.....While the story of Freemasonry and its involvement with Native Americans or American Indians has been told in bits and pieces, this is the first time a major work has been dedicated to the subject. It is long overdue, but now, thanks to the work of Ill. Jim Tresner, 33°, Grand Cross, and Ill. Robert G. Davis, 33°, both of the Valley of Guthrie, Oklahoma, we have this story in one 55-page, illustrated digest.
.....The Oklahoma Masonic Indian Degree Team has performed before thousands of Freemasons all across the country putting on the Third Degree in colorful Native American dress. (See Current Interest.) The Degree Team’s story encompasses 50 years and 800 performances and is a tribute to one of the finest Degree Teams you will ever see. As the Team demonstrates by example, it is still possible to know your part, deliver it well, and perform excellent floor work.
The digest covers such topics as analogies between Freemasonry and Indian societies, the Medicine Man and the Senior Deacon, and has a valuable section titled “The Five Civilized Tribes and Freemasonry.” The latter describes the development of Freemasonry and Masonic Lodges in the original Grand Lodge of Indian Territory. The digest also has some biographical sketches, an explanation of the Indian “Blood Brother” initiation, and a comparison between American Indian ideals and the tenets of Freemasonry.
Copies of A Shared Spirit are available through the Masonic Service Association (MSA) at $4.00 each plus $2.50 s/h. Quantity discount purchases are available and may be arranged by contacting the MSA. A Shared Spirit is softbound,  5 ½” x 8½”, b&w illustrated, and 55 pages long.  Please send orders to:
Masonic Service Association, 8120 Fenton Street,Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Phone: 301-588-4010; Fax: 301-608-3457; E-mail: msana@ix.netcom.com.