Her name was Birdie Miller Sixkiller. She was born on
November 26, 1903, and died on October 16, 1988, at the age of 85. She
lived on
the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina. She became an
educator and
taught Primary grades on the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee for 30 years.
During
her later years, she also taught in the Cherokee Indian School in the
state of
Oklahoma. She was politically active for the progress of the Native
Americans.
Because of her contribution made for the betterment of her people, an
artist
painted a portrait of her that can be seen with other Native Americans
on the
artist’s website.
Brother Bob Rigdon, now of Fort Walton Beach, Florida,
and an associate minister with the church there, related to me some
important
information regarding this gracious lady. Bob was a well-known Gospel
preacher
and educator in Western North Carolina for nearly a half century. While
he
preached for the church and taught at Western Carolina University in
Sylva,
North Carolina, he taught and preached often for the congregation in
Cherokee.
John Harlan was baptized during a Gospel meeting when Chester Hunnicutt
and Bob
were working together at that time. John told Bob about his mother,
Birdie Miller
Sixkiller. She was then teaching in Oklahoma and would often visit with
her
son. It was during those visits that Bob became acquainted with sister
Sixkiller and became a great admirer of this Christian lady. This is
what Bob
has written concerning our sister in the Lord: “She gave me a
New Testament
written in the Cherokee language. She informed me that it was the only
Bible
they had when she was growing up on the Reservation. (Note: This New
Testament
was published in 1820 and again in 1827.) The Old Testament was not
translated
into their language at that time. She had obeyed Jesus at a very young
age. She
mentioned to me that all the churches on the Reservation when she was a
teenager baptized for remission of sins and partook of the
Lord’s Supper every
Sunday. In addition, they did not use instruments of music in worship.
Then the
denominations began to move in and all that changed. After she retired
from
teaching, she moved back to Cherokee, NC. She taught
children’s classes at the
church. She visited numerous people, inviting them to church and set up
home
Bible studies until her death in the l980s. She was in her late
80’s when she
passed away. Birdie was severely crippled and had to wear a special
shoe with a
six inch sole and later needed a cane to walk.”
This story of a Native American lady who became a
believer in our Lord Jesus Christ and served Him faithfully for so many
years
thrilled my soul when I first learned of it. Perhaps it was for a
personal
reason. My maternal grandmother, whose maiden name was Sizemore, was a
quarter
blood Cherokee. My mother related how a Native American woman once
asked my
grandmother to live with her. I am happy to say that my grandmother
also became
a Christian, having been influenced by a godly lady friend. I have
always had a
tender and compassionate feeling in my heart for the Native Americans
who have
suffered much over the years. However, there are more important reasons
why I
am writing about the conversion and life of sister Sixkiller. They are:
1. She learned of
Jesus through a study of the New Testament in her own language. Her
faith in
her Lord was not founded on the teachings propagated in the creeds of
men;
rather, her faith came through the Word of God (John 20: 30-31: Romans
10:17).
2. She understood
at a young age that in order to be saved by the grace of God she had to
believe
in Jesus Christ, repent of her sins and be immersed into Christ for the
remission of her sins (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:36-38). She did not have
the
professional guidance of someone to help her misunderstand the
simplicity of
the way of salvation as taught in the New Testament.
3. Please observe
that the congregation where she worshiped partook of the
Lord’s Supper on the
first day of the week. Now how did they know to do that unless it is to
be
understood these Christians studied such passages as Matthew 26:26-29;
Acts
2:42; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29; 16:1-2 and Acts 20:7 and came to the
conclusion
that the church in the first century met on the first day of the week
to break
bread. There is no biblical record to indicate that our brethren in the
infant
church ever partook of the Lord’s Supper on Saturday and/or
infrequently like
once a month or just on special occasions.
4. It is
important to observe that the congregation on the Cherokee Indian
Reservation
sang during their worship assemblies without the addition of
instruments. In
their study of the New Testament, which was written in their language,
these
Native Americans understood singing was the only kind of music
authorized in the
Holy Scriptures (1 Corinthians 14:15, 23; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians
3:16).
This was true also of the first century Christians as well as
Christendom for
hundreds of years.
5. It was only
when denominational doctrines and practices invaded the religious
community
that innovations were introduced into the worship of the church. It is
not the
Word of God that divides Christians; rather, it is the dogmas, creeds
and
traditions of men that separate believers (Matthew 15:7-9).
How wonderful it would be if our liberal minded
brethren would consider the significance of this story of a young
Indian girl
who obeyed the commands of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and worshiped
faithfully
with the local congregation in her community. How sad that many of our
leading
brethren and congregations are being greatly influenced by the
doctrines of men
as they come to the conclusion that baptism is not necessary for
salvation;
that the Lord’s Supper can be taken on any day of the week
and/or on such
occasions as weddings, etc; and that the use of instruments in the
worship can
be justified by the silence of the Holy Scriptures. Moses E. Lard, a
pioneer
preacher and author wrote these words concerning the doctrines and
practices of
men: “To warrant the holding of a doctrine or practice it
must be shown that it
has the affirmative or positive sanction of this standard, [The New
Testament,
RE] and not merely that it is not condemned by it. Either it must be
actually
asserted or necessarily implied, or it must be positively backed by
some
divinely approved precedent, otherwise it is not even an item in
Christianity,
and is therefore, when it is attempted to be made part of it, criminal
and
wrong.”
Works Cited
1. Type the name of Birdie
Miller Sixkiller into Google (or your
search machine). Click on the link of Gallery and Museum Shows and you
will see
a portrait of sister Sixkiller.
2. Lord’s
Quarterly, 1864, Volume 1, page 330.
