Age-old Indian wisdom. Indian wisdom post
Apache prayer:
"Looking back at the past, I am filled with gratitude. Looking into the future, I am filled with vision. Looking up, I am filled with strength. Looking within, I find peace..."
Not people wove the Web of life, they are only threads in it. And everything they do to this Web, they do to themselves. (Seattle, Indian Chief, 1854)
We are all children of the same God. We all live under the same laws of nature. Kajoe human, every animal, every plant, every insect, every bird - we are all the same in the eyes of God. Great Mystery, teach me to respect everything that you have created.
(Wallace Black Deer, Lakota Indian)
"We don't want churches because they will teach us to argue about God."
-19th century Indian chief
The Shuar Indians like to say:
"If you feel that the hunt is going too easily, that the trail of the beast itself falls under your feet, then know that the one you have planned for yourself as a victim is already looking at the back of your head."
Between jumping and flying lies doubt. Jump with confidence and you will find your wings.
The soul would not have a rainbow if the eyes did not have tears.
Man judges himself.
A good person sees good signs.
In order to understand yourself, talk to a stone in the mountains...
When the Great Spirit gives a new day, he sends it - to everything.
The one who is silent knows twice as much as the talker.
If you notice that you are riding a dead horse - get off!
The child is a guest in your house - feed, learn and let go.
A well-spoken word is better than a well-aimed axe.
Life flows from the inside out. By following this thought, you yourself will become the truth.
The soul will not have a rainbow if there were no tears in the eyes.
Ask a question from your heart and you will hear the answer from your heart.
Talk to children when they are eating, and what you say will remain even when you are gone.
Don't bother people about their religion.
A man must make his own arrows.
Before you love, learn to walk in the snow without leaving footprints.
The frog does not drink the pond in which he lives.
Inside every person there is a struggle between an evil wolf and a good one.
The wolf you feed always wins.
If you talk to animals, they will talk to you and you will recognize each other.
If you do not speak to them, you will not recognize them, and what you do not know, you will be afraid.
* Those who lie down with dogs get up with fleas.
* In order to hear yourself, silent days are needed.
* "Need" - just die.
* If you have something to say, stand up to be seen.
* The raven cries not because it portends trouble, but because there are enemies in the bushes.
* Do not judge a man until two moons have passed in his moccasins.
* Not always an enemy is an enemy, and a friend is not a friend.
* Even dead fish can go with the flow.
* There is no death. There is only a transition between the worlds.
* When you see a rattlesnake getting ready to strike, strike first.
* When you tie a horse to a post, do you expect it to work up strength?
* U white man too many bosses.
* Man must make his own arrows.
Indian wisdom
When the last tree is cut down, when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.
Love the earth. It is not inherited by you from your parents, it is borrowed by you from your children.
What is a man without animals? If all the beasts are exterminated, man will die of great loneliness of spirit. Everything that happens to animals, happens to humans.
Don't walk behind me - I may not lead you. Don't go ahead of me - I may not follow you. Walk side by side, and we will be one.
I suffer when I remember how much has been said good words and how many promises were broken. There is too much talk in this world by those who have no right to speak at all.
It doesn't take many words to tell the truth.
Why do you take by force what you cannot take with love?
Indian chief's letter
I don't care what you do for a living.
I want to know why your heart hurts. I don't care how old you are. I want to know if you can risk being funny for love, for a dream, for the adventure that people call life...
I don't care what sign of the zodiac the moon is in your horoscope and what planets surround it. I want to know if you managed to know grief, if you plunged to the very bottom of sadness. Did you manage to endure and become more open to the world thanks to betrayal, or did you shudder in fear of new pain? I want to know if you can handle pain, mine or yours, without hiding or softening it or trying to fix it.
I want to know if you can live with joy, mine or yours, if you can be wild and dance like crazy. Can you be filled with ecstasy so that happiness overflows?
Can you forget everything in the world, even that you are human, even that you have to walk the earth? Can you fly?
I don't care if your words are true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to follow the Truth, to be honest with yourself. Can you stand the accusations of betrayal and not betray yourself? Can you, trampling on faith, remain someone you can trust?
I want to know if you can see beauty every day in what is ugly. Can you draw strength in her presence?
I want to know if you can live with your defeat or mine, I don't care, and still stand on the edge of the lake and scream to the huge silvery moon, "YES!!!".
