WISE WORDS (Various Indigenous Elders)

[spirit9999 (deleted)]

I would like to start this new forum by extending an open hand to all races, cultures, religions & spiritualities to come together here "without" any condemning, accusing, hurting, being prejudiced and/or anything else negative... Ther majority of what I will be posting are Indigenous oriented, but I believe they apply to all. I will try to add more every few days or so.. Feel free to comment. Hope you enjoy!

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"Heat creates energy; this is signified by the wind stirred up by the
fire, and issuing forth from it. This represents influence working
from within outward."

..."In order to be capable of producing such an influence. one's words
must have power, and this they can only have if they are based on
something real.., just as a flame depends on it's fuel." ---- (The I
Ching (Book Of Changes) - Bollingen Edition - 1889)
---------------------------------------------

..."No part, no person, no tribe, no species, no body of supernatural
being is self-sufficient. Each possess a portion of the sum of all
powers and properties of the cosmos. Each must share with all, or the
entire system of nature dies.."...
..."Kwakiutl religion represents the concern of The People to occupy
their proper place within the total system of life, and to act
responsibly within it, so as to acquire and control the powers that
sustain life..."... ---- ("Hamatsa" - (West Coast Canada) -1975)
---------------------------------------------

"Man feels lost in the cosmos because he is no longer involved in
nature. He has freed himself from superstition, but in the process,
has lost his spiritual values, to a positively dangerous degree." ----
(Carl Jung - 1977)
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STATEMENT OF THE IROQUOIS INDIANS TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

"Today, the species of Man is facing a question of (it's) very
survival.... The way of life known as Western Civilization is on a
death path, on which their own culture has no viable answers. When
faced of the reality of their own destructiveness, they can only go
forward into areas of more efficient destructiveness." ---- (Mohawk
Nation - 1978)
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..."And with it all, I am always amazed at the wonder of nature, it's
multiplicity, and especially at what it is saying to me about my own
life, at the time of such encounters. I look for what it is trying to
teach me. I know nature speaks to us, if we listen. Every animal has a
story to tell. Every flower blossoms with reminders to be creative,
... and every tree whispers with it's rustling leaves, the secrets of
life."... (Ted Andrews - "Animal-Speak" 1996)
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"You are not enclosed within your bodies,
Nor confined to houses or fields...
That which is you, dwells above the mountain...,
And roves with the wind.." ---- (Kahil Gibran - date unknown)
-----------------------------------------

..."The ways of the shaman are both earthly and ethereal, for the
"divine" exists in everything we see, hear and touch..., and
consciousness can be expanded by direct experience of multi-level
reality, in shamanic journeying... The shaman lives by experience, and
in respect and wonderment -- She or he is not bound by doctrine... And
the shaman does not have to believe, for the shaman knows.".... ----
(Teresa Moorey - 1997)
----------------------------------------

"Great Spirit, Great Spirit, my Grandfather, all over the earth the
faces of living things are all alike...Look upon these faces of
children without number and with children in their arms, that they may
face the winds and walk the good road to the day of the quiet."
----Black Elk (1863-1950) --- Oglala Sioux holy man.
---------------------------------------

"My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and
bad. I pray that you remove from me every single defect of character
which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant
me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen." ----
Eagle Chief (Letakos-Lesa) ----- Pawnee
--------------------------------------

"...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."
----Red Cloud (Makhpiya-luta) April, 1870
-------------------------------------

"You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into
our hearts." ----Cochise "Like Ironweed" ------ Chiricahua Apache
-------------------------------------

"When a man does a piece of work which is admired by all we say that
it is wonderful; but when we see the changes of day and night, the
sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky, and the changing seasons upon
the earth, with their ripening fruits, anyone must realize that it is
the work of someone more powerful than man." ---- Chased-by-Bears
(1843-1915) ------- Santee-Yanktonai Sioux
-------------------------------------

"Everyone got to find the right path. You can't see it so it's hard to
find. No one can show you. Each person got to find the path by
himself." ---- Charlie Knight ------ Ute
------------------------------------

