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| Bahá’í News | July 1978 | Bahá’í Year 135 |
Alaska!
The Peoples of God Part 2: Alaska—p. 8
Native Councils—p. 11
Dynamic Kotzebue—p. 12
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To the Friends Gathered at National Bahá’í Conventions Beloved Friends, We joyfully hail the formation of seven more National Spiritual Assemblies, those of Burundi, Mauritania, the Bahamas, Oman, Qatar, the Mariana Islands and Cyprus; two in Africa, one in the Americas, two in Asia, one in the Pacific and one in Europe, raising to one hundred and thirty the number of pillars of the Universal House of Justice. Your National Spiritual Assemblies will be sharing with you the message addressed to the International Bahá’í Convention and the news of the progress of the Five Year Plan that was released on that occasion. As you will see, many national communities have already completed, or virtually completed, their Five Year Plan goals. These communities must now ensure that the pace of expansion and consolidation which brought them victory is maintained so that they will advance strongly into the next plan. They can also, by pioneering and travel teaching, rally to the assistance of their sister communities which still have months of intensive work before them in order to win their goals. It is to these latter communities that we now address our call to redoubled, united and sacrificial effort. We are fervently supplicating at the Sacred Threshold that the followers of the Blessed Beauty will arise with enthusiasm, confidence and consecration to ensure that every goal is attained. With loving Bahá’í greetings, |
| Contents |
From the Universal House of Justice |
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A message to the 4th Bahá’í International Convention | 2 |
Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney |
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A reminiscence by the Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery | 4 |
The Peoples of God, part 2: Alaska |
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Native believers raise high the Standard of Bahá’u’lláh | 8 |
Alaska’s Native Councils |
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Unique new mode of expression for indigenous Bahá’ís | 11 |
Kotzebue: dynamic Bahá’í community |
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Above the Arctic Circle, Eskimo believers help build new world | 12 |
Around the world |
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News from Bahá’í communities in every corner of the globe | 14 |
Cover
Our series of articles on indigenous Bahá’ís around the world continues this month with a series of three reports from Alaska written for Bahá’í News by Marilyn Patterson. The first of these discusses the impact of native-born believers on the Faith in Alaska; the second deals with the recently-established Native Councils that provide the indigenous believers with a new and comfortable format in which to express their ideas and concerns; and the third profiles Kotzebue, a progressive and active Bahá’í community that is composed mainly of Eskimo believers.
Change of address should be reported directly to Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091. U.S.A. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates: one year, U.S. $8; two years, U.S. $15. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright ©1978, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
Bahá’í News is published monthly for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A.
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A Message From the Universal House of Justice
Dearly-loved friends, The Universal House of Justice takes great pleasure in addressing the members of National Spiritual Assemblies gathered in the Holy Land, in the presence of Hands of the Cause of God and Counsellors from all continents, at this fourth International Convention, pausing with you to review the course and needs of the Five Year Plan as we cross the threshold of its final year. The opening of the Plan witnessed the eager response of the friends, careful study made by the national institutions of the Faith of its implications and requirements, the establishment of machinery and the setting up of projects to achieve its goals, and the often arduous struggle to fulfill the first of its three major objectives—the safeguarding and consolidation of all prizes won in earlier campaigns. This phase extended in many countries over a period of several months, and in others continued as far as the mid-way point of the Plan. The middle year of the Plan saw the holding of the International Conferences and those many regional conferences which were held concurrently and diffused far and wide the inspiration flowing from these eight major assemblages of the believers. These gatherings motivated a great acceleration of the work and helped the believers throughout the world to arrive at a new realization of the responsibility entrusted to the followers of the Most Great Name for the spiritual regeneration of their fellow men. We are now in the last stage of the Plan, and this Convention provides us with a welcome and auspicious hour in which to assess our progress and to direct our thoughts to the complete achievement of the goals. Of the 130 National Spiritual Assemblies which will be operating during the last year of the Plan, 50 have either achieved or nearly achieved their teaching goals. Of the remaining 80 National Assemblies, some 40 are confidently forging ahead and are assured of victory if the present tempo in their teaching work is maintained. Nine National Spiritual Assemblies are restricted by conditions which make the fulfillment of homefront goals dependent on circumstances beyond their control. The remaining 30 national communities are, alas, seriously lagging behind, and only strenuous and sacrificial effort will enable them to win their goals. The second of the three major objectives of the Plan—a vast and widespread expansion of the Bahá’í community—has seen great but geographically uneven progress. There are now more than 19,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies, and the number of localities where Bahá’ís reside is over 83,000. This expansion has been accompanied by an intensification of proclamation efforts and by increased use of mass media such as radio and television. There have been notable advances in the process of gaining wider recognition for the Cause of God and in fostering cordial relations with civil authorities, a matter of vital importance in these days when there is a growth of opposition to the Faith from those who, misconstruing its true nature and aims, take alarm at its progress. Some of the most significant achievements of the Plan have been towards its third major objective—the development of the distinctive character of Bahá’í life—and in the consolidation and strengthening of the structure of the Bahá’í community. The beloved Hands of the Cause of God, who have been in the forefront of so many aspects of the work of the Faith, have rendered far-reaching services in this field. The Local Spiritual Assemblies, focal centres for the teaching of the Faith and the consolidation of the community, are growing in experience, maturity and wisdom, are proving to be potent instruments for nurturing the Bahá’í life and are, in increasing numbers, carrying out plans for the establishment of the Faith in areas outside their own range of jurisdiction, under the |
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over-all guidance of their National Spiritual Assemblies, and with the encouragement and help of the Auxiliary Boards and their assistants. The work of developing Local Spiritual Assemblies is a task without end in the foreseeable future. As the Bahá’í community, which is still very thinly spread around the world, moves continually and with increasing rapidity into new areas, new Assemblies will come into being and will need patient help and training in their sacred duties. The devotion and self-sacrifice of the friends, which have drawn to them the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh, have resulted in the very great advances made so far. Evidences of this striving are apparent in the growing number of national communities which, under the wise stewardship and challenging leadership of their National Spiritual Assemblies, are becoming financially self-supporting; in the fact that ever more individual believers are adopting for themselves specific goals and plans of service for the advancement of the Faith; in the settlement of more than 2,000 pioneers during the course of the Plan; in the upsurge of travel teaching individually and in teams; in a greater awareness of the power of prayer; and in many other ways. Three vital aspects of Bahá’í community life which have seen marked progress during the past four years are the development of the services of women and of youth, and the Bahá’í education of children. The youth have long been in the forefront of the teaching work, and now our hearts rejoice to see the women, in so many lands where previously their capacities were largely left unused, devoting their capable services to the life of the Bahá’í community. The education of Bahá’í children is also receiving much attention, which bodes well for the future generations of Bahá’ís. Experience has shown that active and loving collaboration between the Continental Boards of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies has been a particularly invigorating and strengthening factor in the progress of the Cause in all aspects of the work. Reflecting the growth of the community, the number of Continental Counsellors has been raised to 64 during the Plan, and the number of the members of Auxiliary Boards to 675. Under the authorization given to them, members of the Auxiliary Boards have till now appointed 3,358 assistants, who already are playing a significant role in the formation and consolidation of Local Assemblies and the fostering of the Bahá’í way of life in local communities. Coordinating and directing the work of these Continental Boards from the Holy Land, the International Teaching Centre is now well established in the conduct of its responsibilities, foreshadowing the mighty role that it is destined to play in the functioning of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh. The Faith is passing through a time of tremendous opportunity and development, as well as of increasing opposition and of growing complexity in the problems confronting it. These opportunities must be seized and these problems overcome, for so crucial are these times that the future course of human history is daily in the balance. During this year the Universal House of Justice will be consulting on the nature, duration and goals of the next stage in the implementation of the Divine Plan. The firm base of the achievement of the Five Year Plan goals, both those of quality and those of quantity, is therefore the burning necessity of the months now before us. Let us go forward in a spirit of optimism, with confidence, determination, courage and unity. The greater the love and unity among the friends, the more speedily will the work advance. May the Almighty bless the endeavours of His servants and inspire their hearts to arise in His Cause with that degree of radiant faith and self-sacrifice which will draw to their aid the conquering hosts of the Supreme Concourse. The Universal House of Justice
Riḍván 1978 |
Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney: a remembrance[edit]
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following reminiscence of Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney, an outstanding early believer who compiled the volume, Some Answered Questions, was written by her close friend, the Hand of the Cause of God Ugo Giachery.)
