[_redbird_]

The Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the Earth.

Chief Seattle's reply to the US Government (1852):
Chief Seattle was one of the last spokesmen of the Paleolithic moral order. Around 1852 the United States Government inquired about buying the tribal lands for the arriving people of the United States and Chief Seattle wrote a marvelous letter in reply. (Joseph Campbell, 'The Power of Myth') .

"The president in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, but how can you buy or sell the sky, the land... the idea is strange to us...

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people. We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man, all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each ghostly reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father. The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give to the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.

If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell you our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers. Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth/

This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does it to himself. One thing we know: our god is also your god. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival. When the last Red Man has vanished with this wilderness and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?

We love this eath as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children and love it, as God loves us all. As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you. One thing we know: there is only one God. No man, be he Red Man or White Man, can be apart. We are brothers after all."

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/redbird4848/cheifseattle41.jpg (broken link)

[LadyRobyn]

With your post, I am going to sleep now. Thank-you. http://bestsmileys.com/hugging/1.gif (broken link)

[colleeng47]

Beautiful letter. I had read that in school a few years ago. Very insightful when you consider what we've done to the earth. But we'll pay the price, if not us, then our children and grandchildren.

[_redbird_]

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/redbird4848/americanindianelders.jpg (broken link)

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by redbird4848

The Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the Earth.

Chief Seattle's reply to the US Government (1852):
Chief Seattle was one of the last spokesmen of the Paleolithic moral order. Around 1852 the United States Government inquired about buying the tribal lands for the arriving people of the United States and Chief Seattle wrote a marvelous letter in reply. (Joseph Campbell, 'The Power of Myth') .

"The president in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, but how can you buy or sell the sky, the land... the idea is strange to us...

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people. We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man, all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each ghostly reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father. The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give to the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.

If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell you our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers. Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth/

This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does it to himself. One thing we know: our god is also your god. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted by talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony and the hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival. When the last Red Man has vanished with this wilderness and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?

We love this eath as a newborn loves its mother's heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children and love it, as God loves us all. As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you. One thing we know: there is only one God. No man, be he Red Man or White Man, can be apart. We are brothers after all."

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/redbird4848/cheifseattle41.jpg (broken link)

Wow, that's a great letter. Thanks for sharing Redbird.

[_redbird_]

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff275/redbird4848/DFWpowwow9-08.jpg (broken link)

[colleeng47]

RB, does this mean you won't be doing the Oktoberfest in Choctaw? It seems to be the same weekend.

[Goodpasture]

So is the Calf fry festival

Vinita Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce Featured Events Calendar (http://www.vinita.com/events/calendar_events.htm#sept - broken link)

The 29th Annual World’s Largest Calf Fry Festival & Cook-off September 6th. The 29th Annual World’s Largest Calf Fry Festival & Cook-off. This annual event is held at the American Legion Rodeo Grounds and is sponsored by the Vinita Area Chamber of Commerce. Gates open at 9:00 a.m. The event includes arts & crafts display, children’s games and activities, cowboy games, cook-off competition, celebrity judges, live entertainment, horseshoe competition and plenty of fun.

[_redbird_]

Interesting world-view espoused by Sen. Dawes, 1883. God, he makes me sick. May he rest in pieces.

excerpt taken from:
NewsOK Mobile

"The government giveth
The groundwork for the allotment system was laid in 1883 by U.S. Sen. Henry Dawes, who believed the communal ownership of land interfered with American Indian progress.

"Under that there is no enterprise. ... There is no selfishness, which is at the bottom of civilization,” Dawes said.

"Till this people will consent to give up their lands, and divide them among their citizens so that each can own the land he cultivates, they will not make much more progress.”

In 1906, land allotments were distributed individually among the Five Civilized Tribes. In 1908, they were separated from that land."

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by colleeng47

Beautiful letter. I had read that in school a few years ago. Very insightful when you consider what we've done to the earth. But we'll pay the price, if not us, then our children and grandchildren.

Very true..