"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."

---- Chief Red Cloud (Makhipiya-Luta) Sioux Chief

"I was hostile to the white man...We preferred hunting to a life of idleness on our reservations. At times we did not get enough to eat and we were not allowed to hunt. All we wanted was peace and to be let alone. Soldiers came...in the winter..and destroyed our villages.

Then Long Hair (Custer) came...They said we massacred him, but he would have done the same to us. Our first impulse was to escape...but we were so hemmed in we had to fight. After that I lived in peace, but the government would not let me alone. I was not allowed to remain quiet. I was tired of fighting...They tried to confine me..and a soldier ran his bayonet into me. I have spoken."

---- Crazy Horse – Sioux Chief

"A warrior who had more than he needed would make a feast. He went around and invited the old and needy....The man who would thank the food--some worthy old medicine man or warrior--said: "...look to the old, they are worthy of old age; they have seen their days and proven themselves. With the help of the Great Spirit, they have attained a ripe old age. At this age the old can predict or give knowledge or wisdom, whatever it is; it is so. At the end is a cane. You and your family shall get to where the cane is."

---- Black Elk, Oglala Sioux Holy Man

"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."

---- Chief Red Cloud (Makhipiya-Luta) Sioux Chief, April, 1870

"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."

---- Flat-Iron (Maza Blaska Oglala Sioux Chief

(..and for those that don't already know.., Wakan-Tanka is just another of many different words for God)

"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."

---- William Commanda, Mamiwinini, Canada, 1991

"I hope the Great Heavenly Father, who will look down upon us, will give all the tribes His blessing, that we may go forth in peace, and live in peace all our days, and that He will look down upon our children and finally lift us far above the earth; and that our Heavenly Father will look upon our children as His children, that all the tribes may be His children, and as we shake hands to-day upon this broad plain, we may forever live in peace."

---- Chief Red Cloud (Makhipiya-Luta) Sioux Chief

"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, Oglala Sioux Holy Man

"We know our lands have now become more valuable. The white people think we do not know their value; but we know that the land is everlasting, and the few goods we receive for it are soon worn out and gone."

---- Canassatego

"My father, you have made promises to me and to my children. If the promises had been made by a person of no standing, I should not be surprised to see his promises fail. But you, who are so great in riches and power; I am astonished that I do not see your promises fulfilled!"

---- Shinguaconse ("Little Pine")

"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."

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

*Note: Tirawa.. is yet of another, of many different names for the One God that all Indigenous People praise.. Each tribe/sect/area had their own words for God.. and that is what confused many visitors from across the seas to think that they worshipped multiple Gods..

Mis-communication and "assuming".. are sometimes very big causes of religious wars and arguments..

"My Father: a long time has passed since first we came upon our lands; and our people have all sunk into their graves. They had sense. We are all young and foolish, and do not wish to do anything that they would not approve, were they living.

We are fearful we shall offend their spirits if we sell our lands; and we are fearful we shall offend you if we do not sell them. This has caused us great perplexity of thought, because we have counselled among ourselves, and do not know how we can part with our lands."

---- Metea, a Potowatami Chief of the Illinois Nation

"You ask me to plow the ground. Shall I take a knife and tear my mother's bosom? Then when I die she will not take me to her bosom to rest."

---- Wovoka, Paiute

"You have noticed that everything as Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round..... The Sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours....

Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves."

---- Black Elk, Oglala Sioux Holy Man

Bean Balls

2 cups brown beans
4 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
(soda is used in place of lye water)

Boil beans in salted water until tender. Put cornmeal, flour and soda in large mixing bowl. Mix well. Add boiled beans and some of the juice to the cornmeal/flour mixture to form a stiff dough. Roll in balls and drop into pot of boiling hot water. Let cook for 30 minutes at a slow boil.

---- Momfeather Erickson. Cherokee

Old Field Apricot Drink (Uwaga (Oo-Wa-Ga)

Gather old field apricots
(field apricots are the fruit of the passion flower)

Hull out the seed and pulp, and put on to boil, discarding skins. Add a tiny bit of soda to make the seeds separate from the pulp. Squash out the pulp, straining the mixture through a cloth. Drink hot.

---- Momfeather Erickson; Cherokee

Possum Grape Drink (Oo-ni-na-su-ga Oo-ga-ma)

Possum grapes (muscadine grapes), dried
Water
Corn meal

Gather ripe possum grapes - the kind that are still sour after they ripen when the frost has fallen on them. Hang up for winter use.

To prepare: Shell off the grapes from the stems, wash, and stew them in water. When they are done, mash in the water they were cooked in. Let this sit until the seed settle, then strain, reserving liquid. Put the juice back on the fire and and bring to a boil. Add a little cornmeal to thicken the juice. Continue cooking until the meal is done. Remove from the fire and drink hot or cold. Sweeten, if desired.

---- Momfeather Erickson; Cherokee

A Message From The Trees

A tree reaches deep into the ground and up again for light, and flowers leaves to clasp the suns rays into itself for nourishment. It is profoundly beautiful unto itself, perfect from its conception, but maybe it has a bigger purpose by giving all of life a message

In all its gentle grace and stillness it communicates
notice how peaceful life can be
see how the sun nourishes all of us
It stands, swaying in a strong wind, leaves dancing
Look closely and you will almost see them waving hello
It has witnessed many days gone by
The tree renews itself with the changing of seasons
Trees give a gracious home for other living beings
and is a kind servant to mother nature, and in return is rewarded with a long, life

Yes, there are lessons to be learned from trees
The greatest of all can be seen between the leaves
If one looks between the leaves, a matrix of infinite unique spaces can be seen, a place to contemplate eternity, a place to feel peace, a place to listen to the wisdom of the tree, a partner and reflection of the great spirit shared by all

Our friends speak these wise truths in their being, which could be translated into a metaphor for human life

Live your purpose with grace and stillness of heart
Gathering light from above nourishes your core
It is wise to sway in a strong wind
Know when to rest, regenerate and begin again fresh in the spring
The space between things seen is where infinite creativity lives

The wise ones tell us it is easy to see to eternity when reaching into an endless sky, which sooths the soul; or while reaching into the fertile grounds of life, rejoice in what is really important, a warm sun on your face while being grounded in mother earth

The next time you drive by a group of trees, slow down. Watch the wind blowing them, see if you can feel the wind in your hair, and remember, light is your source

This is the gentle message of the trees.

---- Megan O'Connor

"We are entering a very critical time, in the relationship between humans.. and all of the other life on this planet.. and.. with Mother Earth, herself..

If the world does not soon realize that "everything and everyone is connected".., mankind will soon repeat the cycle of starting over again...

There is no more time to just discuss the possibilities.. We must respect all of life... now.."

---- (Me)

To The People In Power & The Merchants Of Money

"What good will it be..., how will be being the most wealthy and powerful help you.., if you ignore the environmental concerns of this planet.. and end up with nowhere to spend that money.. and no one to control anymore..?

We need to stop thinking so much about technology... and focus "evenly" on our spiritual side.. This is why mankind has come and gone 3-4 times already... (and no, this isn't a typo)...

Living here, on the Moon, Mars.., etc.., will not end our problems.. It will only allow us to make more problems, somewhere else.. and other life forms will not take that lightly..

Let's fix what we have already broken.. We are all connected..."

--- (Me)