Laura Clifford Dreyfus-Barney was born into a family of scholars and artists in the United States. She completed her education in France during the last decade of the 19th Century.
With her keen intellect, logical mind and inquiring nature, she devoted her whole adult life to improving human relations and bringing together peoples of different religions, classes and nations.
She was a brilliant speaker and made several trips around the world lecturing on the impelling necessity of a united world. She was a true pioneer in this field, at a time when the world was still geographically and politically divided and quite unresponsive to the call of spiritual unity.
Her enthusiasm never lessened. Those who had the rare privilege of knowing her over a period of many years can testify that her undaunted and unfettered ideal of the brotherhood of man remained alive and glowing to the very last moment of her life.
Laura was living in Paris with her mother and sisters shortly before the turn of the century. It was there that she became acquainted with the Bahá’í Revelation. It proved to be the spark that ignited a fire that was never to be quenched. Her ideals and aspirations found fulfillment in her many services to the Bahá’í Faith, services that were joyfully rendered with steadfastness and perseverance for nearly four score years.
Of the early pilgrims from the West who visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during the end of the last and the beginning of the present century, Laura Dreyfus-Barney emerges as one of the most dedicated and active followers of Bahá’u’lláh. The writer recalls her vivid description of her first meeting with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the expression of rapture and wonderment with which from time to time she related many details of her visits to His household and the devoted services she was able to render.
Before one of her visits to the Holy Land, she later related, she was eagerly anticipating the joy of passing a few days in the Master’s presence and in spiritual communion with Him. After His loving welcome, however, He said: “I want you to leave as soon as you can to visit all the places connected with the life of Christ, as I wish you to realize how Christ was treated.” With these words her visit was terminated. The Master was preparing her to meet the indifference and opposition of a large segment of humanity that had been led astray by bigotry and superstition.
As her visits to the Holy Land became more frequent, she was privileged to spend long periods of time with the Master and His immediate family. She met Shoghi Effendi, the future Guardian of the Faith, when he was a boy of five or six years of age.
Her first-hand recollections of that extraordinary child were most illuminating, and she became aware of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s plan for His grandson’s education in English literature. At the time of her visits, Shoghi Effendi had an Italian governess. Laura Dreyfus-Barney was able to secure the services of a refined and cultured English woman who proved to be a great asset in the education of that gifted child. He eagerly pursued the study of English literature. These studies enabled him to master the idiom perfectly in the years that followed. Laura Dreyfus-Barney’s affection for the child grew into a deep sense of admiration and respect.
Visits to ‘Akká had become the center of Laura Dreyfus-Barney’s life and inspiration. On one of these visits, in 1905, which lasted for a month, her mother, Mrs. Alice Barney1 accompanied her. The elder Mrs. Barney was a poet, painter, musician and architect. Some of her paintings can even now be seen in the National Collection of Fine Arts at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In 1903 she had painted a portrait of the celebrated Bahá’í teacher, Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl, during his visit to Washington.
Among Laura Dreyfus-Barney’s many achievements and services to the Faith, the most outstanding is the one that has immortalized her name the world over—the compilation of the renowned volume, Some Answered Questions. This collection of questions and answers was begun while ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was still confined in the prison city of ‘Akká under constant threat of deportation as a prisoner to the far-off desert of Fizá.
The manner in which Some Answered Questions was compiled is described by Dr. Yunis Khán-i-Áfrúkhtih, a physician who was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s secretary in the early 1900s. In his memoirs2 concerning the years spent in the presence of the Master, Dr. Afrúkhtih relates that he had assisted by interpreting at those historic luncheon talks, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sat at the head of the table, Laura Dreyfus-Barney at His left and Ethel Rosenberg of England next to her.
Miss Rosenberg wrote down the questions presented by Laura Barney and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s answers as translated by Dr. Afrúkhtih into English, while Mírzá Múnir, another secretary, recorded at the same time the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their original Persian. Two sons-in-law of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Mírzá Ḥadí,
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the father of Shoghi Effendi, and Mírzá Huḥsin, each of whom was an Afnán (that is, a relative of the Báb), together with Mírzá Nurid-Din Zayn, assisted in translating and recording the text.
Two copies of the English manuscript were made, each bearing the seal of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. One of these Laura Dreyfus-Barney was able to take with her out of Palestine, in spite of the strict surveillance imposed on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His Family, and all visitors.
The existence of such a remarkable manuscript prompted a distinguished French scholar, who in 1901 had become the first of his countrymen to accept the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, to offer to translate it into French. The scholar was Monsieur Hippolyte Dreyfus3 whose acquaintance with the early Bahá’ís in Paris and with those passing through the city had enkindled his love for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and for the Cause of God.
M. Dreyfus and Laura Dreyfus-Barney decided to collaborate on the French translation and, as she later related, it was during this undertaking that they discovered how well they could work together. They were married in 1911, but the intervening years were filled with many activities undertaken jointly—travels at the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Persia, to Máh-Kú, to ‘Ishqábád where construction of the first Bahá’í House of Worship was being completed, and to eastern regions of Asia, including Indo-China, now Vietnam.
After the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but fortunately before the outbreak of World War II, the manuscript of the English translation of Some Answered Questions was transmitted through a trusted intermediary to the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, together with some important and precious Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed to Laura Dreyfus-Barney and to a close friend, Mrs. Tewksbury-Jackson, of whom mention will be made later.
Laura Dreyfus-Barney had kept a written chronological record of her experiences and travels since her acceptance of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, especially of her association with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His Family, with the intention of publishing it in book form at some later date. This precious material was kept in her Paris home inside a spacious mahogany cabinet that served as a repository of Bahá’í history. The entire contents of that cabinet, most unfortunately, were confiscated during the German occupation in World War II. The precious manuscript of Some Answered Questions, however, already had reached the Guardian.
