"We saw the Great Spirit's work in almost everything: sun, moon, trees, wind and mountains. Sometimes we approached the Great Spirit through these things. Was that so bad? I think we have a true belief in the supreme being, a stronger faith than that of most whites who have called us pagans...Indians living close to nature and nature's ruler are not living in darkness.
Did you know that trees talk? Well they do. They talk to each other, and they'll talk to you if you listen. Trouble is, white people don't listen. They never learned to listen to the Indians so I don't suppose they'll listen to other voices in nature. But I have learned a lot from trees: Sometimes about the weather, sometimes about the animals, sometimes about the Great Spirit".
- Tatanga Mani or Walking Buffalo
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing that:)
Now to overcome the absurdities of our collective past and all the failures therein. Moving beyond "whites" vs. "indians" may take a long while yet.
Absolutely. And that was written in the 70's. But understanding the past is understanding how to move forward in the future. And having this dialogue is part of moving forward. Part of the healing process is allowing them their voice as hard as it is for us to listen.
Post a Comment