"Life is like a path...and we all have to walk the path...As we
walk...we'll find experiences like little scraps of paper in front of
us along the way. We must pick up those pieces of scrap paper and put
them in our pocket... Then, one day, we will have enough scraps of
papers to put together and see what they say... Read the information
and take it to heart."
---- Uncle Frank Davis (quoting his mother) ------- Pawnee
--------------------------------------

"Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great
Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ
so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the Book?"
---- Sogoyewapha, "Red Jacket" ------- Seneca
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"When you begin a great work you can't expect to finish it all at
once; therefore, do you and your brothers press on and let nothing
discourage you until you have entirely finished what you have begun."
---- Teedyuschung ---------- Delaware
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"Let us put our minds together as one." ---- Irving Powless Sr.,
-------- Onondaga
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"These are our times and our responsibilities. Every human being has a
sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth, from whom all
life comes. In order to do this, we must recognize the enemy - the one
within us. We must begin with ourselves..."
"...the greatest strength is in gentleness." ---- Leon Shenandoah
-------- Onondaga
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"Out of the Indian approach to life there came a great freedom, an
intense and absorbing respect for life, enriching faith in a Supreme
Power, and principles of truth, honesty, generosity, equity, and
brotherhood as a guide to mundane relations."
---- Luther Standing Bear ------- Oglala Sioux
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"I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man
to depend simply upon himself."
---- Lone Man (Isna-la-wica) --------- Teton Sioux
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"We were taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees and hears
everything, and that He never forgets, that hereafter He will give
every man a spirit-home according to his deserts: If he has been a
good man, he will have a good home; if he has been a bad man, he will
have a bad home." ---- Chief Joseph -------- Nez Perce
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"My friends, how desperately do we need to be loved and to love." ----
Chief Dan George --------- Skokomish (Coast Salish)
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"Grandfather says...you must not hurt anybody or do harm to anyone.
You must not fight. Do right always. It will give you satisfaction in
life." ---- Wovoka ------- Paiute
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"It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the old people liked
to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred
earth... The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing, and
healing." ---- Chief Luther Standing Bear ---- Teton Sioux
-------------------------------------

"Grandfather, Great Spirit, once more behold me on earth and lean to
hear my feeble voice. You lived first, and You are older than all
need, older than all prayer...You are the life of all things." ----
Black Elk ------- Oglala Sioux
-------------------------------------

"Laughter is a necessity in life that does not cost much, and the Old
Ones say that one of the greatest healing powers in our life is the
ability to laugh." ---- Larry P. Aitken ------ Chippewa
------------------------------------

"When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light.
Give thanks for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and
give thanks for the joy of living and if perchance you see no reason
for giving thanks rest assured the fault is yourself."
---- Wabasha Lakota -------- Santee
-----------------------------------

"If I destroy you, I destroy myself. If I honor you, I honor myself."
---- Hunbatz Men ------Mayan
------------------------------------

"Words hypnotize and deceive everyone at one time or another, but
these hypnotic words cannot last long in the hearts of true warriors."
---- Barney Bush Shawnee
-----------------------------------

"We forget so we consider ourselves superior. But we are, after all, a
mere part of the creation and we must consider to understand where we
are and we stand somewhere between the mountain and the Ant. Somewhere
and only there is a part and parcel of the creation." ---- Chief Oren
Lyons ------ Onondaga
-------------------------------------

"Whenever you take anything from the earth, remember to leave an
offering." ---- Joe Coyhis Stockbridge --------- Munsee
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"What could be greater than to be Wakan-Tanka's mind, eyes, ears,
nose, mouth, arms, hands, legs, and feet here on earth?" ---- Fools
Crow ------ Lakota
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"Each man is good in the sight of the Great Spirit." ---- Sitting Bull
------ Lakota
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------- Spirituality (9)

[spirit9999 (deleted)]

`Some looks and reads.., but no posts since yesterday... so here's some more to add...

