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.

and in the day when one sees how the two hands work as one, and how all evil is as good, and all good as evil, all oneness is created by any such one........

Hi David I hope you are doing great! It is nice to see you on the threads for it is very educational. Thank you

my friend smiless......

a soul that has journeyed afar, thru many lives, coming now to claim the sword of wisdom of the universe that lay within, in the days ahead, when smiless become as frowns, but frowns give way to crowns, so what frown is any longer as a frown, but as the path to forever life and love and wisdom, the crown of the purpose of mortal lifes existence........

very nicely said and thank you dear wise one

Water Prayers

The old Medicine Man stops along side the stream and takes in his surroundings. He takes in the trees and boulders he has learned to know and respect so well, remembering thoughtfully this place and how many times over the many years he had stopped here to rest on his journey to the Gathering of Elders. The stream, full as usual with the spring rains, fills the air with the familiar sounds and smells of the Water Beings rushing over the boulders on their way to the Great Water. He walks over and steps onto his old friend, a large flat boulder at the edge of the stream and begins…

He takes his well worn backpack off his shoulders, reaches in and pulls out his Medicine Bag and opens it and pulls out his tobacco pouch and pipe bag and lays them gently on his old stone friend now warmed by the morning sun. With a painful grunt and creaking bones he sits cross-legged with his pipe bag and Medicine bag spread out in front of him next to the water. . Out of his Medicine bag he pulls a worn folded square piece of red wool cloth and places it unfolded on the stone. With practiced hands he reaches into his Medicine bag and pulls out his old abalone shell with it's smoke darkened inner bowl. Then he pulls out a small bag full of white sage and cedar mix and lay them on the cloth. He opens the bag and sticks his nose at the opening and inhales deeply taking in the familiar fragrance of the sage and cedar. With a prayer of thanks to the Sage and Cedar beings he crumbles them into his abalone shell and sits it on to the cloth. He pulls his pipe bowl out of its deer hide pouch and his pipe stem out of its pouch and lays them respectfully onto his cloth. Out of his shirt pocket he pulls out a small box of matches out of which he pulls a match and lights it and gives thanks to the Fire Beings for bringing light and warmth into his life and then picks up the shell and lights the sage and cedar mixture while blowing the breath of life gently until it glows and a wisp of smoke rises Skyward. Out of his Medicine bag he pulls an eagle feather. While holding the smoking shell he waves the smoke over his head and his body He then picks up each of the other sacred objects laying there and waves the smoke over each of them, his lips always moving in his prayers of cleansing for all. He then pulls out his tobacco pouch and picks up his pipe bowl and begins to fill it with small pinches of tobacco. Each pinch with its own prayer to the Tobacco being. He takes out one final pinch and offers it to water beings and puts it into the rushing water and watches them race off to the Great Water. Holding his still unconnected stem and pipe bowl he holds them to the seven sacred directions: East, West, South, North, then touches the Earth Mother, and holds them up to the Sky Father and then to himself, each with their own prayers. He then inserts the male symbol of the stem into the female symbol of pipe bowl with the prayer of the union knowing the pipe was live and ready to give birth to the smoke as prayers to the Great Spirit. With another fire stick he lights his pipe and gives his final prayer, the Water prayer because he was here to honor the Life-giving Water Beings. For some years this part of the ceremony brought him sadness because he could not do what he had been able to do in his youth during this ceremony. Drink the Water! So this part of the ceremony had changed and the prayer was changed to; “May this stream one day run clear cold and pure as it once did”. As he smokes his pipe he reflects on his past years in this sacred spot doing this ceremony again with sadness knowing this simple ceremony was done by so few. And knew that when it had been done by many the Water did run clear, cold and pure! In his head he hears the voices of all the Tree, Plant, Stone, Animal, Fish….All of the beings saying, “Remember us and all will run clear, cold and pure”.

After finishing his pipe and ceremony the Medicine Man repacks his pack and stands and gives a small bow to all and turns and walks on to the Gathering.

Remember!!!!!

Jim TwoFeathers

End of the Trail
An end to the old ways of life,
Freedom to hunt and fish,
Nomad, migrating with the season.
Eagle feathers represent:
Four directions on Mother Earth,
Four seasons of the year,
Four age groups.

Ernest Hunt - Navaho

Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.

Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.

Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.

Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.

Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you."