I don't care where you live or how much money you have. I want to know, after a night of grief and despair, exhausted from tears and unbearable pain, can you get up and do everything that our children need?
I don't care who you know or how you got here. I want to know if you can stand with me in the middle of the fire without staggering.
I don't care what you know or who taught you. I want to know what fills you from the inside. What will be left when there is nothing?
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, do you like yourself in the reflection of emptiness?
Compiled by I. Putintseva.
To understand the Indians, read their attitude
“Having exterminated the herds of the son of the prairies, having taken away the lands where he hunted, the rivers where he fished, he was made a stranger in his own country. The religious ideas of the Indian were connected with what surrounded him; they were expressed in deep reverence for the firmament and earth, trees and flowing waters. When he was torn out of what he had grown together with, death entered his heart.”
R. Edberg. Letters to Columbus. M., 1986. S. 67.
Speech by the Seattle Indian Chief in 1854
“The Diary of the Great Leader from Washington announces that he wants to buy our land. The Great Leader also sends us a message of friendship and good will. He is very kind, for we know that our friendship is too small a price to pay for his favor. However, we will consider your proposal, because we understand that if we do not sell the land, the pale-faced man will come with guns and take it by force. How can you buy the sky or the warmth of the earth? This idea is incomprehensible to us. If we don't own fresh air and splashes of water, how can you buy them from us?"
Tatanka Yotanke (Sitting Bull), Sioux, 1831-1890
“I am a red person. If the Great Spirit wanted me to be a white person, he would have made me one in the first place. He has put certain plans into your hearts; into mine he has put other and different plans. Every person is good in their place. Eagles don't have to be Ravens. We are poor, but we are free. No white man directs our steps. If we must die, we will die defending our rights."
White cloud
When the last tree is cut down, when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.
In 1890, in the face of the inevitable need to follow the path of civilization of the white people, the leader of the Sahaptin tribe, Smohalla, said these words:
“You require me to plow the land. It's like: take a knife and disembowel your own mother? This means that when I die, she will not accept me into her womb and will not allow me to rest in it. You require me to dig stones out of the ground. It's like: rip open the mother's skin to get the bones? This means that after death I will not be able to enter her flesh in order to be reborn in it. You require me to mow the grass, dry the hay, sell it and enrich myself like the pale-faced. But how dare I cut off my own mother's hair?
Even more famous are the words of the chief of Seattle:
“... Earth is our mother. Everything that happens to the earth happens to the sons and daughters of the earth... The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth. We know it. All things are connected - as by blood that unites the family ... We do not weave the web of life - we are simply woven into it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.”
In turn, the Indians were shocked by the consumer attitude of whites to environment,
they were horrified by deforestation, plowing the soil, senseless destruction of bison and other animals.
“It seemed to the Indians that the Europeans hated nature itself - living forests with their birds and animals, valleys covered with grass, water, soil, air itself,” Dee Brown remarks.
More French Jesuits in Canada who preached among the Hurons, Iroquois and Algonquins the Word of God, drew attention to the fact that, despite paganism (in the Christian sense), the Indians are distinguished by their emphasized religiosity, and not in the sense of strict observance of rituals, but in the moral sense of the word. The famous researcher of the tribal society, Lewis Morgan, known for his works on the history and culture of the League of the Iroquois, notes an interesting ritual among them - sanundatheywata (“gatherings for repentance”). He reports that before each religious holiday, the Iroquois had a ceremony of public confession. People gathered together, and everyone who wanted to confess took a white wampum thread (a symbol of purity and truth) in their hands, confessed their sins and promised to improve.
Rules of Life - Sitting Bull, Seattle, White Cloud and other Indian chiefs
It doesn't take many words to tell the truth.
What is life?
This is the light of a firefly in the night. It's the bison's breath when winter comes. This is a shadow that falls on the grass and melts at sunset.
Love the earth.
It is not inherited by you from your parents, it is borrowed by you from your children.
When the last tree is cut down
when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.
First year of marriage
the newlyweds looked at each other and wondered if they could be happy. If not, they said goodbye and looked for new spouses. If they were forced to live together in discord, we would be as stupid as the white man.
You can not
wake up a person who pretends to be asleep.
The Great Spirit is imperfect.
He has a light side and a dark side. Sometimes dark side gives us more knowledge than light.
Look at me.
I am poor and naked. But I am the leader of my people. We don't need wealth. We just want to teach our children to be right. We want peace and love.
Even your silence
may be part of prayer.