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"The one who wishes to be a true medicine person must be a person of
faith, and they can only work successfully with those who also have
faith." ---- Fools Crow ----- Lakota
----------------------------------------

"But in the Indian Spirit the land is still vested; it will be until
other men are able to divine and meet its rhythm. Men must be born and
reborn to belong. Their bodies must be formed of the dust of their
forefathers' bones." ---- Luther Standing Bear ----- Oglala Sioux
----------------------------------------

"I cured with the power that came through me. Of course, it was not I
who cured, it was the power from the Outer World, the visions and the
ceremonies had only made me like a hole through which the power could
come to the two-leggeds."
"If I thought that I was doing it myself, the hole would close up and
no power could come through. Then everything I could do would be
foolish." ---- Black Elk -------- Oglala Sioux
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"The faces of our future generations are looking up to us from the
earth and we step with great care not to disturb our grandchildren."
---- Haida Gwaii ------ Traditional Circle of Elders
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"The mind's eye changes the way we judge things." ---- Fool's Crow ----- Lakota
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"If there is a shadow of a doubt someplace, that will cause a
weakness." ---- Wallace Black Elk -------- Lakota
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"We need to save those Elders who cannot speak for themselves -- the
trees." ---- Haida Gwaii --------- Traditional Circle of Elders
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"IN THE BEGINNING were the Instructions... The Instructions was to
live in a good way and be respectful to everybody and everything."
---- Vickie Downey ----------- Tewa/Tesuque Pueblo
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"Sell a country? Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the
earth? Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his
children?" ---- Tecumseh ------ Shawnee
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"The land is a sacred trust held in common for the benefit of the
future of our nations."
---- Haida Gwaii -------- Traditional Circle of Elders
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"If you listen close at night, you will hear the creatures of the
dark, all of them sacred -- the owls, the crickets, the frogs, the
night birds -- and you will hear beautiful songs, songs you have never
heard before. Listen with your heart. Never stop listening."
---- Henry Quick Bear ---------- Lakota
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"The earth was created by the assistance of the sun, and it should be
left as it was... The country was made without lines of demarcation,
and it is no man's business to divide it..." ---- Chief Joseph
--------- Nez Perce
-------------------------------------

"You are full of the white man's devil water. You are like dogs in the
hot moon when they run mad and snap at their own shadows...You are
fools you cannot see the face of your chief; your eyes are full of
smoke. You cannot hear his voice; your ears are full of roaring water.
Braves, you are little children--you are fools." ---- Little Crow
------- Lakota
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"When I saw the Great Spirit he told me to throw all our bad acts
away...Everything belongs to the Great Spirit...I trust the Great
Spirit." ---- Kanakuk ------ Kickapoo
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"It's time. If you are to walk the path of heart, then it is time..."
---- Nippawanock --------Arapahoe
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"Father, Creator of us all. Hear my prayer through this sacred pipe.
Help my people to walk the good road of life. May they forget their
differences and remember their likenesses. May they dwell in peace and
harmony with all living creatures "you" have made. May goodness and
happiness follow them until the coming of those sacred red and blue
days in a holy manner. May it be so. AHO."
----- Clifton Charles ---- Mojave
--------------------------------------------

