Below you will find quotes I
have found that I try to now live by and remember.
"We
have taught our children the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of the earth.
This we know. The earth does not belong to man. The man
belongs to earth. This we know. All things are connected.
Like the blood which unites our family. All things are connected.
Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth. Man did not
weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever
he does to the web, he does to himself."
....
Chief Seattle
The white
people, who are trying to make us over into their image,
they want us to be what they call "assimilated," bringing the Indians
into the mainstream and destroying our own way of life and our own
cultural patterns. They believe we should be contented like those
whose concept of happiness is materialistic and greedy, which is very
different from our way. We want freedom from the white man rather
than to be intergrated. We don't want any part of the establishment,
we want to be free to raise our children in our religion, in our ways, to
be able to hunt and fish and live in peace. We don't want power, we
don't want to be congressmen, or bankers....we want to be ourselves.
We want to have our heritage, because we are the owners of this land
and because we belong here. The white man says, there is freedom
and justice for all. We have had "freedom and justice,"
and that is
why we have been almost exterminated. We shall not forget this.
....From
the 1927 Grand Council of American Indians
"The
ground on which we stand is sacred ground.
It is the blood of our ancestors."
....
Chief Plenty Coups, Crow
"How
smooth must be the language of the whites, when they
can make right look like wrong, and wrong like right."
....
Black Hawk, Sauk
"I
believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our
hearts more. I will tell you in my way how the Indian sees things.
The white man has more words to tell you how they look to him,
but it does not require many words to speak the truth."
....
Chief Joseph, Nez Perce
"When
the Earth is sick, the animals will begin to disappear, when
that happens, the Warriors of the Rainbow will come to save them."
....
Chief Seattle
"If
the white man wants to live in peace with the indian...we can live in
peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike.... give
them all
the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow.
You
might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who
is born a free man should be contented when penned up and denied
liberty to go where he pleases. We only ask an even chance to live
as other men live. We ask to be recognized as men. Let me be
a
free man...free to travel...free to stop...free to work...free to
choose my own teachers...free to follow the religion of my Fathers
...free to think and talk and act for myself."
....Chief
Joseph, Nez Perce
So live
your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your
life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and
its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death
song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a
word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a
stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and
grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the
food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving
thanks,
the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing, for
abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are
filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep
and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a
different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
....
Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation