Famous phrases about the Indians. Age-old Indian wisdom

Pretty interesting culture. And in my opinion, somewhat close to us in spirit.

“Your religion was written on stone slabs with the burning finger of an evil God. Our religion is based on the traditions of our ancestors, dreams and visions of our elders, which were given to them in the quiet hours of the night by the Great Spirit.”
Chief White Cloud

"Only after the last tree is cut down, Only after the last river is poisoned,
Only after the last fish is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten?
Chief White Cloud

"It doesn't take many words to tell the truth."
Hin-ma-too-ya-lat-kekht (Chief Joseph), Nez Persian

“If you talk to animals, they will talk to you and you will recognize each other. If you do not speak to them, you will not recognize them, and what you do not know, you will be afraid. Man destroys what he fears.
Chief Dan George, chalcomelem (1899 - 1981)

“O Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds, I come to you as one of your many children.
I need your strength and wisdom. Make me strong, not to rise above my brother, but to defeat my greatest enemy, myself.”*
Chief Dan George, chalcomelem (1899 - 1981)
/*these are the words of an Ojibwe prayer/

Don't walk behind me - maybe I won't lead you, don't walk ahead of me - maybe I won't follow you, walk beside me - and we will be one.

The Great Spirit is imperfect. He has a light side and a dark side. Sometimes the dark side gives us more knowledge than the light side.

"When the Earth is sick, the animals will start to disappear, when that happens, the Rainbow Warriors will come to save them."
Chief Seattle

“Brother, you say that there is only one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is only one religion, why are you white people so divided about it? Why do you all disagree if everyone can read the Book?”
Sogoyevapa "Red Jacket", Seneca

“Our wise men are called Fathers, and they correspond to this quality. Do you call yourself Christians? Does the religion of the one you call Savior inspire your spirit and guide your actions? Of course not. It is written about him that he did not hurt a fly. Then stop calling yourself Christians, so as not to show your hypocrisy to the whole world. Stop also calling other peoples savages, you are ten times more cruel than they are. None of us wants to receive anything for his courage and worthy deed, except for the consciousness that he serves his people. I do not bow to anyone, because I am recognized as the ruler among my people. But I'll gladly shake your hand."
Joseph Brant (Taendanegea), Mohawk (1742-1807); Address to King George III

“Our land is everything to us... I'll tell you one of the things we remember about our land. We remember that our grandfathers paid for it - with their lives."
John Wooden Legs, Cheyenne

I was on the edge of the earth.
I was at the water's edge.
I was at the edge of the sky.
I was at the edge of the mountains.
I have not found anyone who would not be my friend.
Navajo proverb

“The ground on which we stand is sacred ground. This is the blood of our ancestors."
Lots of luck crow

“Everything is connected, like the blood that unites us all. Man does not weave the web of life, he is simply woven into it. Whatever he does to this web, he does to himself.”
Chief Seattle, 1854

“The Great Spirit is everywhere; He hears everything that is in our minds and hearts, and it is not necessary to speak loudly to Him.”

“Everything that an Indian deals has the shape of a circle, because the power of the world always works in a circle and everything tends to be round. The sky is round, and the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, reaching its greatest strength, rotates. Birds build their nests in circles, because their religion is the same as ours. The sun rises and sets again in a circle. So does the Moon, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle, replacing each other, and always returning in their turn. A person's life is a circle from childhood to childhood, and this happens in everything where power moves.
Black Deer, Oglala Sioux

Reduced it a bit.

1. In order to hear yourself, you need silent days.

2. Don't walk behind me - I may not lead you. Don't go ahead of me - I may not follow you. Walk side by side, and we will be one.

3. The smarter a person is, the more he needs God so that he does not think that he knows everything.

4. Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start living the life predetermined by the Creator.

5. Live so that the fear of death never enters your heart. Do not argue about the religion of others, respect their faith and demand that others respect your faith. Love your life, improve your life, turn everything around in your life into beauty. Strive to make your life longer, and its purpose is to serve your people. Prepare a worthy song of death for the day you cross the great line. Always greet friends when meeting or passing by, and even strangers when you are in a deserted place. Show respect to everyone and bow to no one. When you wake up in the morning, give thanks for the food and the joy of life. If you don't see a reason to be grateful, it's your fault. Do not offend anyone, for an insult turns a wise man into a fool, and robs the spirit of his vision. When your time comes to die, do not be like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death and who cry and pray to prolong their life even for a moment and live it differently. Sing your death song and die like a homecoming hero.
(Tecumseh, Shawnee)