"Conciliation is the key to survival. Peace is the goal." ---- Haida
Gwaii --- Traditional Circle of Elders
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"We must have respect and understanding for women and all female life
on this Earth which bears the sacred gift of life."
------- Traditional Circle of Elders ---- Onodaga
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"Prayer is the best answer to all of the trials that face us, because
without prayer, even if we succeed in accomplishing some great goal in
the eyes of men, we have failed in our sacred responsibilities, and
thus we have failed in what is truly important."
-------- Thomas Yellowtail ---- Crow
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"But the great spirit has provided you and me with an opportunity for
study in nature's university, the forests, the rivers, the mountains,
and the animals which include us." ----- Walking Buffalo ---- Stoney
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"All the stones that are around here, each one has a language of its
own. Even the earth has a song." --- Wallace Black Elk -Lakota
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"Without a sacred center, no one knows right from wrong." ---- Thomas
Yellowtail ---- Crow
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"For most normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and
colorful imagination. It means release from care, boredom, and worry.
It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good.
But not so with us in those last days of heavy drinking. The old
pleasures were gone. They were but memories. Never could we recapture
the great moments of the past. There was an insistent yearning to
enjoy life as we once did and a heartbreaking obsession that some new
miracle of control would enable us to do it. There was always one more
attempt--and one more failure. The less people tolerated us, the more
we withdrew from society, from life itself. As we became citizens of
King Alcohol, shivering denizens of his mad realm, the chilling vapor
that is loneliness settled down. It thickened, ever becoming blacker.
Some of us sought out sordid places, hoping to find understanding
companionship and approval. Momentarily we did--then would come
oblivion and the awful awakening to face the hideous Four
Horsemen--Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair. Unhappy drinkers
who read this will understand!"
------ (From: "Fire-water courage ends in trembling fear.") ---- Chief
Joseph ---- Nez Perce
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**** "There are many things to be shared with the four colors of man
in our common destiny as one family upon our Mother the Earth." ----
Traditional Circle of Elders ---- Northern Cheyenne
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[spirit9999 (deleted)]

`Well... I see a few are reading, but no comments so far, so I will wish you all a GREAT WEEKEND, and post a few more "Wise Words" here... I especially like the prayer at the end of this one, as it could apply to any/all spiritualities & religions... I find it to be: VERY UNIVERSAL!

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"Think only about what is holy. Empty your mind." ----- Archie Fire
Lame Deer ---- Lakota
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"All living creatures and all plants derive their life from the sun.
If it were not for the sun, there would be darkness and nothing could
grow, the earth would be without life." ---- Okute ---- Teton Sioux
--------------------------------------------------------

"No matter how much we know, we still know very little. We are walking
in a world of darkness but we will soon come to the world of light.
Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but
the spirit of all things. That is the real world that is behind this
one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from this
world." ---- John F Bryde ---- Lakota
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"In some mysterious and wonderful way you are part of everything,
Nephew. And in that same mysterious and wonderful way, everything is a
part of you." ------ Nippawanock ---- Arapahoe
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"When we're through with this earth and all these problems, we don't
have to come back. But as long as we're here we have a job to do and a
purpose to fulfill and that means dealing with the circumstances
around us." ------- Rolling Thunder ---- Cherokee
-----------------------------------------------------------

"When people come to trouble it is better for both parties to come
together, to talk it over and find some peaceful way to settle."
--------- Spotted Tail ---- Lakota
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"Each creature has a medicine, so there are many medicines. Because
they are so close to the Creator, they are to communicate that
medicine. Then they bring help and health." --------- Wallace Black
Elk ---- Lakota
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"We must look up to the Great Spirit that He may make us strong and
not permit this chain to fall from our hands."
--------- Turtle Heart ---- Delaware
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**** "The color of the skin makes no difference, what is good and just
for one is good and just for the other and the Great spirit made all
men brothers. ----- White Shield ---- Arikara
---------------------------------------------
"Men and women have an equal responsibility to restore the strength of
the family, which is the foundation of all cultures."
--------- Haida Gwaii (Traditional Circle of Elders)
-----------------------------------------------

"IN THE BEGINNING were the Instructions... The Instructions were: to
live in a good way and be respectful to everybody and everything."
-------- Vickie Downey (Tewa/Tesuque Pueblo)
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"Behold, my bothers, the spring has come; the earth has received the
embraces of the sun and we shall soon see the results of that love!"
----- Sitting Bull (Sioux)
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"So we are connected to the moon. That gives us power, a connection to
the earth and the moon, men don't know about."
------- Cecilia Mitchell (Mohawk)
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"It is not through the great skill of the hunter himself that success
is achieved, but through the hunter's awareness of his place in
Creation and his relationship to all things." ------ Thomas Yellowtail
(Crow)
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"Wakan Tanka never stops creating." ------- Archie Fire Lame Deer (Lakota)
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"The land is a sacred trust held in common for the benefit of the
future of our nations." - Haida Gwaii (Traditional Circle of Elders)
------------------------------------------

