Native Identity Belonging & Rediscovering God

Native is about identity, soul-searching, and the never-ending journey of finding ourselves and finding God. As both a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and a Christian, Kaitlin Curtice offers a unique perspective on these topics. In this book, she shows how reconnecting with her Potawatomi identity both informs and challenges her faith.

Curtice draws on her personal journey, poetry, imagery, and stories of the Potawatomi people to address themes at the forefront of today's discussions of faith and culture in a positive and constructive way. She encourages us to embrace our own origins and to share and listen to each other's stories so we can build a more inclusive and diverse future. Each of our stories matters for the church to be truly whole. As Curtice shares what it means to experience her faith through the lens of her Indigenous heritage, she reveals that a vibrant spirituality has its origins in identity, belonging, and a sense of place.

"Kaitlin Curtice is one of the braver writers I know. She won't smooth any edges for you, and she won't let you change the subject, but she'll support you digging as deeply for your roots as she has for hers." Barbara Brown Taylor, bestselling author of Holy Envy and Learning to Walk in the Dark

"It isn't very often that a book about identity — let alone dismantling white supremacy and patriarchy — reads like a poem, but that's Kaitlin. She is thoughtful decolonization set to music and wrapped in love. Her story is compelling and healing, and her path is an invitation to all of us, even as she challenges our assumptions and imaginations. I treasure each of these sacred words, rooted in her story and in the larger stories we still carry. This book can make all of us both more free and more connected to one another." Sarah Bessey, author of Miracles and Other Reasonable Things and Jesus Feminist

"There is no doubt that Christianity has been the handmaiden to the destruction of Indigenous nations. Native is more than Kaitlin Curtice's testament. It is an indigenization of faith and, more important, a moral call not only for the Christian church but for everyone to reckon with the genocidal legacies of US settler colonialism and African slavery. As she humbly puts it, decolonization is an invitation and a gift for humankind to re-establish correct relations with each other — and the earth." Nick Estes, cofounder of The Red Nation and author of Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance

Foreword INDIES 2020 Book of the Year Award (SILVER Winner for Religion)
2021 Georgia Author of the Year Award (Inspirational)

Native is about identity, soul-searching, and the never-ending journey of finding ourselves and finding God. As both a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and a Christian, Kaitlin Curtice offers a unique perspective on these topics. In this book, she shows how reconnecting with her Potawatomi identity both informs and challenges her faith.

Curtice draws on her personal journey, poetry, imagery, and stories of the Potawatomi people to address themes at the forefront of today's discussions of faith and culture in a positive and constructive way. She encourages us to embrace our own origins and to share and listen to each other's stories so we can build a more inclusive and diverse future. Each of our stories matters for the church to be truly whole. As Curtice shares what it means to experience her faith through the lens of her Indigenous heritage, she reveals that a vibrant spirituality has its origins in identity, belonging, and a sense of place.

Foreword INDIES 2020 Book of the Year Award (SILVER Winner for Religion)
2021 Georgia Author of the Year Award (Inspirational)
2021 Midwest Book Award (Silver Winner for Religion/Philosophy)

Native is about identity, soul-searching, and the never-ending journey of finding ourselves and finding God. As both a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and a Christian, Kaitlin Curtice offers a unique perspective on these topics. In this book, she shows how reconnecting with her Potawatomi identity both informs and challenges her faith.

Curtice draws on her personal journey, poetry, imagery, and stories of the Potawatomi people to address themes at the forefront of today's discussions of faith and culture in a positive and constructive way. She encourages us to embrace our own origins and to share and listen to each other's stories so we can build a more inclusive and diverse future. Each of our stories matters for the church to be truly whole. As Curtice shares what it means to experience her faith through the lens of her Indigenous heritage, she reveals that a vibrant spirituality has its origins in identity, belonging, and a sense of place.

Kaitlin B. Curtice is a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation as well as a Christian, public speaker, and poet. She travels around the country speaking on faith and justice within the church as it relates to Indigenous peoples and has been a featured speaker at Why Christian, Evolving Faith, Wild Goose Festival, The Festival of Faith & Writing, The Revolutionary Love Conference, and more. Curtice is a monthly columnist for Sojourners, has contributed to On Being and Religion News Service, and has been featured on CBS and in USA Today and The New Yorker for her work on having difficult conversations within the church about colonization. She is the author of Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places and writes on her blog at www.kaitlincurtice.com.