In more recent years, the writer asked Mme. Dreyfus-Barney whether she would be able to rewrite her recollections as they had been noted in that chronological record, but she indicated that that would be impossible. Concerning the compilation of Some Answered Questions, the many details she had related in various conversations with the writer were confirmed by her in a letter that has been published in the Italian translation of that book.4
Her abiding devotion to the Master and His Consort, and to the Greatest Holy Leaf, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sister, was repaid with trust, love and gratitude. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá extolled the variety of her services in many Tablets, and the women of the household presented her with many gifts, mostly pieces of jewelry, that were entrusted to the writer and delivered by him to the Universal House of Justice a few years ago.
During the early years of the 20th century, Laura Dreyfus-Barney traveled to the Holy Land on one occasion with her dear Bahá’í friend, Mrs. Tewksbury-Jackson.5 They reached Haifa soon after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had rented a house near the sea in that city. It was a house of modest dimensions, and hardly suited to the needs of the Master and His growing Family.
Mrs. Jackson was disturbed to see the hardships and limitations under which the Beloved Master was obliged to live, and felt that some relief should be offered to Him at once. As she explained, “It is an unbefitting and undignified abode for such a highly exalted and noble Personage.”
Then and there she decided that a more suitable home should be built for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as soon as possible. She asked Mme. Dreyfus-Barney to take charge of the project. In relating this episode to the writer, Mme. Dreyfus-Barney said: “For some time, therefore, and meeting with many obstacles, I was occupied with purchasing the land, having a design for the house made—of course with the approval of the Master—and seeing that its construction was carried out efficiently and promptly.”
After her marriage to M. Dreyfus, her activity in the service of the Faith increased considerably. They worked together to assist ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and were often His hosts and companions, particularly during His visits to France and Switzerland.
The scholarly translations of many Bahá’í texts into French made by M. Dreyfus, with his wife counseling and assisting, became the foundation of the Bahá’í Faith in France. Both were skilled linguists; Mme. Dreyfus-Barney had become proficient in the use of Persian, while her husband had an excellent knowledge of Persian and Arabic, a gift that permitted him to undertake and complete his translations into French. Both, of course, also had a fluent knowledge of English and French. During these years they were able to provide the French Bahá’í community with a generous supply of Bahá’í literature in French, often printed by the French University Press.
Shoghi Effendi made several visits to Paris as a young man, during which he enjoyed the hospitality of M. and Mme. Dreyfus-Barney. Shoghi Effendi was extremely keen and observant. During those early years a Bahá’í artist and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Scott, both Americans and both fiercely loyal to the Faith, had a studio in Paris that had become the center of many Bahá’í activities. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke at the studio several times when He was in Paris in 1911.6
Laura Dreyfus-Barney introduced Mr. and Mrs. Scott to Shoghi Effendi, and this was the beginning of new interests for him, as he became keenly enamored of the world of the arts. His interest in architecture, sculpture and painting ripened into a wide field of knowledge under the devoted guidance of this distinguished artist. The Paris visits continued for a few years and were the source of much satisfaction and happiness for Shoghi Effendi.
Soon after he became Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi began to erect its administrative institutions, and called for the election of the first National Spiritual Assemblies. He asked M. and Mme. Dreyfus-Barney to represent him at the Bahá’í Convention for North America held at Green Acre in Maine, July 4-9, 1925.
It would require many pages to recount chronologically all the many Bahá’í services of Laura Dreyfus-Barney in America,
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Europe and other parts of the world. We remember having seen her at one of the “Souvenirs” of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Evergreen Cabin in West Englewood, New Jersey. Her inspiring account of her life in ‘Akká has remained engraved in the writer’s memory.
At that “feast” we had with us a color motion picture film, the first that had appeared on the market for a 16 mm. amateur camera. We still have that film record, now historic, that shows Laura Dreyfus-Barney, Mountfort Mills, Roy Wilhelm, ‘Ali-Kulí Khán and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kinney (“Saffa” and “Vaffa”), Curtis and Harriet Kelsey, and many, many others.
Mention also should be made of Laura Dreyfus-Barney’s humanitarian and social activities in her work for world peace. During World War I she served in Paris in the American Ambulance Corps, took part in the creation of the first children’s hospital in Avignon, France, and worked in a hospital with the refugees. At the end of that conflict she placed her faith in the League of Nations, and represented the International Council of Women in that body, playing an important role in cultural exchange. In 1926, she was the only woman named by the League council to sit on the Sub-committee of Experts on Education, a post she held for many years. On July 23, 1925, Laura Dreyfus-Barney was named Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur. In that same year she founded a Committee of the Major International Associations of the League of Nations, working for peace through education, and became a permanent member of the committee as well as its liaison officer. In 1934 she became a member of the Advisory Committee of the League of Nations on Teaching. She also was a member of the French Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.
Her services with international organizations were indeed extensive. She was the convenor of the Cinematographic and Broadcasting Committee of the International Council of Women, and in 1931 she organized, under the auspices of the International Institute of Educational Cinematography of the League of Nations, the first Congress for women, held in Rome, specializing in the dissemination of educational materials for peace by means of motion pictures. At the first International Congress of Educational and Instructional Cinematography in 1934, she was elected one of six vice-presidents, the only woman chosen.
In 1937 she was appointed by the French minister of commerce as a member of the cinema section of the International Exposition. In the same year, on the initiative of the French minister of foreign affairs, she was elevated to the rank of Officier de la Legion d’Honneur by a decree dated January 31, having earlier been elected president of the Peace and Arbitration Commission of the International Council of Women.
After the death of her husband in 1928, Mme. Dreyfus-Barney tried to overcome her loneliness by multiplying her efforts for the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh and the cause of peace.
In 1941 she was a member of the American delegation to the Conference on Cultural Cooperation in Havana, Cuba. In May 1944, at the request of the Guardian, she attended the celebration in Wilmette of the Centenary of the Declaration of the Báb, although World War II was raging in almost every corner of the globe. On that special occasion the writer remembers her moving address that recalled her early days in ‘Akká and her review of 40 years of developments in the Faith.
For the duration of World War II, Laura Dreyfus-Barney had been the delegate of the French National Committee of Women to the Commission on Racial Affairs. At the close of the war, she became president of the UN Commission of the Council of Women for the Control and Reduction of Armaments, located in Geneva. As the writer had been named observer for the International Bahá’í Community, we frequently met at UN-sponsored gatherings. When the Food and Agriculture Organization moved from Washington to Rome, early in 1950, she often visited Rome and was a welcome guest at our home there. Those were unique opportunities to listen to the reminiscences of her dedicated Bahá’í life and to hear firsthand many episodes and facts from her personal experiences with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His Family, Shoghi Effendi, and her much-loved husband, Hippolyte.