"The man who sat on the ground in his tipi meditating on life and its
meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures and acknowledging
unity with the universe of things was infusing into his being the true
essence of civilization."
-------- Luther Standing Bear (Oglala Sioux)
----------------------------------------------------------------

"If you listen close at night, you will hear the creatures of the
dark, all of them sacred -- the owls, the crickets, the frogs, the
night birds -- and you will hear beautiful songs, songs you have never
heard before. Listen with your heart. Never stop listening."
-------- Henry Quick Bear (Lakota)
-----------------------------------------------------

"...in Tunkashila, there is no time. Everything moves in the blink of
an eye. It's as fast as thought. So there is no speed there. There is
no time in between." --------- Wallace Black Elk (Lakota)
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"The Old People would gather words as they walked a sacred path across
the Earth, leaving nothing behind but prayers and offerings."
------- Cleone Thunder (Northern Arapahoe)
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"When you go inside that power, there's no fear. It's so beautiful!!
There's no fear there. There's no pain."
------- Wallace Black Elk (Lakota)
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"You must be prepared and know the reason why you dance." -------
Thomas Yellowtail (Crow)
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"Dead -- I Say? There is not death. Only a change of worlds." -------
Chief Seattle (Dwamish)
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"Since we listen to the voice of the Great Spirit we are happy."
------- Tenskwatawa (Shawnee)
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"The old people came literally to love the soil and they sat or
reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering
power...The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing and
healing..." ------ Luther Standing Bear (Oglala Sioux)
---------------------------------------------

"Thanks be to the Good Father in the Spirit-land." ------ Sarah
Winnemucca (Paiute)
----------------------------------------------------

"Service rests on the basic premise that the nature of life is sacred,
that life is a holy mystery which has an unknown purpose. When we
serve, we know that we belong to life and to that purpose.
Fundamentally, helping, fixing and service are ways of seeing life.
When you help you see life as weak, when you fix, you see life as
broken. When you serve, you see life as whole."
-------- Rachael Naomi Remem (Holistic Healer)
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"The symbol of wholeness, represented by the medicine wheel, is still
being used in D/Lakota ceremonies today. The center where the "X"
crosses is considered the home of Tunkasila, Wakan-Tanka, God. I
speculated, If this is the symbol of wholeness, the symbol of the
psyche, with Wakan-Tanka at the center, then Wakan-Tanka or God would
be within you."
-------- Dr. A.C. Ross (Ehanamani) - (Lakota)
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"Some of these chiefs could not be prevailed upon to taste any
spirituous liquors on any account as they look upon it as bad
medicine."
--------- Navdowessie (Lakota)
--------------------------------------------------------------

"You have wandered away from your teachings. You must concentrate on
your spiritual teachings...Don't be sidetracked."
--------- Henry Quick Bear (Lakota)
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"Neither anger nor fear shall find lodgment in your mind." -------
Dekanawidah (Iroquois)
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"The manner with which we walk through life is each man's most
important responsibility, and we should remember this with every new
sunrise." ------ Thomas Yellowtail (Crow)
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..."Animals. Spirits and Humans form a ritual community - a
Co-Operative Mutual Assistance Group."...
(Kwakiutl Belief: "Hamatsa" - Jim McDowell - pg. 232)
----------------------------------------------------

..and these are some words from (who I see as) a great Canadian
Indigenous person....

"If you talk to the animals...
They will talk back to 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)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GREAT SPIRIT PRAYER
Chief Dan George, Salish,
British Columbia, 1899-1981

"O great spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind, Whose breath gives
life to all the world, hear me.
I need your strength and your wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hand respect the things that you have made, and my ear sharp
to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the things that you have taught my people.
Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.
Let me learn the lessons hidden under every leaf and rock.
Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.
I seek strength not to be greater than my brothers and sisters, but to
fight my greatest enemy - Myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight
eyes, so that when life fades as the fading sunset my spirit will come
to you without shame. All my relations."

