The Rev Alvin Deer is Pastor of Seminole Hitchitee United Methodist Church near Seminole, Oklahoma, and the former Executive Director for the Native American International Caucus for the United Methodist Church.
‘Red Indian’ pastor who attended ‘pow-wows’
By Alvin Deer
SEMINOLE (OKLAHOMA) – The Rev Harry Long was not your typical United Methodist minister. A Muscogee Creek Indian of the “Wotko” or Raccoon clan, he wore his hair long. His usual attire was a casual shirt, jeans and boots.
Looks can be deceiving, though, because behind this dress was a spiritual giant. When his home congregation of Salt Creek United Methodist Church honoured him in 2000 for 50 years of ministry, I offered the keynote address and likened him to John the Baptist, who was clothed in animal skins and fed on honey, and to Elijah, who was fed by ravens. He truly was one of the ones who Jesus said would come after John.
On Dec 5 last year, after a long illness, he went to his promised reward in heaven. He was 87. With his death in Muskogee, Oklahoma, I lost a long-time mentor, role model, friend and co-worker. The United Methodist Church lost a respected churchwide voice on behalf of Native peoples and against injustice.
The Rev Long began his ministry in 1949 in the Oklahoma area and was ordained as a deacon in 1951 and an elder in 1953. He went on to serve various ministries for 26 years. He was one of the giants of faith produced by the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and will be remembered as a man who knew his Christian heritage as well as his cultural heritage.
He developed a ministry of presence among Native American people in the Phoenix area in the 1960s when the city was becoming an urban centre for many tribes. He ministered on the streets, at Native gatherings and even in “Indian bars”, where Natives coming from out of state would gather to find friends and make connections.
He was comfortable in these settings and would reach out not only spiritually but also to offer information about services available to sojourning Native Americans.
In the 1960s, he would attend Native “pow-wows” and Indian basketball and softball tournaments in Phoenix.
The Rev Long had a vast knowledge of history and was a well-known storyteller and hymn singer of indigenous Creek Indian hymns. – United Methodist News Service.
The Rev Alvin Deer is Pastor of Seminole Hitchitee United Methodist Church near Seminole, Oklahoma, and the former Executive Director for the Native American International Caucus for the United Methodist Church.