In 1955, at the dedication of the first Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Paris at 11 Rue de la Pompe, she was present, as was Miss Edith Sanderson, another early American believer living in Paris.7 After my wife and I returned to Europe from America in 1969, we called on Mme. Dreyfus-Barney whenever we went to Paris, and there spoke joyfully of all that was dear to our hearts.
For the last few years of her life, she remained at her home, seeing friends occasionally and living with the memories of her active and fruitful life. The last time we visited her was one of the most intimate and loving of our friendship. Although her body was wracked by rheumatism, her mind was as alert and brilliant as ever.
She had placed close to her, on a small table, a copy of the Italian translation of Some Answered Questions, the publication of which the writer had supervised. She was most happy with the quality and appearance of the book, and was proud to show it to friends and visitors. A few weeks before her death we received a letter from her secretary expressing Mme. Dreyfus-Barney’s desire to see us soon. But it was not to be. Her beautiful earthly life ended on August 18, 1974, five years before the centenary of her birth. She is buried in the Passy Cemetery in Paris. The famous French newspaper Le Monde took notice of her passing, the Bahá’í friends in France and the U.S. lamented her departure, and the Universal House of Justice sent the following cablegram to the friends in America:
“Ascension distinguished maidservant Laura Dreyfus-Barney further depletes small band promoters Faith Heroic Age. Member first historic group Paris taught by May Maxwell she achieved immortal fame through compilation Some Answered Questions unique entire field religious history. Offering ardent prayers Sacred Threshold progress her soul Abhá Kingdom. Urge all communities France hold memorial gatherings gratitude outstanding achievements.”
- Memorial article, The Bahá’í World, Vol. V, p. 419.
- These memoirs have never been published.
- Shoghi Effendi’s tribute to M. Dreyfus, letter of December 21, 1923, published in Bahá’í Administration, p. 157, and in The Bahá’í World, Vol III, p. 210.
- Published in Rome, 1961, under the title Le Lezioni di San Giovanni d’Acre, pp. 374-375.
- Mrs. Jackson was from Boston, her family name being Tewksbury. Her husband, James Jackson, was a Frenchman, although possessing an English name. Mrs. Jackson’s home in Paris, near the Champs Élysées, was open for Bahá’í meetings. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed many Tablets to her, which are preserved at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa.
- When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited Paris, the address of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Scott was 17 rue Boissonade. A memorial article for Edwin Scott is published in The Bahá’í World, Vol. V, p. 418.
- See memorial article written by Mme. Dreyfus-Barney, The Bahá’í World, Vol XIII, pp. 889-890.
Alaska![edit]
EDITOR’S NOTE: The second in our series of articles on indigenous Bahá’ís around the world features three articles on Alaska written for Bahá’í News by Marilyn Patterson. The first discusses the impact of the native-born believers on the Faith in that country; the second deals with the unique concept of Native Councils that were established for the first time four years ago; and the third profiles the Bahá’í community of Kotzebue, above the Arctic Circle, whose members, most of whom are Eskimos, are reaching out to bring the healing Message of Bahá’u’lláh to everyone in that area.)
The Peoples of God Part 2—[edit]
Alaska[edit]
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To praise the outstanding native believers in Alaska is to pay tribute to the special station of each person who has enlisted there under the banner of Bahá’u’lláh.
The tremendous pressures from family and village to which nearly every native Bahá’í is subjected affirm the nobility, boldness, selflessness, purity, and lofty station of every Indian or Eskimo believer who remains steadfast.
Bearing this in mind, the following sketches are a characteristic sampling of the meritorious services that have been and still are being rendered to the Faith by Alaska’s native believers—many of whom cannot be mentioned in this brief article.
The first Alaskan native to enroll in Alaska itself was Agnes Parent Harrison, an Athabascan Indian. (Melba Call King is the first known native of Alaska to embrace the Faith. Melba, an Eskimo, was enrolled in the early 1940’s in New Mexico.)
Agnes Harrison was enrolled as a youth in 1949, and has never wavered in her steadfastness. She has served the Faith in many ways including service as a pioneer, a Local Spiritual Assembly member, a public speaker, and a traveling teacher throughout North America.
Mary Brown was the first Tlingit Indian to enroll. That took place in Petersburg, in 1964. Aflame with the Faith, she set out immediately to teach her family and friends, traveling to a number of villages in southeastern Alaska. She served on the Spiritual Assembly of Petersburg and on several Bahá’í committees.
In 1970, she was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska and has served on that body each year since then. She has vigorously pursued the deepening of native believers with the goal of bringing them into full participation in the Bahá’í community.
It was largely through Mary Brown’s efforts that the Native Council concept was born and adopted in Alaska. It is basically a teaching conference at which the Indian and Eskimo believers express their particular concerns.
She continues to work as diligently as ever in the fields of native teaching and deepening.
Lauretta King, a Tlingit Indian from Sitka, became a Bahá’í in 1961 in Tacoma, Washington, and has served the Faith in a number of capacities. In the U. S., she served on the Bahá’í Indian Council, a District Teaching Committee, and on several Local Spiritual Assemblies.
In 1969, she had the bounty of pilgrimage. She also made teaching trips to Canada during that period. Two years later, she and her husband, Lynn, moved back to Alaska where she has served on the National Teaching Committee and aided in the development of Native Councils, formed a flying club with her husband to make village teaching more accessible, and taught extensively throughout Alaska.
In 1974, Mrs. King was appointed an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Ray Hudson. In April 1977 she was named an Auxiliary Board member and presently is serving in that capacity.
Carolyn Baumgartner, an Eskimo believer, was reared in Fairbanks where in 1968 she became an active and enthusiastic Bahá’í youth.
She and her husband, Dave, moved in 1970 to Barrow, Alaska, to teach school. After participating in a mass teaching project in southeastern Alaska in 1971, followed by pilgrimage, they decided to make a long-term and serious commitment to Barrow.
At that time there was only one other Bahá’í in Barrow, who had been out of touch with other believers for a long time. Today there is a Local Spiritual Assembly in Barrow.
Through the years Mrs. Baumgartner has given institutes, taught in many villages, represented Alaska at the dedication of the House of Worship in Panama, taught at summer schools, attended the Inuit Policy Conference in Canada with Lauretta King, and served on the Local Spiritual Assembly of Barrow since its inception in 1976.
That same year, she was appointed an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Ray Hudson. She presently serves as an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Mrs. King.
Maynard Eakan, another radiant Eskimo believer, was born in Kotzebue, but left that village many years ago. He was enrolled in 1969 after meeting Bahá’ís in Fairbanks and hearing a public talk by Mrs. Florence Mayberry, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors.
As a new believer, Mr. Eakan attended the Bahá’í National Convention, and afterward went to Matanuska Valley to help form its Local Spiritual Assembly.
Since then, he has been a member of Local Assemblies in several communities and has taught throughout much of Alaska. He has served on the National Teaching Committee, is presently on the Northwest Goals Committee, and is actively involved with the Native Councils.
He and his wife, Dolores, have now returned as pioneers to his home community of Kotzebue.