[spirit9999 (deleted)]

`Hope everyone has a great week.... This will be my last installment of "Wise Words" for awhile.., so I hope there is something for everyone in all of these bits of shared knowledge... My best to everyone in the South, during this upcoming hurricane season...

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BRAVE BUFFALO
(late 19th century)

"I have noticed in my life that all humans have a liking for some
special animal, tree, plant, or spot of earth. If humans would pay
more attention to these preferences and seek what is best to do in
order to make themselves worthy of that toward which they are so
attracted, they might have dreams which would purify their lives. Let
Humans decide upon their favourite animal and make a study of it,
learning its innocent ways. Let them learn to understand its sounds
and motions. The animals want to communicate with humans, but Wakan
Tanka does not intend they shall do so directly – humans must be the
greater part in securing an understanding."

-----------------------------------
MOURNING DOVE, Salish
1888-1936

"Everything on earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it,
and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence."

-----------------------------------
LUTHER STANDING BEAR
1868-1939
Oglala Lakota Chief

"I am going to venture that the man who sat on the ground in his tipi
meditating on life and its meaning, accepting the kinship of all
creatures, and acknowledging unity with the universe of things was
infusing into his being the true essence of civilization."

---------------------------------
Chief Joseph,
Nimii-puu
(Nez Percé)
1830 - 1904

"The earth is the mother of all people, and all the people should have
equal rights upon it. You might as well expect the rivers to run
backward as that any man who was born a free man should be contented
when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases."

--------------------------------
Chief Dan George, Salish,
British Columbia, 1899-1981

"There is a longing among all people and creatures to have a sense of
purpose and worth. To satisfy that common longing in all of us we must
respect each other. In the olden times man and creature walked as
friends who carried the beauty of the land in their hearts. Now each
one of us is needed to make sure the salmon can find a place to spawn
and the bear cub a tree to climb. There is little time left and much
effort is needed."

---------------------------------
George Copway,
(Kah-ge-ga-gah-bowh-Stands Fast)
1818-1863
Ojibwa Chief

"Among the Indians there have been no written laws. Customs handed
down from generation to generation have been the only laws to guide
them. Every one might act differently from what was considered right
did he choose to do so, but such acts would bring upon him the censure
of the Nation....This fear of the Nation's censure acted as a mighty
band, binding all in one social, honourable compact."

---------------------------------
Chief Joseph, Nimii-puu (Nez Percé)
1840 - 1904

"Whenever the white man treats the Indian as they treat each other,
then we will have no more wars. We shall all be alike -- brothers of
one father and one mother, with one sky above us and one country
around us, and one government for all."

--------------------------------
Margaret Joseph-Amos, Elder
Born 1918. Clatoquot, Aesousista Reserve, B.C.

"Respect was a big word for us when we were growing up. We were taught
that the meaning of respect was to have your own self-respect and
respect others, to love others as well as yourself. We were raised to
obey our parents and listen to what they say. Teachings we had...while
we were sitting down eating, because a child swallows and it digests
into the brain."

----------------------------------
Gandoox, Elder
Born 1912 -
Coast Tsimshian

"We must broaden our way of thinking so that it recognizes the world
as one human family. We are all children of one blood. It can be no
other way, for there has to be a central source of all humanity where
all living beings were created. Original Creator gave us the ability
to find out things for ourselves and put them together usually for the
greater good....Remember, when the flood recedes, clear water and an
enriched land is left."

"Dignity is always on the side of the person on the receiving end of a
racial slur."

----------------------------------
Sarah Smith, Elder
Mohawk

"I stand for the children of tomorrow. I believe in the constructive
aspect of humanity. We need each other. We need to come together in
the circle of life, and not leave anyone behind. We need to reach out
to each other and accept each other unconditionally. More than ever,
it is necessary for people to face the light and walk in balance. In
every darkened valley there us a light source; walk toward it. Stand
in your own truth. No one is like you. You have your own particular
gift, and your own contribution to make."

