American Indians mourn pope's passing in private

American Indians mourn pope's passing in private
By Anna Macias Aguayo / Associated Press
April 5, 2005

Laurie Ann Romero keeps an altar at her home with lighted candles, statues of saints and photos of relatives who have died.

The Pojoaque Pueblo woman took a large portrait of Pope John Paul II from the front page of last weekend's newspaper and added it to her sacred space.

"I'm praying that he's resting in peace, free from all of his pain," said Romero, 39.

Like the rest of the world, American Indian Catholics are grieving for the pope. But as is customary in Indian cultures, many tribal and pueblo people express their sense of loss quietly. "Native Americans tend to be a little more stoic than Spanish folks," said the Rev. Larry Bernard, pastor at several churches that serve Laguna and Acoma pueblos....

http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_state/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19863_3676576,00.html

she told me that she converted to Buddhism because it reflected the natural way that American Indians think and worship. This article adds another insight into this culture.

Interesting, I have a friend who is part Cherokee who is Jewish too, so American peoples seen to find a variety of faiths.