|
Native Commandments
Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
Remain close to the Great
Spirit.
Show respect for all your fellow beings.
Work together for the benefit of all Mankind.
Give
assistance and kindness wherever needed.
Do what you know to be right.
Look after the well being of mind
and body.
Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
Be truthful and honest at all times.
Take full responsibility for your actions.
Let us greet the dawn of a new day when all can live
as
one with nature and peace reigns everywhere.
Oh Great Spirit, bring to our brothers the wisdom of Nature
and
the knowledge that if her laws are obeyed this land
will again flourish and grasses and trees will grow as before.
Guide those that through their councils
seek to spread the wisdom of their leaders to all people.
Heal
the raw wounds of the Earth and restore to our soul the richness
which strengthens mens bodies and makes them wise
in their councils.
Bring to all the knowledge that great cities live only through the bounty
of the good
earth beyond their paved streets and towers of stone and steel.
~ Jasper Saunkeah, Cherokee ~
The Legend of the Dream Catcher
The Old Ones tell that dreams hold great power
and drift about at night
before coming to the sleeping ones.
To keep the dreamer safe,
the Old Ones created a special web,
the Dream Catcher,
to hang above their sleeping places.
When dreams traveled the web paths,
the bad dreams lost their way and were entangled,
disappearing with the first rays of daybreak.
The
good dreams, knowing the way,
passed through the center
and were guided gently
to the sleeping
ones.
The Teachings of Mother Earth
Mother Earth teaches us to be human. She brings love to life and shares
her gifts with us. In return for the gifts of our Mother, it is our responsibility as humans to care for all living beings
living upon her.
The rock carries the wisdom of the ages and is known as the oldest teacher and is called, "Grandfather".
From the rock we learn inner strength and faith. The rock is slow to move yet when the rock moves, the whole world pays attention.
The tree teaches us about honesty for the tree is able to move the nutrients from the roots to its uppermost branches.
The sap moves through the tree just as we must learn to allow truth to move through us. For each human there is a tree that
is just like you. If you are acting as though you carry the whole world upon your shoulders, you will see a tree that is bowed
down. Some trees appear to be tall, straight and beautiful, yet that same tree may be rotten on the inside. Some people are
like that. Crooked people will see crooked trees, just like them. We must strive to be tall, straight and honest and grounded
with a good root system and to know that just as each tree is an individual and a member of a family, so are we.
Although
it gets walked on, grass, keeps coming back. As humans we do that to one another, yet even when we get "walked upon"
we must show kindness to ourselves and others and keep coming back. We also nurture, fertilize and care for the grass just
as we must care for one another.. A blade of grass has two sides to it just as we, as humans have a smooth side and a rough
side. We must recognize this and be kind to ourselves in order to smooth out the rough edges.
The animals give us
the greatest gift of all and that is the lesson of sharing. They give up their lives so that we can live. In the old days,
our ancestors would offer a prayer to the Creator and ask for an animal to feed the people. When a hunter connected with an
animal, that was an indication the animal was ready to die. After the hunter killed the animal, it's heart was divided among
the hunters and a piece of the heart was offered back to Mother Earth with a prayer of thanks.
As humans we need
to learn to share with one another and give thanks for the gifts of life shared with us.
The four teachings of faith,
honesty, caring and sharing which come with the rock, the tree, the grasses and the animals keep us connected with our Mother
Earth.
When I see the eagle no more,
Will you call my name?
When the end of my path is reached,
Will
you sing my name in prayer?
The Old Ones fade and are no more,
And no one calls their names.
Our People vanish and come to ashes,
And no one sings the prayers.
We were once strong
and many,
I call the names of those before.
Those who remain have no knowing,
For them I sing
my prayer.
But when I am gone, who follows me,
Who will call my name?
When I have
given up my breath,
Who will sing my name in prayer?
Author Unknown
Give Us Hearts to Understand
Give us hearts to understand
Never to take from creations beauty
more than we give;
Never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed,
Never to deny to give our hands
for the building of earths beauty,
Never to take from her what we cannot use.
Give us hearts to understand
That to destroy earths music is to create confusion;
that to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty;
That to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house
of stench; that as we care for her she will care
for us.
We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security.
We have exploited simply
for our own ends.
We have distorted our knowledge.
We have abused our power.
Great Spirit, whose
dry lands thirst,
Help us to find the way to refresh your lands.
Great Spirit, whose waters are choked with
debris
and pollution, help us to find the way to cleanse your waters.
Great Spirit, whose beautiful Earth
grows ugly with misuse,
help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork.
Great Spirit, whose
creatures are being destroyed,
help us to find a way to replenish them.
Great Spirit, whose gifts to us
are being lost in selfishness
and corruption, help us to find the way to restore our humanity.
~
Big Thunder (Bedagi) late 19th. century Algonquin ~
|