-----------------------------------
BLACK ELK
(Oglala Lakota)

"Then I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round
about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood
there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for
I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the
spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like
one being."

----------------------------------
**** JIM PELL
(Principal Chief, North Alabama Cherokee Nation)

"There is no such thing as part Cherokee. Either you're Cherokee or
you're not. It isn't the quantity of Cherokee blood in your veins that
is important, but the quality of it...your pride in it. I have seen
full bloods who have virtually no idea of the great legacy entrusted
to their care. Yet, I have seen people with as little as 1/500th who
inspire the spirits of their ancestors because they make being
Cherokee a proud part of their everyday life."

---------------------------------
RINA SWENTZELL
1939 -
(Santa Clara Pueblo)

"People when they walk on the land leave their breath wherever they
go. So wherever we walk, that particular spot on earth never forgets
us, and when we go back, we know that the people who have lived there
are in some way still there, and that we can actually partake of their
breath and their spirit."

-------------------------------
Sitting Bull - (Tatanka Iotanka)

Hunkpapa Lakota
1831-assassinated, 1890

"The love of possessions is a disease with them [Americans]. They take
tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich who rule. They claim
this mother of ours, the Earth, for their own and fence their
neighbours away. If America had been twice the size it is, there still
would not have been enough; the Indian would still have been
dispossessed."

----------------------------------
**** GERONIMO (Goyathlay -"one who yawns") ****

1829-1909 (Prisoner of War in his own land)

'We took an oath not to do any wrong to each other or to scheme
against each other. I cannot think that we are useless or God would
not have created us. There is one God looking down on us all. We are
all the children of one God. The sun, the darkness, the winds are all
listening to what we have to say. When a child, my mother taught me to
kneel and pray to Usen for strength, health, wisdom and protection.
Sometimes we prayed in silence, sometimes each one prayed aloud;
sometimes an aged person prayed for all of us... and to Usen. I was
born on the prairies where the wind blew free and there was nothing to
break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no
enclosures."

----------------------------------
Jake (Jacob Ezra) Thomas
Hadajigrenta (he-makes-the-clouds descend)
Sandpiper Clan, Cayuga Nation Hereditary Chief
January 6, 1922 - August 18, 1998

"I don't know much but what I do know is a lot."

"I can only perfect myself with each new day. I can't be better than
someone else but I can become a better Jake Thomas today then I was
yesterday."

"I am not going to listen to gossip. If the people don't like what I'm
doing it's their problem not mine. I close my ears. I am going to do
what I think is right."

"All I can give to you, my people, is what I know."

"One cannot hide from the Creator. The Creator is watching us whatever
we do on earth. We must always be honest with one another, and to have
love and peace among ourselves. Life is too short. We cannot afford to
waste our lives on wrong doings by hurting one another's feelings."

--------------------------------------
Crowfoot,
Blackfoot Warrior and Oratort

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the
breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which
runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset."

-------------------------------------
Flat-Iron
Maza Blaska Oglala Lakota Chief

"From Wakan-Tanka, the Great Mystery, comes all power. It is from
Wakan-Tanka that the holy man has wisdom and the power to heal and
make holy charms. Man knows that all healing plants are given by
Wakan-Tanka, therefore they are holy. So too is the buffalo holy,
because it is the gift of Wakan-Tanka."

------------------------------------
Eagle Chief (Letakos-Lesa)
Pawnee

"In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the
animals, for Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak directly to man. He
sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the
beast, and that from them, and from the stars and the sun and moon
should man learn.. all things tell of Tirawa.

All things in the world are two. In our minds we are two, good and
evil. With our eyes we see two things, things that are fair and things
that are ugly.... We have the right hand that strikes and makes for
evil, and we have the left hand full of kindness, near the heart. One
foot may lead us to an evil way, the other foot may lead us to a good.
So are all things two, all two."

