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O Great Spirit, who art before all else and who dwells in every
object, in every person and in every place, we cry unto Thee. We
summon Thee from the far places into our present awareness.
O Great Spirit of the North, who gives wings to the waters of the
air and rolls the thick snowstorm before Thee, Who covers the Earth with a sparkling crystal carpet above whose deep tranquillity every sound is beautiful. Temper us with strength to withstand the biting blizzards, yet make us thankful for the beauty which follows and lies deep over the warm Earth in its wake.
O Great Spirit of the East, the land of the rising Sun, Who holds
in Your right hand the years of our lives and in Your left the
opportunities of each day. Brace us that we may not neglect our
gifts nor lose in laziness the hopes of each day and the hopes of each year.
O Great Spirit of the South, whose warm breath of compassion
melts the ice that gathers round our hearts, whose fragrance
speaks of distant springs and summer days, dissolve our fears,
melt our hatreds, kindle our love into flames of true and living
realities. Teach us that he who is truly strong is also kind, he who is wise tempers justice with mercy, he who is truly brave matches courage with compassion.
O Great Spirit of the West, the land of the setting Sun, with Your soaring mountains and free, wide rolling prairies, bless us with knowledge of the peace which follows purity of striving and the freedom which follows like a flowing robe in the winds of a
well-disciplined life. Teach us that the end is better than the
beginning and that the setting sun glorifies not in vain.
O Great Spirit of the heavens, in the day's infinite blue and amid the countless stars of the night season,remind us that you are vast, that you are beautiful and majestic beyond all of our knowing or telling, but also that you are no further from us than the tilting upwards of our heads and the raising of our eyes.
O Great Spirit of Mother Earth beneath our feet, Master of metals, Germinator of seeds and the Storer of the Earth's unreckoned resources, help us to give thanks unceasingly for Your present bounty.
O Great Spirit of our souls, burning in our heart's yearning and in our innermost aspirations, speak to us now and always so that we may be aware of the greatness and goodness of Your gift of life and be worthy of this priceless privilege of living.
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"So live your life
that the fear of death
can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion;
respect others in their view,
and Demand that they respect yours.
Love your life,
perfect your life,
Beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long
and Its purpose
in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song
for the day when you
go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute
when meeting or passing a friend,
Even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and Bow to none.
When you arise in the morning,
give thanks for the food and
For the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks,
The fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no living thing,
For abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts
Who are filled with fear of death,
so that when their time comes
They weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again
In a different way.
Sing your death song and
die like a hero going home."
Tecumseh, Shawnee
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"While living I want to live well.
I know I have to die sometime,
but even if the heavens were to fall on me
I want to do what is right.
There is only one God looking down on us all. We are all children of the one God. God is listening to me. The sun, the darkness, the winds, all are listening to what we now say..."
Geronimo
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"We sang the songs that carried in their melodies all the sounds of nature -- the running waters, the sighing of winds, and the calls of the animals. Teach these to your children that they may come to love nature as we love it."
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Indigenous Peoples' Literature