Mr. Eakan’s joy comes from teaching. He says each village atmosphere is different, and since he knows the Faith well and has the answer to many of the problems confronting the village people, he loves to bring them the Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
Although she was born in Carcross, Yukon Territory, Hazel Lovelace is a Tlingit Indian, and her people are from Juneau and
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the Angoon area in southeastern Alaska. She became a Bahá’í in 1962 at the Jackson Lake Conference in Canada.
After pioneering to Sitka in 1963, she told Auxiliary Board member R. Ted Anderson she was worried about her sketchy knowledge of the Faith. He advised her to carry the book Bahá’í World Faith with her, and to look up the answers to questions as people asked them, thus teaching and learning at the same time. Mrs. Lovelace says she has been teaching that way ever since.
In 1970 she taught the Faith in Canada, and in 1973, following her pilgrimage, taught in England. In 1974 she traveled with Auxiliary Board members Fletcher Bennett and Lauretta King, teaching along the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia.
In 1975 she went to Barbados and the Windward Islands in the Caribbean, where the National Spiritual Assembly placed her in charge of a large teaching and consolidation project that lasted well over a year.
On her return trip from the Caribbean, Mrs. Lovelace taught among Indians in Arizona and New Mexico and on the Warm Springs Reservation near Portland, Oregon.
After returning to Alaska, she taught in many villages, helped set up Native Councils, served on the Northern Native Planning Council, and attended the International Teaching Conferences in Anchorage and in Merida, Mexico. Following the Mexico conference she remained for two extra weeks to teach the Faith in that area.
Mrs. Lovelace lives with her three daughters in Anchorage, but one can seldom find her at home. She is usually out making teaching trips—with her well-used copy of Bahá’í World Faith in hand.
Another outstanding native believer in Alaska is Jim Schoppert. Since becoming a Bahá’í in Anchorage in 1973, he has taught extensively in Alaskan communities as well as on the western coast of the U.S. and in Mexico.
Although he speaks only a little Spanish, Mr. Schoppert says he loved teaching in Mexico, and while there he taught the first person to enroll in the Faith in San Luis Potosí.
He and his wife, Debbie, pioneered for one year to Nome, Alaska, in 1975, where he taught art at the high school. He served on Local Spiritual Assemblies in Anchorage, Nome and Spenard, and at the Alaska National Convention in 1976 was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly.
Two months before becoming a Bahá’í, Mr. Schoppert completed his first work of art. Now, only four years later, he is well-known as an accomplished artist. His main mode of expression is totemic art, but he also does abstract sculpture, painting, print-making and jewelry.
Mr. Schoppert employs a variety of media including stone, wood, metal, plastics and ivory. He says there is a direct relationship between the development of his artistic ability and his enrollment in the Faith. He believes that his talent has been developed as a vehicle through which to teach the Faith.
Jim Schoppert, an indigenous believer from Alaska, is responsible for the creation of this totemic design with the Greatest Name written on it.
Mr. Schoppert’s sister, Jackie Schleifman, became a Bahá’í in 1975 and is serving on three national committees and a local committee in the Anchorage community.
There are a number of Alaskan natives besides Mr. Schoppert who not only serve the Faith in a variety of ways, but also teach the Faith through the arts.
Martha and Jerome Trigg, believed to be the world’s first Eskimo Bahá’í couple, are active teachers, and Martha has translated several Bahá’í prayers into the Eskimo language, and uses authentic Eskimo dances to share the Message.
Simon and Belle Koenig of Kotzebue and Paul George of Nenana also teach through the medium of dance.
William Wiloya, the first Eskimo believer in Nome, has taught in many parts of the world, and is well-known as co-author of Warriors of the Rainbow, a book about prophetic dreams of the Indian peoples.
Rita Blumenstein, the first Eskimo from a Catholic background to enroll in the Faith, has translated four Bahá’í prayers into an Eskimo dialect, and is currently translating the “Tablet of Aḥmad.” Professionally, she teaches Nelson Island basket weaving at the Matanuska Valley Community College and for the local school district and says that as a bonus for the students, she teaches them the Faith at the same time.
Artist Peter Sighyke, a Diomede Eskimo, uses his talents as an excellent dancer and ivory carver to promote the Cause.
David and Mary Seppilu of Savoonga are also active believers and accomplished ivory carvers.
So many other native Alaskans have served the Faith so well that a complete listing would be impossible. A few additional names that come to mind are these:
Velma Koontz and her husband, Keith, have been pioneering in Savoonga since 1972. Mrs. Koontz was the first Eskimo Bahá’í from the island of St. Lawrence. Interestingly, her grandfather was the first Christian on the island, and was shot for his beliefs. Mrs. Koontz owns and operates a trading post in Savoonga and sews Eskimo parkas and sealskin clothing.
John and Mary Sam are an older couple of Athabascan heritage who have been active Bahá’ís for years in Beaver.
Joyce Shales, who is Tlingit and Haida, has been on pilgrimage and taught in many areas of the world including Greenland.
She and her family live in the tiny Eskimo village of Shishmaref, where she is working on a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Alaska.
Walter Austin, another Tlingit Indian, is well-known for his articulate explanation of the Bible’s relationship to the Faith, and presently serves as an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Fletcher Bennett.
To say that every native Alaskan believer is special would be an understatement. Many are unsurpassed in their spiritual capacity, devotion, and service to the Faith. They truly are “raising the call of the Kingdom of God” in the vast and rugged state of Alaska.
Alaska’s Native Councils: A new mode of expression[edit]
The Bahá’í Native Council was developed four years ago by the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska in response to the need to find an effective way for native Indian and Eskimo believers to express their concerns.
Basically, the Native Council is a teaching conference conducted for natives within a native setting.
The Native Council allows the native believers to participate fully and easily in their own unique way.
The Council also serves as an effective instrument for deepening and consolidating native believers, as it provides a creative environment in which the particular concerns of native peoples can be discussed, as well as a way to develop plans for the most effective means of teaching and deepening the friends.
Council participation is limited to native peoples, although non-native believers are welcomed as observers and are active in supporting roles such as bringing the believers to the Councils, cooking meals, etc.
If a Hand of the Cause of God, a Continental Counsellor, or a member of the National Spiritual Assembly or Auxiliary Board is present, he or she is acknowledged and given the freedom of the floor.
The intention, however, is to encourage the participation of native peoples and avoid domination by non-natives.
The Native Councils were conceived as a response to an instruction of the Guardian:
“Much as the friends need administration, it must be brought to them in a palatable form; otherwise, they will not be able to assimilate it, and instead of consolidating the work you will find some of the believers becoming estranged from it.”
Thus the Native Councils are likened to allowing a specific section (native believers) of the orchestra (the Faith) to perceive their relationship to the music, to practice their role, and to become more confident in playing their parts.
There are two Council planning committees under the National Spiritual Assembly—the Northern Native Council Planning Committee, and the Southeast Native Council Planning Committee.
These committees set dates for Council meetings that do not conflict with regular village activities such as hunting or fishing; find suitable locations for the Councils; design invitations; select keynote speakers, Council chairmen, secretaries and reporters, and arrange for a Local Spiritual Assembly or other body to host and secure the facilities for the Councils.
