Unknown Speaker addressing the National Congress of American Indians in the mid 1960's
"In early days we were close to nature.
We judged time, weather conditions, and many things by the elements--the good earth,
The blue sky, the flying of geese, and the changing winds.
We looked to these for guidance and answers.
Our prayers and thanksgiving were said to the four winds--to the East, from whence the new day was born; to the South, which sent the warm breeze which gave a feeling of comfort; to the West, which ended the day and brought rest;
and to the North, the Mother of winter whose sharp air awakened a time of preparation for the long days ahead.
We lived by God's hand through nature and evaluated the changing winds to tell us or warn us of what was ahead.
Today we are again evaluating the changing winds.
May we be strong in spirit and equal to our Fathers of another day in reading the signs accurately and interpreting them wisely.
May Wah-Kon-Tah, the Great Spirit, look down upon us, guide us, inspire us, and give us courage and wisdom. Above all, may He look down upon us and be pleased."
Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."
This site is dedicated to Native American family, friends,
and anyone that appreciates life's joys.
Red Cloud(Makhpiya-luta) , April, 1870
"In 1868, men came out and brought papers. We could not read them and they did not tell us truly what was in them.
We thought the treaty was to remove the forts and for us to cease from fighting. But they wanted to send us traders on the Missouri,
But we wanted traders where we were. When I reached Washington, the Great Father explained to me that the interpreters had deceived me.
"All I want is right and just."
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....I am poor and naked, but I am the chief of the nation. We do not want riches but we do want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches. We want peace and love.
Tom Brown, Jr., The Tracker
"If today I had a young mind to direct, to start on the journey of life, and I was faced with the duty of
Choosing between the natural way of my forefathers and that of the
Present way of civilization, I would, for its welfare
Unhesitatingly set that child's feet in the path of my forefathers
I would raise him to be an Indian!"
"We learned to be patient observers like the owl
We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay,
Who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory
But above all of them ranked the chickadee because
Of its indomitable spirit."
Lakota Prayer
Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery,
teach me how to trust
my heart,
my mind,
my intuition,
my inner knowing,
the senses of my body,
the blessings of my spirit.
Teach me to trust these things
so that I may enter my Sacred Space
and love beyond my fear,
and thus Walk in Balance
with the passing of each glorious Sun.
According to the Native People, the Sacred Space
is the space between exhalation and inhalation.
To Walk in Balance is to have Heaven (spirituality)