----------------------------------
William Commanda,
Mamiwinini
(Algonquin, Quebec)
1913 -

"Traditional people of Indian nations have interpreted the two roads
that face the light-skinned race as the road to technology and the
road to spirituality. We feel that the road to technology.... has led
modern society to a damaged and seared earth. Could it be that the
road to technology represents a rush to destruction, and that the road
to spirituality represents the slower path that the traditional native
people have traveled and are now seeking again? The earth is not
scorched on this trail. The grass is still growing there."

--------------------------------
Sarah Winnemucca, Paiute
(1844-1891)

"The traditions of our people are handed down from father to son. The
Chief is considered to be the most learned, and the leader of the
tribe. The Doctor, however, is thought to have more inspiration. He is
supposed to be in communion with spirits... He cures the sick by the
laying of hands, and prayers and incantations and heavenly songs. He
infuses new life into the patient, and performs most wonderful feats
of skill in his practice.... He clothes himself in the skins of young
innocent animals, such as the fawn, and decorated himself with the
plumage of harmless birds, such as the dove and hummingbird ..."

--------------------------------
Floyd Westerman
Lakota Musician and Activist
Born 1936 -

"I would like to quote a very prejudicial doctrine that was handed
down by the Supreme Court in 1823. It was written by the Church. This
doctrine should be denounced...in some formal way. It said that the
Indian Nations do not have title to their lands, they only have title
of occupancy, because they weren't Christians when the Europeans first
got here. That the first Christian Nations to discover an area of
heathen and infidel lands has the ultimate dominion over those lands
and the absolute title."

This should go to the Pope and also to the President of the United
States to withdraw and renounce this document and to establish a new
basis for relationship between indigenous peoples and other peoples of
the world."
--------------------------------------------

[spirit9999 (deleted)]

`From: RAVENBOY
To: SPIRIT9999
Date: 08-19-2009
Subject: re: Ahnee! Hello! Osiyo! (all together = AHO!

I just read the posting...not all of it, not by any means, because this is a posting to return to, again and again. It contains SO MUCH GOOD that one could spend a lifetime attempting to live by it and achieve it /smiles.

We are all walking our paths though and have our own personal challenges to face...different things for different lives, which is just as it should be. But yes, there is great wisdom from all over, especially those that have gone before, that if we could listen and adhere to, we can receive great benefit from.

So thank you for posting this as it can help us all! We don`t always know what our words or efforts will do, if anything, but to me at least, this is a great gift!

I could not post this reply on the forum as I am not a member of spiritual passions, but feel free to copy and paste this as a reply from me, because I certainly wanted to post a reply.

It would be good to see you in chat one day. Granted, most aren`t even half serious in there, including myself, as we laugh and frolic and may appear very different, at least I do, from my words here and the crazy fun we get up to in chat. Anyway, walk in peace brother and thank you once again for having brought your post to my attention!

/RAVEN

You can see my profile at:
(removed)

[spirit9999 (deleted)]

[deleted]

[infinitelove610]

`"Western civilization is like a loaded gun aimed at the planet"

great post..I like the native wisdom

[flameingsword (deleted)]

`yes let us put our minds at one with others who want good only i will not put my mind at one with murder n evil i would rater fornulate all the individual s of love as one blanket of warmth to look after earth togeter train our cosmic energies against evil by asking for just the good creator against evil who can destroy all evil n save the good of all good individuals who effect me also as one to word watch n thought watch an elder once said to listen to this girl she is a prophet to bring change to a good end ...i learn from all it makes my oneness you all make me you all protect me you all matter to me n if your mind chooses to use loving goodwill to others i love you as good will outway evil endings by numbers one sione can change a ripple ...as lucifer also challenged god he to an energy not name cmes via us n what n how we treat our others but i also wnt n dnt have time to turn my cheek to be slaughtered by an evil creator n evil will of evil men ...so i wnt then say as one i wnt let evil be a part of our good oneness with love brenxx

[flameingsword (deleted)]

`lol excuse my spelling n i love your knowledge thankyou it adds to mine without all i wouldnt be me xx