SpiritWindz: Honoring The Creator
This web site addresses the issue of Native American Spirituality.
Old Western movies would lead one to believe that Indian people tended to sit around all day in tipis, sitting cross-legged and scantily-clad, smoking a "peace pipe", and raising their right hand and saying "Hau" whenever someone crossed paths with them. Unfortunately, this is the image that most Non-Indian people have of Indian people, even today. Indian people have had to endure these stereotypes and inaccurate portrayals for generations. To those Non-Indian people reading this page, please understand and educate your children that not all Indian tribes lived in tipis. More importantly, the ceremonial pipe is something VERY SACRED to the Indian people. It is not something to be joked about or to be spoken about lightly. Tobacco is used by Indian people as an offering to The Great Spirit, to give thanks. Traditional Indian people never used tobacco recreationally, as it is so widely used today. But still today, the spiritual beliefs and practices of Native people continue to be misunderstood and wrongly characterized in such things as books and movies.
It is surely not the intent of this web site to teach or preach Native Spirituality. The intent of this web site is simply to try and dispel certain myths and to give individuals a somewhat better understanding of the ways and beliefs of Indian people. Every tribe differs somewhat in their beliefs, their practices, their folklore, etc. A Non-Indian friend once asked me, "Can you teach me how to do Native Spirituality...it seems so cool". I believe this mentality (though innocent) arises from the rising "New Age" culture, that believes that sacred Indian beliefs and practices are something someone can simply learn in a weekend by attending a workshop or seminar, or by visiting their local bookstore. However, there does not seem to be an understanding that this mentality is extremely insulting to most Indian people.....not to mention the fact that it is not possible to learn such things accurately via these means. In my opinion, the only way for one to truly learn the beliefs and practices of Indian people is directly through our Tribal Elders..... not through a book, cassette, videotape, or "New Age" workshop. Our Elders hold the answers. Our Elders keep our culture alive. We always have much to learn from our Elders, and they deserve our utmost respect.
To sum up Native Spirituality in a nutshell, I would have to say it is about HONOR, LOVE, and RESPECT. Not only do we love, honor, and respect our Creator and our Mother Earth, but also every living thing. It is about being in touch with ourselves and everything around us. It is about knowing and understanding that we are part of everything, and everything is a part of us. We are all One.
At this site, I will be including informational links and also some Indian prayers, quotes, and proverbs that will help to illustrate more accurately the spiritual ways of the Indian people.
In her book, "Catch the Whisper of the Wind", Cheewa James (Modoc) states: "...Yet for all the cultural differences in language, religion, crafts, philosophies, and living habits, there are some common threads of thinking among most American Indian groups....* A reverence for the environment
* An emphasis on and love for family
* A value placed on silence, personal truth, introspection, and 'questing'
* A respect for older people
* An acceptance of death as part of the natural order of life
* An acknowledgement of the value of each human being and the belief that we are all related "
O' GREAT SPIRIT
help me always
to speak the truth quietly,
to listen with an open mind
when others speak,
and to remember the peace
that may be found in silence.- Cherokee Prayer
An Ute Prayer
Earth teach me stillness
as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach me suffering
as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility
as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring
as the mother who secures her young.
Earth teach me courage
as the tree which stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation
as the ant which crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me resignation
as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth teach me regeneration
as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself
as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
as dry fields weep with rain.
SOMETIMES I GO ABOUT PITYING MYSELF,
BUT ALL THE WHILE
I AM BEING CARRIED BY GREAT WINDS
ACROSS THE SKY......
(Ojibwe Song)
Native Prayer to the Four Directions
Great Spirit of Light,
come to me out of the East (red)
with the power of the rising sun.
Let there be light in my words,
let there be light on my path that I walk.
Let me remember always
that you give the gift of a new day.
And never let me be burdened with sorrow
by not starting over again.
Great Spirit of Love,
come to me with the power of the North (white).
Make me courageous when the cold wind falls upon me.
Give me strength and endurance
for everything that is harsh,
everything that hurts,
everything that makes me squint.
Let me move through life
ready to take what comes from the north.
Great Life-Giving Spirit,
I face the West (black),
the direction of sundown.
Let me remember everyday that the moment will come
when my sun will go down.
Never let me forget that I must fade into you.
Give me a beautiful color,
give me a great sky for setting,
so that when it is my time to meet you,
I can come with glory.
Great Spirit of Creation,
send me the warm and soothing winds from the South (yellow).
Comfort me and caress me when I am tired and cold.
Unfold me like the gentle breezes
that unfold the leaves on the trees.
As you give to all the earth your warm, moving wind,
give to me,
so that I may grow close to you in warmth.
Man did not create the web of life, he is but a strand in it. Whatever man does to the web, he does to himself.
- Chief Seattle
Cherokee Blessing
May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house.
May the Great Spirit bless all who enter there.
May your mocassins make happy tracks in many snows,
And may the rainbow always touch your shoulder.
A Native Prayer
O Great Creator,
I come before you in a humble manner
and offer you this sacred pipe.
With tears in my eyes and an ancient song from my heart
I pray.
To the four powers of Creation,
To the Grandfather Sun,
To the Grandmother Moon,
To the Mother Earth,
And to my ancestors.
I pray for my relations in Nature,
All those who walk, crawl, fly, and swim,
Seen and unseen,
To the good spirits that exist in every part of Creation.
I ask that you bless our elders and children, families, and friends,
And the brothers and sisters who are in prison.
