MOTHER EARTH BELONGS TO ALL THAT RESPECT, LOVE AND TAKE CARE OF HER, SHE IS A GIFT FROM THE GREAT SPIRIT AND WE SHOULD GIVE THANKS FOR THIS BOUNTIFUL GIFT. IT IS A LAND OF ROLLING RIVERS, HILLS AND VALLEYS, VAST DESERT AREAS, SHE CAN BE FRIENDLY OR AS COLD AN UNWELCOMED AS A WINTER BLIZZARD, BUT IT HAS NEVER BEEN EMPTY AS IT WAS INHABITED BY OUR FORE FATHERS THE NATIVE INDIAN.
THERE WERE MANY TRIBES, THE SOUIX, CHYENNE, COMMANCHE, BLACKFOOT, CROW, HOPI, NEZ PERCE’ LAKOTA AND MANY MANY MORE. THIS LAND WAS THEIR LAND AND THEY PROTECTED HER AND CARED FOR AS A MOTHER WOULD HER CHILD, THE EARTH WAS A SACRED THING.
IT IS HERE ON THESE PAGES THAT I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE THANKS TO THOSE NATIVE PEOPLE THAT CARED FOR OUR LAND, NEVER MISUSED OR DISRESPECTED HER IN ANY WAY, IT IS TOO BAD THAT TODAY OUR MOTHER EARTH IS BEING DESTROYED BY POLLUTION OF OUR AIR THE WATER WE DRINK AND THE FOOD WE EAT I HOPE THAT OUR FORE FATHERS THE NATIVE AMERICAN WILL FORGIVE US FOR BEING SO GREEDY AND FOR DESTROYING THE GIFT OF THE GREAT SPRIT, MOTHER EARTH.
THE ABOVE IS A STATEMENT OF MY PERSONAL VIEW, I KNOW NOT WHAT MY HISTORY OF INDIAN ANCESTORY IS, BUT I DO KNOW THAT WE SHOULD TAKE BETTER CARE OF THE EARTH THAT WE LIVE ON, FOR SOMEDAY WE MAY ALL WAKE UP TO FIND THAT WHICH WAS NOT OURS TO BEGIN WITH WILL BE GONE, TKAEN FROM US BY THE GREAT SPIRT, OUR ALMIGHTY GOD, FOR WE DID NOT TAKE CARE OF HER AS HE INTENDED US TO.
CHIEF JOSEPH MADE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT:
WHENEVER THE WHITE MAN TREATS THE INDIAN AS THEY TREAT EACH OTHER, THEN WE WILL HAVE NO MORE WARS. WE SHALL ALL BE ALIKE-BROTHERS OF ONE FATHER, AND ONE MOTHER, WITH ONE SKY ABOVE US AND ONE COUNTRY AROUND US,AND ONE GOVERNMENT FOR ALL. THEN THE GREAT SPIRIT CHIEF WHO RULES ABOVE WILL SMILE UPON THIS LAND…AND…ALL PEOPLE MAY BE ONE PEOPLE. HIN-MAH-TOO-YAH-LAT-KEKHT HAS SPOKEN FOR HIS PEOPLE…. CHIEF JOSEPH