The white man is greedy.
In his pocket he carries a canvas rag into which he blows his nose, as if he is afraid that he might blow his nose and miss something very valuable.
We are poor
because we are honest.
Knowledge is hidden in every thing.
The world was once a library.
My son will never take up farming.
He who works on earth does not see dreams, but wisdom comes to us in dreams.
We don't want churches
because they will teach us to argue about God.
When a man prays for one day and then sins for six,
The Great Spirit is angry, and Evil spirit laughs.
Why do you take by force
what you can't take with love?
The old days were wonderful.
The old people sat under the sun at the doorstep of their house and played with the children until the sun plunged them into slumber. The old people played with the children every day. And at some point they just did not wake up.
When a legend dies
and the dream disappears, there is no greatness left in the world.
What is a man without animals?
If all the beasts are exterminated, man will die of great loneliness of spirit. Everything that happens to animals, happens to humans.
One "take" is better
two "I'll give."
Don't walk behind me
maybe I won't lead you. Don't walk ahead of me, I may not follow you. Walk side by side, and we will be one.
The truth is that
what people believe.
Even a small mouse
has the right to be angry.
I suffer when I remember how many good words were said
and how many promises were broken. There is too much talk in this world by those who have no right to speak at all.
May my enemy be strong and fearsome.
If I beat him, I won't feel ashamed.
The one who tells stories rules the world.
Seek wisdom, not knowledge.
Knowledge is the past. Wisdom is the future.
When you were born, you cried and the world laughed.
Live so that when you die, you laugh and the world weeps. 
19th century Indians said...
When a legend dies and a dream is gone, there is no greatness left in the world.
In order to hear yourself, you need silent days
Talk to children when they are eating and what you say will remain even when you are gone.
There are many ways to smell like a skunk
Before you love, learn to walk in the snow without leaving footprints.
Look at your moccasin marks first before judging other people's flaws
The white man has too many bosses
The child is a guest in your house - feed, learn and let go
He who is silent knows twice as much as a talker
Even dead fish can go with the flow
The soul will not have a rainbow if there were no tears in the eyes
Don't judge a man until two moons have passed in his moccasins
There is no death. There is only a transition between the worlds
A well-spoken word is better than a well-aimed ax
If you have something to say, stand up to be seen
Those who go to bed with dogs get up with fleas
Inside everyone man goes the fight of an evil wolf with a good one. The wolf you feed always wins
Indian mythology
Among the Indians of Central America, the main place in mythology was occupied by myths about the origin of fire and the origin of people and animals. Later, myths about the caiman, the patron saint of food and moisture, and the good spirits of plants, as well as myths inherent in all types of mythologies, about the creation of the world, appeared in their culture.
When the Indians began to widely use maize culture in agriculture, myths appeared about the supreme female deity - the "goddess with braids." It is interesting that the goddess does not have a name, and her name is accepted only conditionally, being an approximate translation. The image of the goddess combines the idea of the Indians about the spirits of plants and animals. The "Goddess with braids" is both the personification of earth and sky, and life and death.
After fundamental discoveries in psychology and sociology, interest in the culture of the Indians rapidly increased. French anthropologists Levi-Bruhl and Levi-Strauss explored consciousness through the prism of the Indians modern man. Carl Gustav Jung and his followers (Joseph Campbell) were engaged in the study of the subconscious and archetypes based on Indian myths. Most of all, researchers of narcotic states Grof, Castaneda and others did to popularize Indian culture. In the wake of the psychedelic revolution, interest in the traditional cultures of the Indians, where hallucinogens were widely used, increased significantly.
North American Indians, as a source of images, strongly influenced the romantic direction in literature and cinema. Thanks to fiction books and films about them, the average European knows much more about the Indians than about similar tribes in Africa, Asia, Oceania.
Tales of the Cherokee Indians
(c) *** JES 2003 *** Yuri Shimanovsky
http://archive.diary.ru/~Indiana/p26694962.htm#more1
How the Milky Way appeared.
Long ago, when there were very few stars in the sky, a miller lived in the Land of the Smoky Mountains. All his life he ground grain, and sold the resulting flour, thus earning his livelihood.
One autumn day in the morning, he discovered that someone had stolen some of the flour from the store. The miller was surprised and alarmed. He knew for sure that no one in the village was a thief.
