Michigan, but I’m not an “Indigenous person” from Michigan.

My third quibble is structural - Indigenous Justice and Reconciliation. My title is so long that many people stumble, especially when verbally introducing me and they sometimes leave out Justice and mention Reconciliation. Here I correct people and say, “Indigenous Justice comes before Reconciliation.” We can’t have reconciliation until we deal justly.

Among our people names have meaning. They are not just labels. Among the Lakota people they coin names for newborn babies. One person’s name was “Born with a Tooth.” Another was called “Afraid of Lightning.” In the Bible names had meaning too. The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua, which is based on a Semitic root word meaning "to deliver; to rescue."

In order to give a proper name you have to study the creature. 

Many people have told me that they appreciate the First Nations Version of the New Testament because this translation gives the meanings of the names of people and places. It makes people stop and contemplate the scripture from a different perspective than they usually do. 

The first human mentioned in the Bible is Adam which is from the Hebrew word adamah, which means red earth. Some people from outside of the Americas refer to Indigenous people as Red Indians. This is to distinguish us from Indians from India. My late friend Richard Twiss used to say that the first human was an Indian or Red Man! LOL. We Indigenous people have had to fight for our recognition as human beings but even in this serious pursuit we like to laugh.

The first job given by the Creator to humans was naming the animals. In order to give a proper name you have to study the creature. Everything has a name and a good name indicates the properties or characteristics of the thing named. Adrian is an Italian name that means dark. Metaphorically it means rich or creative and I like to think of myself that way. My middle name is Dean which is of Latin origin and means leader of ten. I like working in small groups. My family name is Jacobs which is from Jewish origins but I am not of one of the lost tribes of Israel! Jacob means grasper or struggler. I have struggled with my Indigenous identity and my Christian faith for most of my life. I like to think I have come to terms with being fully and authentically Indigenous AND an authentic follower of Jesus.