~Pueblo Blessing ~

if all humanity is as poured into a funnel, the funnel pouring into the jar of eternal destiny, then only ONE pass thru the end of the funnel at a time, so any one being in any one world of all ones family and friends, go alone, thru fear, thru the funnel, into the abiss, leading to all possibilites becoming as opened to the mind, a scary travel indeed, but leading to the elimination of any fear of this world or of the world to come......

I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heapen and scattered all along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A peoples dream died there. It was a beautiful dream. . . .the nations hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead.

Black Elk - Oglala Sioux

During the first year a newly married couple discovers whether they can agree with each other and can be happy - if not, they part, and look for other partners. If we were to live together and disagree, we should be as foolish as the whites.

No indiscretion can banish a woman from her parental lodge. It makes no difference how many children she may bring home; she is always welcome. The kettle is over the fire to feed them.

Black Hawk - Sauk

my friend I would let you go in first into the funnel to experience eternal destiny.

How smooth must be the language of the whites, when they can make right look like wrong, and wrong look like right.

Black Hawk

I think that wherever the Great Spirit places his people, they ought to be satisfied to remain, and thankful for what He has given them, and not drive others from the country He has given them because it happens to be better than theirs!

This is contrary to our way of thinking; and from my intercourse with the whites, I have learned that one great principle of their religion is "to do unto others as you wish them to do unto you!" The settlers on our frontiers and on our lands never seem to think of it, if we are to be judged by their reactions. For my part, I am of the opinion that so far as we have reason, we have the right to use it in determining what is right or wrong, and we should pursue that path we believe to be right.

If the Great and the Good Spirit wished us to believe and do as the whites, he could easily change our opinions, so that we would see, and think, and act as they do. We are nothing compare to His power, and feel and know it.

Black Hawk - Sauk

Here, for the first time, I have touched the goose quill to the treaty - not knowing, however, that by that act I consented to give away my village! Had that been explained to me, I should have opposed it, and never would have signed their treaty, as my recent conduct has clearly proven.

What do we know of this manner of the laws and customs of the white people? They might buy our bodies for dissection, and we would touch the goose quill to confirm it, without knowing what we were doing. This was the case with myself and my people touching the goose quill for the first time. We can only judge what is proper and right by our standard of right and wrong, which differs widely from the whites, if I have been correctly informed. The whites, if I have been correctly informed. The whites may do bad for all their lives, and then, if they are sorry for it when they are about to die, all is well!

But with us it is different : We must continue throughout our lives to do what we conceive to be good. If we have corn and meat, and know of a family that has none, we divide with them. If we have more blankets than are sufficient, and others have not enough, we must give to them that want.

Black Hawk - Sauk

You who are so wise must know that different nations have different conception of things. You will not therefore take it amiss if our ideas of the white man's kind of education happens not to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it.

Several of our young people were brought up in your colleges. They were instructed in all your sciences; but, when they came back to us, they were all bad runners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods, unable to bear either cold or hunger. They didn't know how to build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy. They spoke our language imperfectly.

They were therefore unfit to be hunters, warriors, or counsellors; they were good for nothing.

We are, however, not the less obliged for your kind offer, though we decline accepting it. To show our gratefulness, it the gentleman of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we will take great care with their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them.

Canassatego - Treaty of Lancaster

Thanks for this lovely topic all!

I am part Mohawk..although my Grandfather died when I was 12 and my mother knows little of our Native American heritage. She simply tells me "We're American". I love all this and embrace it as very powerful stuff.

My dear friend's wolf was shot through the door of his house, by a coward the other day.

This friend loves all animals, cares for them in a "no kill" facility and is hurting greatly now. The last I heard, his wolf was hanging on and in the hospital. He has many animals at home who need him, too. A bear, the wolf's pregnant mate, another baby wolf, a fox, ravens and crows, an owl, and many cats and dogs.

My friend is also a Native American, a gentle soul, but I fear for him should his wolf die. I am heart sick now, as I cannot reach him.

Can you please give me a prayer to send him, to soothe him at this time...a prayer of hope for his great "old soul" wolf and for him (one of the most incredible people, I've been blessed to call friend).

Thank you!

It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. Its appeal is to the material part, and if allowed its way, it will in time disturb one's spiritual balance. Therefore, children must early learn the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving.

If a child is inclined to be grasping, or to cling to any of his or her little possessions, legends are related about contempt and disgrace falling upon the ungenerous and mean person ...

The Indians in their simplicity literally give away all that they have - to relatives, to guests of other tribes or clans, but above all to the poor and the aged, from whom they can hope for no return.

Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohiyesa)

I shall pray for the wolf.