He carefully examined the vault, the house, the paths leading to the house, and on one of them found a trace huge dog. The man was very scared. Never in his life had he met such big dogs. He spent the rest of the day in anxious thoughts, but without inventing anything, he went to bed.
On the morning of the next day, he saw with horror that the flour had been stolen again. And next - traces of the same monster. Then he went to the council of elders to ask for help. One by one, the members of the council spoke with their thoughts, but all the proposals boiled down to the fact that you need to attack the dog and kill it. The miller, on the other hand, was resolutely against it, for it would be the height of madness to attack a dog, which, undoubtedly, came from the other world.
Then the last of the elders got up and said: “You can’t kill a dog. Let’s assume that this is so. But you can scare him, and he will forever forget the way to our village. Let’s do this. "Let everyone take with them a drum, a rattle, or something else that can sound loud. When the dog comes, we will light torches and make such a noise that he will be frightened and run away." That's what they decided.
At night, when the stars became bright, and the moon had made half its way through the firmament, people saw a huge dog. He came from the west. The moonlight played with his rearing fur. The beast approached the vault and began to devour the flour.
At that moment, torches flared up. People who jumped out from everywhere beat drums, rattled rattles, shouted, stomped. In a word, they made such a noise that it seemed that a thunderstorm of unprecedented strength was raging in the Land of Smoky Mountains.
The dog darted around in the lighted circle, looking for a way out. But people advanced, squeezing the ring. Then he crouched down, tightened up like a spring and rushed straight into the sky. Higher and higher the dog rose, scattering the stolen flour, until it was out of sight. And the scattered flour is still visible. The whites call her " Milky Way", and the Cherokee Indians - Gil Lutsun Stanuny, which means "Where the Dog Fled."
Revenge of the Rattlesnake.
This story happened in those ancient times when people could understand the language of animals.
The children were playing near their home, while their mother was doing housework. Suddenly, the children began to call for help. Mother went outside the threshold and saw a rattlesnake crawling out of the bushes. The woman picked up a stick and killed the snake.
The father of the family was hunting in the mountains that day and was already returning home. When darkness covered the mountain gorges, the hunter heard a strange howling sound resounding from all sides. He looked around and was horrified to find that he was surrounded by a multitude of rattlesnakes that were stretching their heads up and seemed to be crying.
- What trouble did you have? - the hunter was surprised.
- Today your wife killed our leader, the Yellow Serpent, - they answered him, - And now we are sending the Black Serpent to make retribution.
"It's terrible," the man said. I'm sorry your leader died. Please forgive us.
- If you speak from the bottom of your heart, then help us. We don't need anything special. We'll just take your wife's life in exchange for our leader's life. "I'll agree for now," thought the man, "and then we'll see. After all, if I refuse, they'll kill me right here."
"All right," he said, "what do you want from me?"
- Go to the family, - the snakes hissed, - the Black Serpent will accompany you. When you enter the house, he will hide in the darkness at the threshold. Ask your wife to bring you water from the stream. That's all that is required.
The hunter went home, hearing the Black Serpent following invisibly. He returned after midnight, but his wife was waiting for him. The man sat down and asked for a drink. The wife filled the cup from the jug.
- No, - said the hunter, - I want fresh water from the stream.
- Well, - the woman answered, - and went out of the door.
The next moment there was a scream and, jumping out, the hunter saw that his wife was lying on the ground, bitten by a rattlesnake. She died soon after.
Then the bushes near the house stirred, and the Black Serpent crawled out again.
“That's not all, man,” he hissed, “listen, remember.
And he sang a strange song.
“This is a prayer,” said the Serpent, having finished singing, “from now on, let people sing this song when they see a rattlesnake. Then they won't be touched. In addition, if by mistake one of the snakes bites a person, sing this prayer over the victim and he will not die.
Many centuries have passed since these events took place. But the Cherokee still remember the song of the Black Serpent.
Why does the Possum have a bald tail?
Previously, the Possum's tail was beautiful and fluffy. It was a tail so magnificent in its perfection that Opossum sang songs and danced about it in the morning. Most of all, this annoyed the Rabbit, who had no tail at all, after being torn off by the bear. And out of envy, the Rabbit decided to play a cruel joke with the Possum.
Once a general meeting was announced in the forest, with the obligatory presence of all animals. At the end, it was supposed to hold an informal part and dances. Rabbit was asked to notify the animals about the upcoming event.
"Don't forget to come," he said as he ran past the Possum's home.