6. Do not judge a man until two moons have passed in his moccasins.

7. Those who are successful first dreamed about something.

8. If you are worried, go and sit by the river. And the flowing water will take your worry away.

9. A child is a guest in your home: feed, learn and let go.

10. What does it matter how long I pray if my prayers are answered?
(Sitting Bull (1831-1890), hunkpapa Lakota)

11. The soul would not have a rainbow if the eyes did not have tears.

12. Why do you take by force what you cannot take with love?

13. He who is silent knows twice as much as a talker.

14. Doing things right is very difficult, but as long as we do it, we are connected with the Great Spirit.
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

15. The white man has too many bosses.

16. Knowledge is hidden in every thing. The world was once a library.

17. When a legend dies and a dream disappears, there is no greatness left in the world.

18. Life is like a path... and we all have to walk along it... Walking, we gain experience that is like pieces of paper thrown in front of us on the road. We must pick up these pieces and put them in our pocket... Then, one day, we will accumulate enough pieces of paper to put them together and see what they say... Read the knowledge and take it to heart.
(Frank Davis (according to his mother), Pawnee)

19. One "take" is better than two "I will give."

20. Even dead fish can go with the flow.

22. Talk to children when they are eating, and what you say will remain even when you are gone.

23. When a person prays for one day and then sins for six, the Great Spirit gets angry and the Evil Spirit laughs.

24. Each of us has our own life, do not spit on it to annoy the other.

25. Never let things slip, hold everything with a calm, confident hand.

27. If I destroy you, I destroy myself. If I honor you, I honor myself.
(Hunbats Men, Maya)

28. Silence is the cornerstone of character.
(Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohayeza), Santee Sioux)

29. A good heart and a good mind are what it takes to be a leader.
(Louis Farmer, Onondaga)

30. Everything lies before you. Your path is right in front of you. Sometimes it is not visible, but it is here. You may not know where she is going, but you must follow the Path. This is the Path to the Creator. This is the only trail that exists.
(Leon Shenandoah, Onondaga)

31. Listen to all the teachers in the forest. Watch trees, animals and all living beings - you will learn more from them than from books.
(Joe Koihis, Stockbridge Munsey)

32. The union of the heart and mind is very powerful. The Sacred Wheel teaches the existence of two worlds - the visible and the invisible. The visible world is the physical world, and the invisible world is the spiritual one. Both worlds are needed to discover the true reality. The visible world is easier to see from the side of a man. The invisible world is easier to see from a woman's point of view. The heart is invisible and the mind is visible. Blessed is the leader or the person who develops the heart and mind. Verily, such a person is a great value for the Creator and people.

33. Once upon a time, an old Indian told his grandson one vital truth:
- Inside each person there is a struggle of two wolves.
One wolf is evil: anger, envy, greed, arrogance, pride, self-pity, lies, resentment, selfishness.
The other wolf is good: peace, love, hope, calmness, modesty, kindness, generosity, honesty, compassion, loyalty.
The little Indian, touched to the depths of his soul by the words of his grandfather, thought for a few seconds, and then asked:
- Which wolf will win?
The old Indian's answer was simple:
- The wolf you feed always wins.
(parable of the Cherokee tribe)

Probably, no one will argue with the fact that the indigenous people of America have a special view of the world and the place of man in it. This is a calm wisdom that understands that nature and life will forever remain the main values on earth.

Indian philosophy is the worldview of a community in which a person perceives himself as part of the world around him, does not oppose himself to nature (which must be subdued!), but feels kinship with it: mother Earth, father Sun, grandmother Moon, corn, spider, river - this living, "spiritualized" beings. They must be respected and in no case destroyed, thereby violating the balance of the whole (universe) and destroying oneself.

For you, pale-faced brothers and sisters, these Indian sayings, which reflect the whole philosophy of distant tribes.

When the last tree is cut down, when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.

In the first year of marriage, the newlyweds looked at each other and wondered if they could be happy. If not, they said goodbye and looked for new spouses. If they were forced to live together in discord, we would be as stupid as the white man.

You can't wake a person who pretends to be asleep.

The Great Spirit is imperfect. He has a light side and a dark side. Sometimes the dark side gives us more knowledge than the light side.

Look at me. I am poor and naked. But I am the leader of my people. We don't need wealth. We just want to teach our children to be right. We want peace and love.

Even your silence can be part of prayer.

The white man is greedy. In his pocket he carries a canvas rag into which he blows his nose - as if he is afraid that he might blow his nose and miss something very valuable.

We are poor because we are honest.

Knowledge is hidden in every thing. The world was once a library.

My son will never take up farming. He who works on earth does not see dreams, but wisdom comes to us in dreams.

We don't want churches because they will teach us to argue about God.

When a person prays for one day and then sins for six, the Great Spirit gets angry and the Evil Spirit laughs.

Why do you take by force what you cannot take with love?

The old days were wonderful. The old people sat under the sun at the doorstep of their house and played with the children until the sun plunged them into slumber. The old people played with the children every day. And at some point they just did not wake up.

When a legend dies and a dream is gone, there is no greatness left in the world.

