WISDOM
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Sioux Prayer
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Grandfather, Look at our brokenness.
We know that in all creation
Only the human family
Has strayed from the Sacred Way.
We know that we are the ones
Who are divided
And we are the ones
Who must come back together
To walk in the Sacred Way.
Grandfather,
Sacred One,
Teach us love, compassion, and honor
That we may heal the earth
And heal each other.
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Ojibway Prayer
Wolf is the grand teacher.
Wolf is the sage, who after man,
winters upon the sacred path
and seeking the ways of wisdom,
returns to share new knowledge with the tribe.
Wolf is both the radical and the
traditional in the same breath.
When the wolf walks by you -
you will remember.
~Robert Ghost Wolf~
"Only the mountain has lived long enough
to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf"
~Aldo Leopold~
~If you talk to the animals~they will talk with you
and you will know each other.
If you do not talk to them
you will not know them,
and what you do not know you will fear.
What one fears one destroys."
~Chief Dan George~
If all the beasts were gone,Men would die from loneliness of spirit,
Since whatever happens to the beasts
Also happens to man.
All things are connected.
Whatever befalls the earth
Befalls the sons of the earth.
~Chief Seattle~
~The Dreamcatcher~For hundreds of generations, certain elements of Native American
peoples' spiritualism have been, and continue to be, handed down.
One of these elements was the hoop. Some Native Americans of
North America held the hoop in the highest esteem,
because it symbolized strength and unity.
A lot of symbols evolved around the hoop,
and one of these was the Dream catcher.
Using a hoop of willow, traditionally, and decorating
it with findings, bits and pieces of everyday life,
it is believed to have the power
to catch all of a person's dreams, filtering out
the bad ones, letting only the good dreams pass through.
May they also work for you...
Grandfather Great SpiritAll over the world the faces
of living ones are alike.
With tenderness they have come
up out of the ground.
Look upon your children that they
may face the winds and walk with the
good road to the Day of Quiet.
Grandfather Great Spirit
Fill us with the Light.
Give us the strength to understand,
and the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth
as relatives to all that live.
Sioux Prayer
Let us see to it...that our lives,
like jewels of great price,
be noteworthy not because of their width,
but because of their weight.
Let us measure them by their performance,
not their duration.
~Seneca~"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."
~Ancient Indian Proverb~~The eagle represents courage and bravery.~
The native people believe that they are the ones
closest to the creator, The Great Spirit.
The feathers of the eagle are honored by Indians
as having powerful medicine,and that Eagle Medicine
is the power of The Great Spirit,
the spirit of tenacity.
The Legend of the Dream catcherLong ago when the world was young, an old Lakota
spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision.
In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher
of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider.
Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language.
As he spoke, Iktomi the spider picked up
the elder's willow hoop, which had feathers, horse hair
beads and offerings on it, and began to spin a web.
He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life;
how we begin our lives as infants,
move on through childhood and on to adulthood.
Finally we go to old age where we must
be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.
“But”, Iktomi said as he continued to spin his web,
“in each time of life there are many forces;
some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces,
they will steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen
to the bad forces, they’ll steer you in the wrong direction
and may hurt you. So these forces can help,
or can interfere with the harmony of Nature.
While the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web.
When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the elder the web and said,
“The web is a perfect circle with a hole in the center.
Use the web to help your people reach their goals, making good use
of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you believe in the great spirit,
the web will catch your good ideas and the bad ones will go
through the hole.” The elder passed on his vision to the people
and now many Indian people hang a dream catcher above their bed to
sift their dreams and visions. The good is captured in the web of life
and carried with the people, but the evil in their dreams drops through
the hole in the center of the web and are no longer a part
of their lives. It’s said that the dream catcher
holds the destiny of the future.
The Dream catcher LoreThe Indians believe that the night air is filled with dreams
both good and bad. The dream catcher when hung in your place of rest,
swinging freely with the air, catches the dreams as they flow by.
The good dreams know the way, slipping through the outer
holes and slide down the soft feathers so gently
that many times the sleeper does not know that he/she is dreaming.
The bad dreams not knowing the way, get tangled in
the web and perish with the first light of the new day.
Hold on to what is good
Even if is is a handful of earth
Hold on to what you believe
Even if it is a tree that stands by itself
Hold on to what you must do
Even if it is a long way from here
Hold on to life
Even if it is easier to let go
Hold on to my hand
Even if I have gone away from you
~Pueblo Blessing~~Wakan Tanka niya wastepi.... Hetchetu welo !!~
May God, the Great Spirit bless you.... for it is so !!
~Lakota Prayer~
~ Native Commandments~
Native Commandments~Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
Remain close to the Great Spirit.
Show great respect for your fellow beings.
Work together for the benefit of all Mankind.
Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.
Do what you know to be right.
Look after the well being of mind and body.
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
Be truthful and honest at all times.
Take full responsibility for your actions.
Let us greet the dawn of a new day
when all can live as one with nature
and peace reigns everywhere.