- I will come, - the Possum answered, - but with one condition. Prussian will give me a special place. Since I have a truly magnificent tail, I need to be seated so that all the animals can see it.
Rabbit promised to arrange for this and even offered to send someone to properly prepare the tail. The opossum was flattered and agreed.
Satisfied with his plan, Rabbit went to Cricket, who was so versed in the art of removing body hair that the nickname "barber" went after him. Rabbit explained the task to Cricket and went on about his business.
The next morning Cricket came to Possum and offered to take care of the tail. Namely, wrap it with a thin thread so that until the evening the tail, God forbid, gets dirty and wrinkled. The possum stretched out on the ground and closed its eyes, leaving the cricket to do its thing. And he got to work. With each turn of the thread, the Cricket bit the hairs on the tail, and he did it so skillfully that the Possum did not notice anything.
Arriving at the meeting, Possum happily took a special place, which, as promised by the Rabbit, was allocated. When it got dark, the dancing began. The opossum went to a prominent place and plucked the thread from his tail and sang the song "Look at my tail." The audience greeted the song with extraordinary animation. Everyone danced around the Possum. Encouraged, he sang the song "Wonderful color of the tail." In response, there was thunderous applause. "And how my tail creeps along the ground" - sang the Possum. There was an ovation all around. Never before has a Possum's tail attracted such attention. "What a wonderful fur," sang the Possum. And then he realized that the noise around him was just Homeric laughter. He looked down and saw that his tail was bald like a lizard's. Not a single hair.
In silence, the Possum left the dance and rolled on the ground for a long time in impotent rage. So he does to this day, when he does not like something.
Grasshopper warning.
Two hunters stopped in the forest for the night. They lit a fire, pitched a tent, and had dinner. When it got completely dark, a grasshopper sang nearby.
“Listen,” one hunter said laughing to another, “this lunatic has only until autumn to live, and he sings to himself, and doesn’t even know.
“I know everything,” said the grasshopper unexpectedly. - I even know that you will not live to see tomorrow evening.
The next day, the hunters fell into an enemy ambush and the one who laughed at the grasshopper was killed.
Enchanted Lake Atagahi.
To the west of the Okonalufti River, in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains lies an enchanted lake of wondrous beauty. All the Cherokee know about this lake, although none of the people have seen it.
It happened that a hunter came so close to him that he heard the noise of thousands of nesting wild ducks. But every time, having come to the place where there had just been a lake, a person found only a dried, cracked bottom. No birds, no animals, no even grass.
Since no one has seen the lake, some people claim that it does not exist. But this is not true. It is said that if you spend the night nearby, you can see it in the early morning. The lake will appear to your eyes in the first rays of the sun, filled with transcendental waterfalls of mountain streams. The water is teeming with fish, and innumerable flocks of wild ducks and pigeons scurry above the surface. Along the coast you will see many animal trails.
The water of this lake is curative for animals. As soon as a bear wounded by a hunter enters the water, he instantly recovers.
And just for this reason, animals hide the lake from people.
About how the Crane competed with the Hummingbird.
Crane and Hummingbird fell in love with the same girl. She generally preferred the Hummingbird, who was as handsome as the Crane was clumsy. But the latter was persistent, and in order to get rid of his claims, the girl set a condition - let both rivals arrange competitions in flight speed. She will marry the winner. The hummingbird was swift as lightning, while the crane was heavy and clumsy. Therefore, the girl thought, the Hummingbird would undoubtedly win and everything would look fair. There was only one thing she didn't know. The crane can also fly at night.
We decided so. Rivals start from the bride's house, fly around the world and return to their starting point. The one who arrives first will marry the girl.
At a signal, the Hummingbird took off like an arrow shot from a bow, and in an instant disappeared from sight. The crane at that time only spread its wings and took off heavily from the ground. The hummingbird flew all day, and in the late afternoon stopped for the night. He was far ahead.
The crane flew slowly all day and all night. Shortly after midnight he passed a sleeping hummingbird, and towards morning he stopped to rest by a stream.
In the morning, Hummingbird woke up and went on, thinking about how easily he would defeat his clumsy opponent. Flying over the stream, he was surprised to find a Crane eating tadpoles for breakfast. Hummingbird, never realizing how this could happen, rushed on and was soon far ahead.
