"Only when the last tree dies, when the last river is poisoned and the last fish is caught, will we realize that we cannot eat money." - Native American proverb
Native American wisdom is a timeless record that should be read over and over again. Some of them are listed here.
Treat the Earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it is loaned to you by your children. You do not inherit the earth from your ancestors, but borrow it from your children. – Old Native American Proverb
All things in the world have a purpose, every disease and the plant that cures it, and every person with a purpose. This is the Native American theory of existence. – Mourning Dove, Salish (1888-1936)
What is life? It's the beat of a marmot in the night. It is the breath of buffalo in the winter cold. She is a small doe that rushes across the grass and disappears at sunset. – Black leg
Everything in the world is in pairs. We see two things with our own eyes, what is beautiful and what is ugly. We have a right hand that strikes and does evil, and a left hand that is closer to the heart, full of goodness. One foot can lead us down a bad path, the other down a good path. Everything in the world is in pairs. – Eagle
Everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles. The sky is round, I heard that the Earth is also round and so are all the stars. The wind, when it is strongest, spins. Birds build their nests in circles because their religion is the same as ours. Even the seasons in their change form a great circle and always return to where they were. Man's life is a circle from childhood to childhood. And so it is with everything in which power moves. – Black Moose, Oglala Sioux
We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect forests for those who cannot speak for themselves, for birds, animals, fish and trees. – Qwatsinas
If you talk to the animals, they will talk to you and you will get to know each other. If you don't talk to them, you won't know them. What you don't know scares you. When someone is afraid, he destroys. – Chief Dan George
In the hearts of all of us there is a hidden road, which we rarely travel, and which leads to an unknown, secret place. The natives really loved the Earth and sat on it and rested with the feeling of being close to the mother power. On Earth they set up their tents and altars of earth. The earth soothed, strengthened, cleansed and healed. That is why the old Indian still sits on the Earth, does not get up and does not separate from his life forces. For him, sitting or lying on the Earth means that he can think deeper and feel powerful. That he can penetrate the secrets of life and come into a closer relationship with the life around him. – Chief Standing Bear, Oglala Sioux
The Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our father, and the Earth is our mother. She feeds us and whatever we put into her, she gives back to us. – Big thunder
The whites never cared for the earth or for the deer, the bear. When we Indians kill for meat, we eat everything. When we pull out the fruits with their roots from the soil, we make small holes. When we build houses, we make small holes. We shake acorns and cones from the trees. We do not cut live trees. We only use dry wood. And the whites destroy the soil, cut down the trees, kill everything. The tree says: “No! I'm in pain. Don't hurt me.” They cut him down. That is why the spirit of the Earth hates them. – To Wint
We believe that the love of possession is a weakness that must be overcome. She attracts the material part, and if allowed to do so, eventually one's spiritual balance will be disturbed. Therefore, children should learn the beauty of giving from an early age. They must be taught to give what they love most, so that they can feel the joy of giving. – Ohiyesa, Wahpeton Santee Sioux
I was in Victoria once and I saw a very big house. I was told that it was a bank and that the white people put their money there for safekeeping and that they would eventually benefit from it. We Indians don't have such banks, but when we have a lot of money or blankets, we give them to other Indians, and eventually they benefit, and our hearts feel good. Our method of giving is our bank. – Chief Maquinna, Nootka
Blue story to end
One evening a Cherokee grandfather was telling his grandson about the battle going on within us. He said:“My grandson, this battle is constantly going on between two wolves within all of us. One is evil. He is angry, hateful, jealous, sad, regrets a lot, greedy, arrogant, self-pitying, guilty, resentful, has a sense of inferiority, lies, is falsely proud, has a sense of superiority and is egotistical. The second one is good. Happy, peaceful, loving, hopeful, peaceful, merciful, kind, benevolent, empathetic, generous, truthful, compassionate and trusting.” The grandson thinks and asks the grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The grandfather simply answers:"The one you keep."