I pray for the ones who are sick on drugs and alcohol
And for those who are now homeless and forlorn.
I also pray for peace among the four races of humankind.
May there be good health and healing for this Earth,
May there be Beauty above me,
May there be Beauty below me,
May there be Beauty in me,
May there be Beauty all around me.
I ask that this world be filled with Peace, Love, and Beauty.
- Medicine Grizzly Bear
Earth Healing Ceremony
Spokane, Washington, 1990
There Was A Time When Man Took No More
Than He Needed
That Time Is Gone.....
There Was A Time When He Gave Something Back
That Time Is Gone.....
There Was A Time When He Worshipped The Creator
And Honored Creation
That Time Too Is Gone.....
And Now The Waters Are Polluted
Our Natural Resources Are All But Gone
And Creation Is Dying.....
It Is Time.....To Find Our Way
Back To The Earth.
(Saying from T-shirt by "Lakota Designs")
BE KIND TO OUR MOTHER EARTH......SHE IS THE ONLY ONE WE HAVE.
Lakota Prayer
It is true that many of the old ways have been lost.
But just as the rains restore the earth after a drought, so the power of the Great Mystery will restore the way and give it new life.
We ask that this happen not just for the Red People, but for all people, that they all might live.
In ignorance and carelessness they have walked on Ina Maka, Our Mother.
They did not understand that they are part of all beings, the Four-legged, the Winged, Grandfather Rock, the Tree People, and our Star Brothers.
Now our Mother and all our Relations are crying out.
They cry for the help of all people.
WE HAVE NOT INHERITED THE EARTH FROM OUR FATHERS.....
WE ARE BORROWING IT FROM OUR CHILDREN.
-Native American Saying
Everything
the Power of the World does
is done in a circle.The sky
is round, and I have
heard that the earth is round
like a ball and so are all the stars.
The wind, in its greatest power,
whirls. Birds make their nests in
circles, for theirs is the same
religion as ours. The sun
comes forth and goes
down again in a
circle. The
moon does
the same, and
both are round. Even
the seasons form a great
circle in their changing and al-
ways come back where they were.
The life of a man is a circle from
childhood to childhood, and
so it is in everything
where power
moves.
- Black Elk, Oglala Sioux
A Nation is not conquered
until the hearts of its women
are on the ground.Then it is done,
no matter how brave its warriors
nor how strong its weapons.
- Traditional Cheyenne saying
It is well
to be good to women
in the strength of our manhood
because
we must sit under their hands
at both ends of our lives.-He Dog, Oglala Sioux
The man who sat on the ground in his tipi
meditating on life and its meaning,
accepting the kinship of all creatures
and acknowledging unity with the universe of things
was infusing into his being the true essence of civilization.- Luther Standing Bear, Lakota
Every struggle,
whether won or lost,
strengthens us for the next to come.It is not good for people
to have an easy life.
They become
weak and inefficient
when they cease to struggle.
Some need
a series of defeats
before developing the strength and courage
to win a victory.
- Victorio, Mimbres Apache
You must speak straight
so that your words may go
as sunlight into
our hearts.- Cochise, Chiricahua Apache
The Indian believes
profoundly in silence ---
the sign of a perfect
equilibrium.Silence is the
absolute poise or balance
of body, mind, and spirit.
The man who preserves
his selfhood is ever calm
and unshaken by
the storms of existence...
What are the fruits of silence?
They are self-control,
true courage or endurance,
patience, dignity,
and reverence.
Silence is the
cornerstone of character.
- Ohiyesa, Santee Sioux
Have patience.
All things change
in due time.Wishing cannot
bring autumn glory or
cause winter to cease.
-Ginaly-li, Cherokee
Peace...
comes within the souls of men
when they realize their
relationship, their oneness,
with the Universe
and
all its powers,
and
when they realize that
at the center of the Universe
dwells Wankan tanka,
and
that this center
is really everywhere.
It is within each of us.- Black Elk, Oglala Sioux
Your
mind must be
like a tipi. Leave
the entrance flap open so
that fresh air can enter and
clear out the smoke of confusion.- Chiefeagle, Teton Sioux
The old people came literally to love the soil, and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power.It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth.
Their tipis were built upon the earth and their altars were made of earth.
The birds that flew in the air came to rest upon the earth, and it was the final abiding place of all things that lived and grew.
The soul was soothing, strengthening, cleansing, and healing.
This is why the old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping himself up and away from its life-giving forces.
For him, to sit or lie upon the ground is to be able to think more deeply and to feel more keenly.
He can see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to other lives about him.
- Chief Luther Standing Bear, Teton Sioux
When your time comes to die,
be not like those
whose hearts are filled with
the fear of death;
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
Death cannot be helped.
It is ever thus.
Do not look
where you have come from,
but rather look
forward
to where you are to go.- Zuni proverb
MAY SERENITY CIRCLE
ON SILENT WINGS
AND CATCH
THE WHISPER OF THE WIND.- Cheewa James, Modoc
Links to other sites on the Web
NATIVE AMERICAN MOTHER EARTH PRAYERS
MORE LINKS TO COME!
Come Visit These Other SpiritWindz Sites:
Welcome to SPIRITWINDZ - Skye's Home Page
Skye's Page in Honor of the Animals
Skye's Genealogy Page
Skye's "Friends of a Feather" Page
This site is UNDER CONSTRUCTION
© 1997 skye888@aol.com
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