The crane finished his meal and set off. When evening came, he continued to fly and passed by the rival sleeping on the branches exactly at midnight. The next day he won a little more in the distance, and on the fourth day he was already eating tadpoles for dinner, when Hummingbird overtook him. On the fifth and sixth days, the Hummingbird arrived late in the evening. On the seventh day, the Crane was one night ahead of the flight.
Having refreshed himself with tadpoles in the morning and having a good rest, he flew to the starting point, where the girl was waiting. Arriving in the afternoon, Hummingbird saw that he had lost.
The girl announced that she would never marry such a bore as a crane in her life. Besides, she changed her mind about getting married.
Why does the vulture have a bald head.
Once upon a time, the Vulture had a beautiful tuft on his head. So beautiful that the Vulture, out of pride, refused to eat carrion with others. And when other birds pecked at the body of a dead deer, wild boar, or some other animal, the Vulture proudly walked beside him and said:
- No, my friends, such food is not for me. And you eat, eat. In the end, the birds got tired of it, and they decided to teach the proud man a lesson. They conspired with the Buffalo and he pulled out the Vulture's tuft, and for one thing and all the feathers on his head.
Together with the crest, the Vulture lost his sense of pride. Now he does not disdain to eat carrion with others.
Conclusion
From all this incomplete information, the most obvious conclusion is:
The Indians were not godless savages, as the English colonists claimed. They had their own culture, religion, their calling and worldview, the closest connection with nature. They loved and were loved, they loved their wives and children, they respected the elderly and honored the Earth. 
In terms of moral and spiritual development, the Indians are definitely far ahead of not only their colonists, but also people of modern times, where they still cannot learn to live in peace, honor the Earth, protect nature, where there is profit, profit, constant lies and empty promises. much more important than love for the environment. In a world where there is no honor and dignity, in such a world there can be no truth and greatness.
"Don't you think so?"
“Love the earth. It is not inherited by you from your parents, it is borrowed by you from your children.”
“In the first year of marriage, the newlyweds looked at each other and thought if they could be happy. If not, they said goodbye and looked for new spouses. If they were forced to live together in discord, we would be as stupid as the white man."
“Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is the past. Wisdom is the future."
"We don't want churches because they will teach us to argue about God."
"One "take" is better than two "I will give."
"It doesn't take many words to tell the truth."
"A good person sees good signs."
"The one who is silent knows twice as much as the talker."
"First look at the footprints of your moccasins before judging other people's faults."
"Before you love, learn to walk in the snow without leaving footprints."
“There is no death. There is only a transition between the worlds.
"Those who go to bed with dogs get up with fleas."
"How clever must be the language of the whites if they can make right look wrong and wrong look right."
“My son will never take up farming. He who works on the earth does not see dreams, but wisdom comes to us in dreams.”
"What is life? This is the light of a firefly in the night. It's the bison's breath when winter comes. This is a shadow that falls on the grass and melts at sunset.
“When the last tree is cut down, when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.”
“The Great Spirit is imperfect. He has a light side and a dark side. Sometimes the dark side gives us more knowledge than the light side.”
“Knowledge is hidden in every thing. The world was once a library."
“In order to hear yourself, you need silent days.”
“In order to understand about yourself, talk to a stone in the mountains…”.
“If you notice that you are riding a dead horse, get off!”
"When the Great Spirit gives a new day, he sends it - to everything."
"Look at me. I am poor and naked. But I am the leader of my people. We don't need wealth. We just want to teach our children to be right. We want peace and love."
“When you tie a horse to a post, do you expect it to work up strength?”
"Don't bother people about their religion."
"Even your silence can be part of prayer."
"Why do you take by force what you cannot take with love?"
"There are many ways to smell like a skunk."
"Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I won't be able to remember, involve me and I'll understand."
"Need" - just die.
“The old days were wonderful. The old people sat under the sun at the doorstep of their house and played with the children until the sun plunged them into slumber. The old people played with the children every day. And at some point they just didn’t wake up.”
"When a legend dies and a dream is gone, there is no greatness left in the world."
“Don't walk behind me - I may not lead you. Don't walk ahead of me - I may not follow you. Walk side by side, and we will be one.”
"Truth is what people believe."
"Even a small mouse has the right to be furious."
“I suffer when I remember how many good words were said and how many promises were broken. In this world, those who have no right to speak at all speak too much.
"He who tells stories rules the world."
"Water has no hair."
"The frog does not drink the pond in which he lives."
“The wind that gave our grandfathers their first breath is also receiving their last breath, and the wind must also give our children the spirit of life.”
