23:53

A historic opening prayer at the House

Some non-impeachment news courtesy of The Guardian’s Nina Lakhani:

Isleta Pueblo Chief Judge Verna Teller has become the first Native American to deliver the opening prayer on the floor of the House of Representatives - 240 years after the tradition began.

“Oh Creator and Great Mother. Having asked and received your permission to invoke your blessings today to all directions: East, North, West, South and the Center. We thank you for the life you give to all your children: the two-legged ones, the four-legged, those who live in the waters, and those who watch over us from the skies above. Sacred Pollen, sacred Earth Mother, sacred Water that manifest your desires, oh Creator and Great Mother, we thank them for the nourishment they give us equally with no regard to race, color or creed. Creator and Great Mother bless those standing before you, who carry a sacred trust to all of us who inhabit Turtle Island, our homeland, and I pray today that you will give them the wisdom and the courage to carry out their sacred trust with the same equality that we receive from the Sun and Rain.



Hurrd kem. (Thank you)”

Chief Judge Teller from New Mexico was invited by Congresswoman Deb Haaland, who is a member of the Laguna Pueblo people, as part of events to mark Native American heritage month.

“[This] is a time to reflect on the contributions that our Native communities have made to this country and the tragedies that they endured. Having Verna Teller on the House Floor does both – it reminds us that in the 200-plus years of our country’s history, the first people of this continent were excluded, but also that through resilience and perseverance we are still here and working to make our country a better place,” said Congresswoman Deb Haalan.

In 2018, New Mexico Rep Haaland and Sharice Davids, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation who represents Kansas, became the first Native American woman elected to Congress.

The current house chaplain is Father Patrick Conroy, the first Jesuit and second Catholic to hold the position of spiritual advisor to US lawmakers.