DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CHURCH

Our Coahuiltecan ancestors, were indigenous to present day Rio Grande Plains of South Central Texas many of them were causalities of the Spanish invaders and their diseases during the Spanish Northern expansion in the 1600’s;  more casualties followed with the American western expansion in the1800’s.

During these many generations of cultural change our people managed to preserve our Medicinal Healing ways and Spiritual beliefs thru the passing down of oral history and traditional use of our Sacred (Peyote) medicine. Today our Church is being organized in order to continue the restoration and preservation of our traditional Beliefs; this will be accomplished by the following:

1.  RESEARCH AND DOCUMENT ANCESTRAL HERITAGE

a. Collect oral histories of our ancestors

b. Collect census, pictures and ancestral traditions

c. Establish library to house collection

d. Utilize ancestral history in religious ceremonies

2.  PRESERVE OUR TRADITIONAL LANGUAGE

a. Collect and organize our vocabulary

b. Develop vocabulary into instructional format

c. Teach our language to our Church attendees.

d. Utilize language in traditional ceremonies

3.  PRACTICE OUR TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

a. Continue our birthright use of Peyote as medicine and in spiritual practice

b. Acquire ancestral homeland to ensure our Peyote legacy

c. Utilize land for conservation of Peyote

d. Harvest Peyote for Traditional Worship and Healing practices

4.  RESTORE AND PRESERVE OUR BISON CULTURE

a. Acquire land for ceremonial herd

b. Practice established land conservation

c. Practice traditional Bison conservation

d. Maintain Bison Culture Spiritual Ceremonies

5.  MAINTAIN CEREMONIAL CALENDAR

a. Restore traditional ceremonies

b. Establish Ceremonial Calendar

c. Instruct Church attendees on Ceremonial Calendar

d. Continue to observe Ceremonies