Oh Great Spirit, bring to our brothers
the wisdom of Nature and the knowledge
that if her laws are obeyed
this land will again flourish
and grasses and trees will grow as before.
Guide those that through their councils
seek to spread the wisdom of their leaders to all people.
Heal the raw wounds of the earth
and restore to our soul the richness
which strengthens men's bodies
and makes them wise in their councils.
Bring to all the knowledge that great cities
live only through the bounty
of the good earth beyond their paved streets
and towers of stone and steel.
~Jasper Saunkeah, Cherokee~
Warriors of the Rainbow"There was an old lady, from the "Cree" tribe,
named "Eyes of Fire",
who prophesied that one day, because of the white mans'
or Yo-ne-gis' greed, there would come a time, when the
fish would die in the streams, the birds would fall from
the air, the waters would be blackened, and the trees
would no longer be, mankind as we would
know it, would all but cease to exist.
There would come a time when the "keepers of the legend,
stories, culture rituals, and myths,
and all the Ancient Tribal Customs"
would be needed to restore us to health.
They would be mankinds’ key to survival,
they were the "Warriors of the Rainbow".
There would come a day of awakening
when all the peoples of all the tribes
would form a New World of Justice, Peace,
Freedom and recognition of the Great Spirit.
The "Warriors of the Rainbow" would spread these messages and
teach all peoples of the Earth or "Elohi". They would teach them
how to live the "Way of the Great Spirit".
They would tell them of how the world today
has turned away from the Great Spirit
and that is why our Earth is "Sick".
The "Warriors of the Rainbow" would show the peoples that
this "Ancient Being" (the Great Spirit), is full of love
and understanding, and teach them
how to make the "Earth or Elohi" beautiful again.
These Warriors would give the people principles or rules
to follow to make their path right with the world.
These principles would be those of the Ancient Tribes.
The Warriors of the Rainbow would teach the people of the
ancient practices of Unity, Love and Understanding. They would
teach of Harmony among people in all four comers of the Earth.
Like the Ancient Tribes, they would teach the people
how to pray to the Great Spirit with love that
flows like the beautiful mountain stream,
and flows along the path to the ocean of life.
Once again, they would be able
to feel joy in solitude and in councils.
They would be free of petty jealousies and love all mankind
as their brothers, regardless of color, race or religion.
They would feel happiness enter their hearts, and become
as one with the entire human race.
Their hearts would be pure and radiate warmth, understanding
and respect for all mankind, Nature, and the Great Spirit.
They would once again fill their minds, hearts, souls,
and deeds with the purest of thoughts.
They would seek the beauty
of the Master of Life - the Great Spirit!
They would find strength and beauty in prayer
and the solitude's of life.
Their children would once again be able to run free
and enjoy the treasures of Nature and Mother Earth.
Free from the fears of toxins and destruction,
wrought by the Yo-ne-gi and his practices of greed.
The rivers would again run clear, the forests be abundant
and beautiful, the animals and birds would be replenished.
The powers of the plants and animals would again be respected
and conservation of all that is beautiful
would become a way of life.
The poor, sick, and needy would be cared for by
their brothers and sisters of the Earth.
These practices would again become a part of their daily lives.
The leaders of the people would be chosen in the old way
- not by their political party, or who could speak the loudest,
boast the most, or by name calling or mud slinging,
but by those whose actions spoke the loudest.
Those who demonstrated their love, wisdom, and courage and
those who showed that they could and did work for the good of all,
would be chosen as the leaders or Chiefs.
They would be chosen by their "quality" and not the
amount of money they had obtained. Like the thoughtful
and devoted "Ancient Chiefs",
they would understand the people with love,
and see that their young were educated
with the love and wisdom of their surroundings.
They would show them that miracles
can be accomplished to heal this world of its ills,
and restore it to health and beauty.
The tasks of these "Warriors of the Rainbow" are many and great.
There will be terrifying mountains of ignorance to conquer
and they shall find prejudice and hatred.
They must be dedicated, unwavering in their strength,
and strong of heart. They will find willing hearts
and minds that will follow them on this road
of returning "Mother Earth" to beauty and plenty - once more.
The day will come, it is not far away.
The day that we shall see how we owe our
very existence to the people of all tribes that have
maintained their culture and heritage.
Those that have kept the rituals,
stories, legends, and myths alive. It will be with this knowledge,
the knowledge that they have preserved,
that we shall once again return
to "harmony" with Nature, Mother Earth, and mankind. It will be
with this knowledge that we shall find our "Key to our Survival".
This is the story of the "Warriors of the Rainbow" and this is
my reason for protecting the culture, heritage, and knowledge
of my ancestors.
I know that the day "Eyes of Fire" spoke of - will come!
I want my children and grandchildren
to be prepared to accept this task.
The task of being one of the
"Warriors of the Rainbow".
May the warm winds of heaven blow softly on your home,
And the Great Spirit, bless all who enter there.
May your moccasins make happy tracks
In many snows, and may the rainbow
Always touch your shoulder
A Cherokee BlessingA few more passing suns will see us here no more,
and our dust and bones will mingle with these same
prairies. I see as in a vision the dying spark of our
council fires, the ashes cold and white.