The committees encourage teaching as the main objective of the Councils, and lay the groundwork for teaching projects as a follow-up. They also choose the Council theme, such as “to try and achieve the destiny for our people as given to us by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”
Three-day sessions for larger Councils and two days for smaller ones have been found effective, with prayers in native languages and native dancing and singing throughout. One or two evenings are designated for public meetings, again using the native themes.
The first Native Council was held in February 1974 at Haines, with others held in Palmer, Dillingham and Petersburg in 1975, and Nome, Anchorage and Beaver in 1977.
The Councils have drawn believers from all parts of Alaska as well as from Canada and the United States.
The Councils are regarded as the most successful tool for deepening and consolidating native believers in Alaska. There is a need for Councils to be held in as many villages and remote areas as possible.
Alaska presently boasts 15 all-native Local Spiritual Assemblies—in Circle, Fort Yukon, Beaver, Sleetmute, Nikolai, Grayling, Shageluk, Holy Cross, Tanacross, St. Michaels, St. Mary’s, Hooper Bay, Kakae, Klukvan and Yakutat.
The state’s 10 predominantly Indian Local Assemblies are in Barrow, Kotzebue, Selawik, Nome, Hoonah, Savoonga, Dillingham, Nenana, Unalaska and Aniak.
In these villages, there is a core of pioneers, a necessary ingredient in administrative functions until the native peoples can learn the ways of the New World Order and assume the reins of administration.
Having Native Councils in each area greatly facilitates the native believers’ understanding of the Administrative Order, and enhances their relationship and service to the Faith.
Most importantly, the Native Councils impart “a special measure of love” to the native peoples and play an important role in helping to bring about the destiny promised by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“... should these Indians be educated and properly guided, there can be no doubt that through the Divine teachings they will become so enlightened that the whole earth will be illumined.”
Energy, enthusiasm fire dynamic Kotzebue community[edit]
The Wagner family from Kotzebue, Alaska, spent six weeks in 1976 traveling by boat to teach the Faith. Val Wagner is standing to the right of the boat. Native children from the village of Noorvik, on the Kobuk River, are with her. Mrs. Wagner’s sons, David and Jeff, are in the boat.
Kotzebue, one of the largest Eskimo villages above the Arctic Circle, has a population of 1,800 Eskimos and 600 non-natives. It is a mother community to 13 smaller villages that lie within a 640-kilometer (400-mile) radius.
While the community may seem far removed from modern urban centers and their attendant problems, many of the ills plaguing modern society are rampant in Kotzebue. Alcoholism and drug abuse are common; suicide is frequent, especially among the teenagers; children often are rebellious, the people are fearful, and a great culture is caught in a veritable blizzard of rapid change.
In the midst of this chaotic scenario is a tender, struggling, but vibrant and enthusiastic Bahá’í community.
The first Spiritual Assembly of Kotzebue was elected at Riḍván 1974, and it began to function effectively in 1976.
In that year, six Eskimos and three non-natives were elected. The Assembly was on fire with the love of God. Officers were elected immediately, teaching plans were made, and the teaching work has been pursued vigorously ever since.
Traveling teachers were sent to the villages of Selawik and Noatak. Noatak soon had its first enrollment, while Selawik formed its first Local Spiritual Assembly.
The Kotzebue Assembly then set forth bold summer teaching and consolidation plans that began June 21, 1976, with a five-day team “spiritualization.”
Afterward, traveling teachers were sent to nine nearby villages—Selawik, Noorvik, Kiana, Ambler, Shungnak, Kobuk, Buckland, Candle and Deering.
Four of these villages were thus opened to the Faith, filling one of the extension teaching goals of having at least one Bahá’í living in each of the 13 villages in the Kotzebue area.
Another teaching team, consisting of pioneers Jim and Val Wagner and their three sons, traveled for six weeks by boat, traversing more than 1,280 kilometers (800 miles) of the Kobuk and Kobuk rivers, and reaching five villages on two different occasions.
The Kotzebue Bahá’ís were able to make four teaching trips by commercial air carrier including two to Nome. It was the first time that any Spiritual Assembly in an Alaskan village had planned and carried out such an expansive teaching plan entirely on its own.
The energy and enthusiasm of the Kotzebue community grows even more intense as it witnesses the bounties Bahá’u’lláh bestows on every effort made for His Cause.
There are presently 39 believers in Kotzebue including 27 Eskimos. The role of pioneers is one of deepening the friends, making teaching trips, and consolidating the victories already won.
A recent bounty was the gift to the Kotzebue community of a half-hour of free radio time each week on a local station. For the past year, Bahá’í radio programs have reached the entire Kotzebue and Norton Sound areas, as well as parts of Siberia.
Tapes by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears entitled “Prophecy Fulfilled” have been used on the radio programs. The Assembly also uses the talents of local believers to produce its own programs aimed at the needs of the area. The response from local people has been generally positive.
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Books have been given to key village officials to inform them of the principles of the Faith. Also, there are regularly scheduled firesides and deepenings, weekly Assembly meetings and children’s classes, and a newsletter every Bahá’í month that is sent to every Bahá’í in the area.
The Local Assembly in Kotzebue becomes more solid and respected each day. It is constantly reaching out to assist each community member and to educate the people of the village about the principles of the Faith.
The Assembly sponsors a consolidation program, “Outreach,” schedules prayer meetings and public events for special days such as UN Human Rights Day, and has hosted an Auxiliary Board conference and a Native Council.
The Assembly reports that the act of becoming a Bahá’í in Kotzebue involves considerable courage because of the heavy opposition usually encountered from family and friends. Most of the residents in the area are fundamentalist Christians.
It is therefore vital, says the Assembly, that the new believer be given a solid and secure refuge under the protection of the Faith.
Two families have been brought into the Faith through one member’s having taken the first step, but ensuring the families’ steadfastness requires constant vigilance and hard work.
What seems to impress the native peoples most is the ability of each Bahá’í to “live the life,” and the community’s efforts to provide a joyous and wholesome community environment for every believer.
The force of individual example and the solidarity of Bahá’í community life attracts people, as does the positive attitude of the Faith toward the solution of contemporary problems.
The Kotzebue Assembly, which has accomplished much in a very short time, is laying the foundation for “entry by troops” in its area of Alaska. One of the believers there writes: “The power of Bahá’u’lláh is felt in all our activities. He is the Accomplisher, we are His instruments. We pray to become an example of strength to all our brothers and sisters in Alaska.”
The Kotzebue Bahá’í community has arisen valiantly to obey the instructions of the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “God willing, the call of the Kingdom may reach the ears of the Eskimos ... Should you display an effort, so that the fragrances of God may be diffused among the Eskimos, its effect will be very great and far-reaching.”
Seven members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Kotzebue, Alaska, elected at Riḍván 1977. Front row, left to right: Grace Lincoln, Chris Pocock, Nita McQueen. Back row, left to right: Maynard Eakan, Doloris Eakan, Jim Wagner, Lori Eakan.