"I come to you as one of your many children."
"I need your strength and wisdom."
"Make me strong, not to rise above my brother, but to defeat my greatest enemy - myself."
“I was on the edge of the earth. I was at the water's edge. I was at the edge of the sky. I was on the edge of the mountains."
"I didn't find anyone who wasn't my friend."
"If you have something to say, stand up to be seen."
“The raven cries not because it portends trouble, but because there are enemies in the bushes.”
"Remember that man is also an animal, only smart."
"Don't judge a man until two moons have passed in his moccasins."
"A man must make his own arrows."
"The white man has too many bosses."
"Everything in the world has its own song."
Above me is beauty, below me is beauty. And when I leave the body, I will also follow the path of beauty.”
"A child is a guest in your house - feed, learn and let go."
"Ask a question from your heart and you will hear an answer from your heart."
"Speak to children when they are eating, and what you say will remain even when you are gone."
"When you see a rattlesnake preparing to strike, strike first."
"You can't wake a person who pretends to be asleep."
“The white man is greedy. In his pocket he carries a linen rag into which he blows his nose, as if he is afraid that he might blow his nose and miss something very valuable.
"We are poor because we are honest."
"When a man prays for one day and then sins for six, the Great Spirit gets angry and the Evil Spirit laughs."
"A well-spoken word is better than a well-thrown axe."
"Even a dead fish can go with the flow."
"The soul will not have a rainbow if there were no tears in the eyes."
“Life flows from the inside out. By following this thought, you yourself will become the truth.”
“Everything on earth has its purpose, every disease is a medicine that cures it, and every person has a purpose.”
“What is a man without animals? If all the beasts are exterminated, man will die of great loneliness of spirit. Whatever happens to animals, happens to humans."
“May my enemy be strong and fearsome. If I beat him, I won't feel ashamed."
“If you talk to owls or snakes, they will talk to you and you will recognize each other. If you do not speak to them, you will not recognize them, and what you do not know, you will be afraid. Man destroys what he fears.
"Home is where you feel good."
"Enemy is not always enemy, and friend is not always friend."
“When you were born, you cried and the world laughed. Live in such a way that when you die, you laugh and the world weeps.
"Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking up."
(Black Deer Hehaka Sapa, Oglala)
“Everyone has a song. God gives a song to each of us. That's how we know who we are. Our songs tell us who we are."
(Charlie Knight, Utah)
“Only what you gave will come back to you.”
(John (Fire) Lame Deer, Rosebud Lakota)
(Don Talayeswa, Hopi)
(Fuls Crow, Lakota)
"It doesn't take many words to tell the truth."
(Chief Joseph, Nez Persian)
"Lead simple life because the more you get, the harder it gets.”
(Joe Koihis, Stockbridge Munsey)
"Everything is interconnected. Whatever happens to the earth will happen to the children of the earth.”
(Chief Seattle, Sukwamish and Duwamish)
"...Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start to sincerely live the way the Creator intended for you."
(Leliya Fisher, hoh)
“If you are worried, go and sit by the river. And the flowing water will carry your worries away."
(Joe Koihis, Stockbridge Munsey)
"No one likes to be criticized, but criticism can be like a wind in the desert, blowing against tender stems, forcing them to take root deeper for safety."
(Polingaysi Kuoyawaima, Hopi)
“Don't be afraid to cry. It will free your mind from sad thoughts.”
(Don Talayeswa, Hopi)
(Tatanga Mani (Walking Bison), stoney)
"The most important thing you can do during the day is to pray."
(Joe Koihis, Stockbridge Munsey)
(Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)
“Times change, but principles don't. Times change, but the earth does not. Times change, but our culture and our language remain the same. Here's what you need to protect. It's not about how you dress - it's about your heart."
(Oren Lyons, Onondaga)
“The honor of the people lies in the footprints of the woman's moccasins. Go on a good road... Be diligent, respectful, gentle and modest, my daughters... Be strong in warmth, strong in the heart of the earth. No nation will fall until its women become weak, until they are no longer respected, or until they lie dead on the ground. Be strong and sing about strength Great Power within you, around you."
(Village Sage, Sioux)
"How smarter man the more he needs God to protect him from the thought that he knows everything.”
(George Webb, pima)
“Love is something you can leave behind when you die. That's how strong she is."
John (Fire) Lame Deer, Rosebud Lakota
“Wisdom comes only when you stop chasing it and start living the way the Creator intended for you.”
