Native American

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied,
"The one you feed."

—A Native American Metaphor

Each of us is put here in this time and this place
Chief Arvol Looking Horseto personally decide the future of humankind.
Did you think the Creator would create unnecessary
people in a time of such terrible danger?
Know that you yourself are
essential to this World.

— Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the
Lakota,Dakota and Nakota Nation,
19th Generation Keeper of the
Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

Chief SeattleEvery part of this earth is sacred.
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore,
every mist in the dark woods,
every clearing and humming insect is holy.

The rocky crest, the meadow,
the beasts and all the people,
all belong to the same family.

Teach your children that the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth.
We are part of the earth, and the earth is a part of us.
The rivers are our brothers; they quench our thirst.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters.
The air is precious, for all of us share the same breath.

The wind that gave our grandparents breath also receives their last sigh.
The wind gave our children the spirit of life.
This we know, the earth does not belong to us.
We belong to the earth.

This we know, all things are connected.
Like the blood which unites one family, all things are connected.
Our God is the same God, whose compassion is equal for all.
For we did not weave the web of life.
We are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
Let us give thanks for the web and the circle that connects us.
Thanks be to god, the God of all.

—From an oration of Chief Seattle,
Native American, U.S.A., 19th Century

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

It does not require many words
to speak the truth.

Chief Joseph (1840-1904)
Nez Pierce

Black Elk

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 (1863-1950)
Oglala Sioux Holy Man

We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees.We must protect the forests
for our children,
grandchildren and
children yet to be born.
We must protect the forests
for those who can't speak for themselves
such as the birds, animals,
fish and trees.

Hereditary Chief Qwatsinas
(Edward Moody)
For a wonderful collection of Native Quotes visit Quotes from our Native Past