I see no longer the curling smoke
rising from our lodge poles.
I hear no longer the songs of the women
as they prepare the meal.
The antelope have gone;
the buffalo wallows are empty.
Only the wail of the coyote is heard.
The white man's medicine is stronger than ours;
His iron horse rushes over the buffalo trail.
He talks to us through his
'whispering spirit' (the telephone).
We are like birds with a broken wing.
My heart is cold within me.
My eyes are growing dim.
~Chief Plenty-Coups, Crow~
~Old Man Dreaming~ by John SteeleAs with all mankind the old man evokes
the pleasant images of his youth
as a prelude to his becoming one again with the universe.
WOLF CEREMONYIn my song, I appealed to the wolf
to come and preside over us
while I would perform the wolf ceremony
I wanted to give something of my past to my grandson.
So I took him into the woods, to a quiet spot.
Seated at my feet he listened as I told him
of the powers that were given to each creature.
He moved not a muscle as I explained
how the woods had always provided us
with food, homes, comfort, and religion.
He was awed when I related to him
how the wolf became our guardian,
and when I told him that I would sing
the sacred wolf song over him, he was overjoyed.
so that the bondage between my grandson
and the wolf would be lifelong.
I sang.
In my voice was the hope that clings to every heartbeat.
I sang.
In my words were the powers I inherited from my forefathers.
I sang.
In my cupped hands lay a spruce seed-- the link to creation.
I sang.
In my eyes sparkled love.
I sang.
And the song floated on the sun's rays from tree to tree.
When I had ended,
it was if the whole world listened with us
to hear the wolf's reply.
We waited a long time
but none came.
Again I sang,
humbly but as invitingly as I could,
until my throat ached and my voice gave out.
All of a sudden
I realized why no wolves
had heard my sacred song.
There were none left!
My heart filled with tears.
I could no longer give my
grandson faith
in the past, our past.
At last I could whisper to him: " It is finished!"
"Can I go home now?" He asked,
checking his watch to see if he
would still be in time to
catch his favorite program on TV.
I watched him disappear and wept in silence.
All is finished!
~Chief Dan George~
~Journey Of An Eagle~He glides up above observing....,
and there was a time when he has seen the
true beauty and goodness in this garden.
He has seen water sparkling from its purity flowing down
noble mountains as he felt the refreshing power of clean
air as he worked with the winds to fly.
He heard the rumbling roar of great herds of buffalo
moving across the plains and he has seen Mother Earth
green with healthiness as she raised healthy children
with healthy minds and bodies.
In carrying out his duty he has seen the countless
offerings of the Indigenous people striving to exist
in the true perfection of a two legged in harmony
with Mother Earth.
He has seen the happiness of the children as they
played with pureness in their hearts and he knew
that the Creator smiled upon us with his blessings.
He has seen the arrival of the newcomers who
disrupted our sacred way of life with the desire
of stealing our homelands.
He has seen the courage of our warriors defending
Mother Earth not afraid to die for they know their
spirits will return to our Creator.
He has seen the suffering of the Indigenous people
being hunted down like a wounded deer and he has seen
the real freedom of life disappear from this land.
Even his own image of freedom was placed on papers
and he sees his sacred feathers
being sold for those papers.
Today as he flies above the clouds in space once
only reserved for them, he hears the charge of
the iron birds crashing through the clouds.
He avoids the clouds of filthy air which lingers
over bee hives of busy people
hurrying to satisfy their own taste of honey.
He is sad to see his own die from the lightening power
of endless wires, and words cannot explain the hurt
he feels when he sees his kind in captivity,
displayed for curiosity.
He sees the Indigenous people still trying to be sacred
in ceremonies, but suffering more from the heat
of Father Sun, because the poison has weakened
the sacred blanket in the sky.
He sees the Creator medicine, the food and plants
placed on Mother Earth with the purpose to nourish
and heal..being poisoned.
He sees the poisoned water enter the bodies of
men and animals, causing sickness. He sees all
natural life trying to do their duty on a tired
over worked Mother Earth, and his tears fall as he
sees the woman feel the pain of Mother Earth.
He hears the humble cries of our holy people
asking for a sign from the Creator.
He circles over the people, letting us know the
Creator has heard our prayers.
His heart gladdens when he dances with us
for he knows we still honor him.
He sends us a warning, for he has spoken with
the Creator. The Creator is offended because
the sacredness of his life is disturbed.
He is a witness to all the deeds
of man... and he never forgets.
~HE IS EAGLE~
~Grandfather Great Spirit~All over the world the faces
of living ones are alike.
With tenderness they have
come up out of the ground.
Look upon your children
that they may face the winds
And walk the good road to the Day of Quiet.
Grandfather Great Spirit
Fill us with the Light.
Give us the strength to understand,
And the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth
as relatives to all that live.
~Sioux Prayer~
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find out that
money cannot be eaten.
~Cree Prophecy~
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