Around the World[edit]
Costa Rica[edit]
14 Assemblies formed[edit]
Fourteen new Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed and 11 others were strengthened during a recent teaching project in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica.
The effort was supported and encouraged by Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Central America, and the National Spiritual Assembly of Costa Rica.
Team members included two Auxiliary Board members, two members of the National Spiritual Assembly, a Bahá’í youth from the area, and youth who had remained to teach after attending an International Bahá’í Youth Conference at San Jose early in January.
With emphasis on the teaching of families, Counsellor Aḥmadíyyih reported: “In every village where the Faith has been taught there are now 10 to 15 adult believers representing two or three families.”
An extension of the project into Meseta Province saw the formation of one new Local Assembly, another assured of formation, a jeopardized Assembly saved, and several Groups activated.
Other areas of activity in Costa Rica are in Belem, the site of the Bahá’í Institute, where two pioneers have settled; and in Nicoya, where an Auxiliary Board member and new pioneer will organize consistent teaching work.
Colombia[edit]
Deepening Conference[edit]
Believers from Colombia and Venezuela joined members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Colombia and the Auxiliary Board and their assistants at Rio Hacha, Colombia, February 4-6 for a deepening conference directed by Continental Counsellor Donald Witzel.
More than 30 believers were deepened on the relationship between the elected and appointed arms of the Bahá’í administration: the Universal House of Justice and National and Local Spiritual Assemblies on the one hand, and the Hands of the Cause, Continental Boards of Counsellors, and Auxiliary Boards and their assistants on the other.
The emphasis was on the growth and functions of the Counsellors, their Auxiliary Boards and assistants, as explained in a new compilation, The Continental Board of Counsellors, published by the National Spiritual Assembly of Colombia.
Two special sessions conducted by Auxiliary Board member Mrs. Judy Leeb dealt with the functions and responsibilities of the Auxiliary Board for protection.
When the goals of the Five Year Plan were reviewed, one believer, a native Venezuelan, generously offered a part of his land to help fill the endowments goal.
On the last day of the conference, some participants got together to repair the roof of the Institute and to clean the extensive gardens that surround it.
United Kingdom[edit]
The Bahá’í Faith was featured prominently in a recent exhibition of religions at the Cambridge Library in England. The display, the Bahá’í part of which was prepared by the Spiritual Assembly of Cambridge, consists of 18 large panels, three for each religion, and is divided into “foundations” of each including its Founder and Scriptures; “practices” including festivals, Holy Days and Teachings; and its later development. Maps, photos and short captions are used to illustrate each of these areas, while shelves below carry objects associated with the various faiths. A number of libraries in nearby towns have made bookings to have the exhibition, and it is expected to be of considerable use for some years.
Mauritius[edit]
Goal teaching successful[edit]
A joyous and exciting teaching activity was initiated in January in a goal city of the island country of Mauritius where a group of about 15 Bahá’ís spent a camping weekend.
The results of their efforts included the formation of a new Local Spiritual Assembly. The Bahá’ís intend to use the camping-and-teaching method in other goal localities as well.
The effort was triggered by the success of a small group of believers who spent a part of the school vacation in the summer camping and teaching, and succeeded in helping to form two new Assemblies.
Now, the National Spiritual Assembly of Mauritius has bought a tent, and two more tents have been donated, so the camping and teaching can continue.
“We are sure that this activity will generate
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a new enthusiasm among the friends, and that several teams will be formed,” said a member of the National Spiritual Assembly. “To maintain the new Local Assemblies it will be necessary for consolidation teams to follow the teaching teams.”
Surinam[edit]
New Center dedicated[edit]
The villages of the upper Surinam river in Surinam, South America, visited by the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum in 1975 during the historic Green Light Expedition, can be reached only after a three-day journey by boat on a river dotted with treacherous rapids.
Still, these villages that have produced a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Surinam and French Guiana have remained steadfast in the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
On February 26, a conference was held to open the first Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds on the upper Surinam, at Kamaloea, the village that served as a base of operations for the Green Light Expedition.
Auxiliary Board member Jamshid Ardjomandi reports that the friends at the conference collected funds to help the National Spiritual Assembly pay for its new boat and motor to be used on the numerous rivers in that tropical country.
Bahá’ís on the upper Surinam receive the Bahá’í newsletter of Surinam in the form of cassette-taped translations into their native language, Taki-Taki. In this way, they’ve been deepened in the Faith and have learned prayers and songs.
Radio proclaims Faith[edit]
The wide, flat countryside around Nickerie, Surinam, in northern South America, is inhabited by thousands of Hindi-speaking rice farmers of the Hindu and Muslim religions.
Since 1975, when the area was opened to the Faith by traveling teachers, nearly 200 of these people have become Bahá’ís, and eight Local Spiritual Assemblies have been formed.
In February, during a 10-day visit to the area by Mrs. Shirin Boman, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for South Central Asia, the Faith was proclaimed during a 15-minute radio program in the Hindi language. The response of the local people, including the District Commissioner, was heartwarming and enthusiastic.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Surinam and French Guiana has contracted with the radio station in Nieuw Nickerie for 52 weekly 15-minute Bahá’í radio programs in Hindi, and a local believer has begun delivering the programs to the station on its behalf.
Togo[edit]
31 localities opened[edit]
The closing months of 1977 brought about the opening of 31 localities to the Faith in Togo and the establishment of eight Local Spiritual Assemblies.
Dapango, Bassar, Amlame, Tabligo and Niamtougou were the scene of vigorous teaching activity.
Thirty new believers, all of whom had to walk at least five kilometers (three miles) to get to Bassar, the site of a deepening institute, learned about Bahá’í administration and the functions of Local Spiritual Assemblies.
Brazil[edit]
Local Spiritual Assembly treasurers, representatives of local and national committees, members of the Auxiliary Board and their assistants, and other Bahá’ís who attended the second of two National Seminars on the Funds held recently at the newly-repaired Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Bahia, Brazil. The first of the seminars was held at São Paulo.
Laos[edit]
Children sing, teach[edit]
Songs and dances performed by the Bahá’í children highlighted the Intercalary Days celebration held February 26 at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Vientiane, Laos.
Some of the children invited their non-Bahá’í friends who were instantly affected by the warmth and love of the Bahá’í children and other friends at the gathering. Most of the non-Bahá’í children asked to be included in the Sunday children’s classes.
Among the forces that attracted the parents of non-Bahá’í children to request that their youngsters be enrolled in the classes is the prayer in English of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “O God, guide me, protect me, illumine the lamp of my heart...”
“My daughter knows how to pray in English!” a Laotian mother would proudly tell her neighbors. In this country where English has spread in little more than a decade, the statement creates a special interest and delight when a youngster can recite something in English.
Daily activities are now being held at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds starting with morning prayers and including a study-deepening class each evening on “The History of the Faith” interspersed with the slide show, “Land of Resplendent Glory.” There are music sessions on Saturday afternoons, and youth and children’s activities on Sunday mornings.
Two Laotian Bahá’í children, Mok and Pik, perform a traditional Lao dance at the Intercalary Days celebration in February. The movement of hands is a most important part of the traditional dances.