Lelia Fisher, hoh
"Silence is the absolute stability or balance of the body, mind and spirit."
Charles Eastman (Ohayesa), Santee Sioux
“You can't just sit down and talk about the truth. So it doesn't work. You must live it and be a part of it, and then you can know it.”
Rolling Thunder, Cherokee
“Even the seasons form a great circle with their changes, and always return to their place. Human life is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so with everything in which the force moves.
Black Deer (Hehaka Sapa), Oglala Sioux
“The way we go through life is the most meaningful responsibility every person, and we must remember this with every new dawn.
Thomas Yellow Tail, crow
“Everything is very simple, and we complicate everything. That's why we're at an impasse."
Vicki Downey Tewa/Tesuke Pueblo
“We must learn to cry again. Strong man cries, it is a weak man holding back his tears.
Archie Fire Lame Deer, Lakota
“... first you have to believe. Don't wait until you first see, then touch and then believe... You have to say it from the bottom of your heart."
Wallace Black Deer, Lakota
"You can pray for anything you want, but it's always better to pray for others than for yourself."
“As we rush to create empires and racial superiority, we should stop and listen to the song of women's lives. Because without women there is no life.
Oren Lyons, Representative of the Traditional Circle of Elders
“Really, it's all the same. The Creator looks at me no better than He looks at these trees. We are equal to Him."
Janice Sunset Sunset Hattet, seneca
"Spiritual things are difficult to explain because you have to live them in order to fully understand them."
Thomas Yellowtail, crow
"Dissimilar things come together and create something beautiful and whole."
Nippawanok, Arapaho
"We all come from the same root, but all the leaves are different."
John Fire Lame Deer, Lakota
“All the stones around, each of them, have their own language. Even the earth has a song."
Wallace Black Elk, Lakota
“If the Great Spirit wanted people to stand in one place, He would make the world motionless; but He made it ever-changing...”
Chief Flying Hawk, Oglala Sioux
“For me, if you are an Indian, then you are an Indian. You are not obliged to dress in skins, beads, feathers and all the rest.”
Cecilia Mitchell, mohawk
"It is not through his great skill that the hunter achieves success, but through knowing his place in Creation and his connection with all things."
Thomas Yellowtail, crow
“We have an old saying: Everything that lives must die. Only stones and mountains are eternal.”
Archie Fire Lame Deer, Lakota
“When you are in the forest, you cannot get lost. You are surrounded by friends and God.”
Joe Koihis, Stockbridge Munsey
“Don't be sad. Misfortune will befall the wisest and best of men. Death will come, always regardless of the season. This is the decree of the Great Spirit and all nations and people must obey. What has passed and what cannot be avoided, one should not grieve ... "
Big Deer, Omaha Chief
"My friends, how much we need to be loved and to be loved by us."
Chief Dan George, Skokomish
“Life is like a path... and we all have to walk along it... Walking... we gain experience that is like scraps of paper thrown in front of us on the road. We must pick up these pieces and put them in our pocket... Then, one day, we will accumulate enough pieces of paper to put them together and see what they say... Read the knowledge and take it to heart.
uncle Frank Davis (according to his mother), Pawnee
"It's a paradox modern world that in our desire for peace, we must willingly give ourselves to the struggle.
Linda Hogan, Chickasaw
“The best teachers have shown me that things should be done gradually. Nothing happens quickly - we just think it happens that way."
Joseph Braszek, Abenaki
"The greater the faith, the greater the result."
Fulls Crow, Lakota
"Those who live for each other realize that love is the bond of perfect unity."
Fulls Crow, Lakota
“Everything is given to you. Your path is right in front of you. Sometimes you can't see her, but she's there. You may not know where it leads, but you must follow it anyway. This is the path to the Creator. This is the only trail in existence."
Leon Shenandoah, Onondaga
"Many people hardly ever feel real earth under their feet, see plants growing, except in flower pots, or are far enough from street lights to catch the charm of a star-studded night sky. When people live far away from the places created by the Great Spirit, it is easy for them to forget His laws.”
Tatanga Mani (Walking Bison), stony
“We are all starting to rethink what is good in us - let's leave the past in the past - and continue with the possibilities of the present!”
Howard Reiner, taos pueblo/creek
“We create evil among us. We create it; and then we try to call him the devil, Satan, evil. But man creates it. There is no devil. Man creates the devil."
Wallace Black Deer, Lakota
