Last Updated on August 4, 2023 by Kittredge Cherry
A Lakota version of the Rainbow Christ Prayer is presented by Q Spirit to highlight and support Native American people and cultures, especially the “two-spirit” people who combine masculine and feminine.
“I worked with Lakota people to translate the Rainbow Christ Prayer as a way to build respect, visibility and appreciation for Lakota culture,” said Q Spirit founder Kittredge Cherry. “I call upon the Rainbow Christ to bring healing for the historical harm that Christians inflicted on indigenous communities and LGBTQ people.”
By offering “Wígmuŋke-Waníkiya Wočhékiye,” Q Spirit aims to foster awareness, understanding and respect for the Lakota language and the rich tapestry of American Indian cultures. The prayer is a gift to the world.
Lakota culture has three genders: male, female and winkte or two-spirit. There are no pronouns such as “he” and “she” in the Lakota language.
Living in harmony with nature, almost all Native American tribes traditionally accepted two-spirit people. They continue to enliven the LGBTQ community, providing role models and inspiration for claiming gender diversity.
“The loss of indigenous languages is a global issue, so I believe it is crucial to share the prayer in indigenous languages as well as the world’s most common languages,” Cherry said. The Rainbow Christ Prayer is available in 20 languages.
Colors of the LGBTQ rainbow flag reveal the many faces of the queer Christ in the Rainbow Christ Prayer by Cherry and gay theologian Patrick Cheng. It matches the colors of the rainbow flag with the seven models of the queer Christ from Cheng’s book “From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ.”
European colonizers used Christianity as a tool to denounce two-spirit people as sinners and bring genocidal violence, but indigenous traditions and populations continue despite colonization. The Rainbow Christ Prayer is offered out of respect for Lakota spirituality and hope for cross-cultural interfaith dialogue and healing. Important figures in Lakota spirituality include the great creator Wakan Tanka and the prophet White Buffalo Woman.
Lakota is one of only eight Native American languages with more than 5,000 speakers, but it is still considered dangerously close to extinction with the aging of the last generation of fluent speakers who grew up with Lakota as their first language. The last generation of fluent speakers who grew up with Lakota as their first language are aging and have dwindled to about 2,000 people or less than two percent of the Lakota population.
The Lakota people are also known as Sioux, but many avoid using that term because it was a disrespectful name that was given to them by their enemies. In modern times the Lakota reservations are in the Great Plains states of North and South Dakota and Montana, but they occupied a larger region in the past. Their lands include the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, center of major national protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016-17.
“The Lakota and other Native American societies shine brightly in the rainbow of diversity,” Cherry said.
Here is a Lakota translation of the short version of the Rainbow Christ Prayer:
Rainbow Christ, you embody all the colors of the world. Inspire us to celebrate each color of the rainbow!
Wígmuŋke-Waníkiya, makȟásitomniyaŋ oówa kiŋ iyúha nimáhel úŋ. Wígmuŋke él oówa eyá yukȟé kiŋ iyúha yuwáŋkal uŋyúzapi kta íyouŋpaštáka po/pe!
Red gives us life. Self-Loving Christ, you are our Root.
Šá kiŋháŋ niúŋkhiyapi. Theíč’iȟila-Waníkiya, hutkȟáŋuŋniyaŋpi.
Orange stirs our passion. Erotic Christ, you are our Fire.
Zíša kiŋháŋ uŋyúškaŋškaŋpi. Tȟawíŋtȟuŋ-Waníkiya, pȟétauŋniyaŋpi.
Yellow awakens our courage. Out Christ, you are our Core.
Zí kiŋháŋ blihéluŋyaŋpi. Tȟaŋíŋič’iya-Waníkiya, čhoǧíŋuŋniyaŋpi.
Green moves us to love. Transgressive Christ, you are our Heart.
Tȟózi kiŋháŋ wathéȟilauŋyáŋpi. Wóopȟe-Khiyúksa-Waníkiya, čhaŋtéuŋniyaŋpi.
Blue frees us to speak. Liberator Christ, you are our Voice.
Tȟó kiŋháŋ wóglaguŋkhíyapi. Wayúška-Waníkiya, hóuŋniyaŋpi.
Violet clears our vision. Interconnected Christ, you are our Wisdom.
Tȟóša kiŋháŋ wablésuŋyaŋpi. Íčhikȟoyaka-Waníkiya, wóksapeuŋníyaŋpi.
The colors of the rainbow are distinct, but they all shine together to make one light. Hybrid Christ, you are our Crown.
Wígmugke-oówa kiŋ lená íčhitȟokeča, hó éyaš ptáyela iyóyaŋpa na ožáŋžaŋ waŋžíla káǧe. Ičáhiye-Waníkiya, watȟéšlaguŋníyaŋpi.
Rainbow Christ, you are the light of the world. May the rainbow lead us to experience the whole spectrum of life! Amen.
Wígmuŋke-Waníkiya, makȟásitomni ožáŋžaŋ k’uŋ hé niyé. Wígmuŋke kiŋháŋ iyówalya wičhóni kiŋ iyúha ȟčiŋ slol’úŋyaŋpi ní! Nuŋwé.
The Lakota translator wishes to remain anonymous. Thanks to Maka Black Elk for introducing and facilitating communication with the translator.
The following land acknowledgement appears on Q Spirit’s “About” page, but it seems important to post it here too:
Q Spirit is based in Los Angeles, California, the ancestral homeland and unceded territory of the Tongva/ Kizh/Gabrielino peoples. Q Spirit honor their elders and descendants — past, present, and emerging — as they continue to inhabit and care for these lands and waters. For the Los Angeles County land acknowledgement, developed in collaboration with leaders from local tribes, click here.
Links related to Lakota Rainbow Christ Prayer
Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Two-spirit Native Americans bridge genders (Q Spirit)
Tibira do Maranhão: First indigenous gay martyr of Brazil (Q Spirit)
Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ Identities: Today and Centuries Ago (Human Rights Campaign)
LGBTQIA+ Pride and Two-Spirit People (Smithsonian magazine)
Lakota Language Consortium
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This post is part of the LGBTQ Calendar series by Kittredge Cherry. The series celebrates religious and spiritual holidays, events in LGBT and queer history, holy days, feast days, festivals, anniversaries, liturgical seasons and other occasions of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people of faith and our allies.
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.