Zaire[edit]
Groups, Assembly formed[edit]
In a letter received February 20 at the Bahá’í World Centre, a believer in Zaire wrote that his visit to an unopened locality in December helped bring enough new believers into the Faith for two Bahá’í Groups to form.
On a second trip to the area, accompanied by a pioneer, the Bahá’ís received a warm welcome from the chief for the area. There were many more declarations, and a Local Spiritual Assembly was brought into being. The chief, not yet a Bahá’í, insisted that the friends return to tell the entire populace about the Faith.
“We did just that,” reported the pioneer. “Twelve of us returned.”
As a consequence, he added, the chief is now a Bahá’í and “a real community has developed. We are going to do this again in another place.”
Hawaii[edit]
Faith on sports page[edit]
Nancy Emerson of Maui, Hawaii, has achieved a possible “first” for the Bahá’í Faith there: a front-page article in the sports section of the Honolulu, Hawaii, Advertiser.
The 25-year-old Miss Emerson is a professional surfer and competed in the 1978 Professional International Surfing Grand Prix. She has been surfing since she was 11, and has won awards in 45 countries as an amateur.
As a Bahá’í, Miss Emerson recently wanted to pioneer to the Marshall Islands, but found there was no employment there in professional surfing, so did not go.
Now the firm that is her employer and sponsor has won a contract to build a small boat harbor and docking facility in Majuro, Marshall Islands. They have asked Miss Emerson to assist with the project.
El Salvador[edit]
Youth Conference[edit]
A Bahá’í Youth Conference that attracted 50 youth (and a few older Bahá’ís) from 16 communities in El Salvador was held March 23-26 in a rural setting near Cojutepeque.
The conference, planned by the National Youth Activities Committee, covered such topics as the lives of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, life after death, love and marriage, Bahá’í Administration, methods of teaching the Faith, and the role of youth in the Five Year Plan.
As a guide for the conference, the letter from the Universal House of Justice to Bahá’í youth of the world published in 1966 was read and discussed.
The conference was marked by a new sense of urgency and responsibility on the part of the youth. A proclamation at the site brought four declarations.
North West Pacific[edit]
Island teaching trip[edit]
Traveling by ship, four Trukese Bahá’í believers, all members of the Penia-Fonomo community on Udot Island in the Truk Lagoon, recently visited the island where they helped to establish a new Local Spiritual Assembly. The four Bahá’ís are Masa Koichi, Kai Becky, Thomas Becky and Waner Ynegaw.
They, along with several other believers, had attended a class organized by an assistant to an Auxiliary Board member that included more than 40 hours of preparation for teaching in the more remote islands.
Teaching in these islands is a goal of the Five Year Plan for the area.
United States[edit]
Refugee finds Bahá’ís[edit]
A Bahá’í in Carbondale, Illinois, teaching English to Indochinese refugees, was explaining the meaning of the word “counselor” to her class when a Laotian student asked, “Do you mean a person who comes to visit and help people, someone of religion?”
Puzzled, the teacher asked, “Do you mean a priest or missionary?”
The student replied, “No. I mean like the Bahá’í Faith: we have Counsellors.”
The teacher could hardly believe her ears. “Bahá’í?” she said. “I’m a Bahá’í!”
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Now it was the young man’s turn to be overwhelmed. His face lit up as he told her he had been trying to contact Bahá’ís since arriving in the U.S. but did not know where to look ...
Thirteen non-Bahá’ís were among the 22 adults and four youth and children who attended a public Naw-Rúz observance hosted by the Spiritual Assembly of San Angelo, Texas. Publicity included announcements on one television station and six radio stations, one of them Spanish-language. Invitations to the observance also were extended personally by telephone and by mail ...
During Ayyám-i-Há, Bahá’ís in Huntington and Cabell County, West Virginia, gave a party for children at the Huntington Orthopedic Hospital. The children were entertained, served refreshments, and presented with gifts. Puzzles, coloring books, and crayons were donated to the pediatrics ward.
Guam[edit]
Visit makes news[edit]
When Hazel Lovelace, a Tlingit Indian Bahá’í from Canada’s Yukon Territory, stopped in Guam while on her way to Japan to assist in the teaching work, she was interviewed by a reporter from Guam’s Pacific Daily News.
The half-column article, printed February 4, listed many of the principles of the Faith, and was illustrated with a three-column photograph of Miss Lovelace in traditional Tlingit dress.
Ethiopia[edit]
50-plus at conference[edit]
More than 50 Bahá’ís attended the second Regional Teaching Conference for Sidamo, Ethiopia, held December 18 at the new Bahá’í Center in the village of Nure.
The Nure community organized and managed the meeting, and believers from other villages chaired the sessions.
The friends studied the Bahá’í Faith as the unifier of humanity. Other topics included how to live a Bahá’í life; the power of prayer; and the need for spirituality if one is to have true progress and happiness.
Future conferences will be held in the villages of Mudane and Dereba, where there are new Bahá’í Centers.
Ecuador[edit]
Women make shoes[edit]
Bahá’í women in Temuco, Ecuador, who meet together each Thursday to study the Faith and learn crafts, became shoemakers for an Intercalary Days project.
They made 40 pairs of shoes and gave them to patients at the Maternity Home of Nueva Imperial, enclosing a pamphlet of Bahá’í prayers with each pair.
The project gave the women an opportunity to explain something about Intercalary Days to the chief administrator at the home.
Dominican Republic[edit]
3rd Winter School held[edit]
The third annual Bahá’í Winter School of the Dominican Republic was held December 25-January 1 in Jarabacoa.
Despite heavy rains, the school was well-attended, and there was a wonderful spirit of cooperation, with everyone taking turns giving children’s classes, cleaning up, scheduling classes, and participating in evening programs.
Aside from classes, those attending were divided into six teams and took part in a coordinated teaching effort in the city of Jarabacoa. Many people there heard of the Faith for the first time, and many asked that they be visited again...
The first National Children’s Conference of the Dominican Republic was held October 29-30, 1977, at Puerto Plata.
Fifteen children attended the conference, which had as its theme “Service.”
In addition to classes and song sessions, each child left the conference with a set of self-developed personal goals. The conference was so successful that the National Spiritual Assembly made plans for similar gatherings in other regions.
The second National Children’s Conference was held February 25-26 in San Juan de la Maguana and was attended by 10 children and several teachers.
The children attended classes, sang, made teaching materials, and learned prayers and passages from the sacred Writings...
Owing to the efforts of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Barahona and a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Dominican Republic, all 40 programs in the Bahá’í series for radio, “The New Garden” are being aired on Radio Barahona.
The programs began at 6:30 a.m. March 1 and will continue until the entire series has been presented. The owner of Radio Barahona has a chain of five stations, and plans to rotate the programs on each of them to cover the entire southwestern half of the Dominican Republic. The Assembly in Barahona is preparing for what it believes will be a large response to the programs.
The friends who attended the third annual Bahá’í Winter School of the Dominican Republic December 25-January 1 at Jarabacoa.