What is a man without animals? If all the beasts are exterminated, man will die of great loneliness of spirit. Everything that happens to animals, happens to humans.

One “take” is better than two “I will give”.

Don't walk behind me - I may not lead you. Don't go ahead of me - I may not follow you. Walk side by side, and we will be one.

Truth is what people believe.

Even a small mouse has the right to be furious.

I suffer when I remember how many good words were said and how many promises were broken. There is too much talk in this world by those who have no right to speak at all.

May my enemy be strong and fearsome. If I beat him, I won't feel ashamed.

The one who tells stories rules the world.

Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is the past. Wisdom is the future.

It doesn't take many words to tell the truth.

Love the earth. It is not inherited by you from your parents, it is borrowed by you from your children.

“Peace… comes into the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their unity with the Universe and all its forces, and when they realize that Wakan-Tanka lives in the center of the universe, and that this center is actually everywhere, inside each of us ". (Black Deer [Hehaka Sapa], Oglala Sioux)

If we want to know the world, we must look within ourselves. To do this, we must learn to remain still. We must calm the mind. We must learn to meditate. Meditation helps us identify and find the center that is in us. The center in which the Great is located. When we begin to search for peace, we must understand where it is within us. If we are in conflict, we need to stop for a moment and ask the Power within us, “How do you want me to handle this? What would you suggest I do in this situation?” By asking a Higher Power for help, we find peace.

Creator, help me find peace.

“Many people hardly ever feel the real ground under their feet, see plants growing except in flower pots, or get far enough from street lights to catch the charm of a star-studded night sky. When people live far away from the places created by the Great Spirit, it is easy for them to forget His laws.” (Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), stoney)

Nature is the greatest teacher of life. The laws of nature are hidden in nature. It contains solutions to everyday problems like conflict resolution, forgiveness, lessons about differences, how to manage organizations, how to think. Feelings are hidden in it. You can look at something and feel it. At night, have you ever looked at the sky when there are no clouds on it? Looking at all these stars, your heart is filled with joy. You will leave filled with joy and peace. We must come to nature so that we can see and feel it.

My Creator, let me learn the lessons of nature.

“Teachings are for everyone, not just Indians… White people have never wanted to learn before. They thought we were savages. Now their understanding has changed and they want to learn. We are all children of God. The tradition is open to anyone who wants to learn.” (Don Jose Matusuwa, Huichol)

In the summer of 1994, a white bison calf was born. This means that now is the time for all races to come together. The elders say that at this time the voice within will begin to speak to everyone. He will say that now it's time to forgive, now it's time to come together. Do we want to do it? Do we want to stop judging other people? The elders say He will speak through people of all races and genders. We must open our hearts and welcome our brothers and sisters.

Great Spirit, keep my ears open as I walk the path You have chosen for me.

"As elders, we in turn must show respect to our young people in order to gain respect from them." (Grace Ezek, nisga'a)

The attitude of our elders will be the attitude of our people. The attitude of the parents will become the attitude of the children. If respect is expressed from above, respect will be developed from below. If the elders show respect, the youth will be respectful. As above, so below. It happens because of the relationship. The heart of the elders is connected with the heart of the youth.

Great Spirit, let me respect both the elders and the young.

“One God looks down on us from above. We are all children of the same God. God is listening to me. The sun, the darkness, the winds - everyone is listening to what I am saying now. (Geronimo, Apaches)

The old people knew the world before us. Many of them were so spiritual that the Creator spoke to them through visions, ceremonies and prayers. The Creator instructed them about interconnection, harmony and respect. The old people took possession of these things and told us that we are all children of the same God. We all live under the same laws of nature. Every human being, every animal, every plant, every insect, every bird, we are all the same in the eyes of God.

Great Mystery, teach me to respect everything that you have created.

“We create evil among us. We create it; and then we try to call him the devil, Satan, evil. But man creates it. There is no devil. Man creates the devil." (Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)

Within each person there are laws and regulations by which we must live. These laws and regulations communicate with us in a low voice. When we are calm, this voice guides us. If we choose a life without harmony, it becomes filled with malice, hatred, selfishness, dishonesty, and so on. When these things come into our lives, we abdicate responsibility and blame them on something or someone else. If we want to live in harmony, we must pray to return to living according to the principles that the Creator has given us.

Great Spirit, let me walk with these principles today.

“We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila [Creator] and our real Mother is the Earth.” (Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)

Who really gives us life? Who really gives us food and nourishment? Who really allows us to be born? We are born through our parents, who serve as carriers of life for the Creator and Mother Earth. Our parents take care of us for a while, until we are ready to leave them and be devoted to our real Father, the Creator, and our real Mother, the Earth. Then we must serve the Creator and respect Mother Earth.

Great Spirit, thank you for being my Father. Teach me to honor the Earth.

“I think a big mistake was made when people separated religion and government. It was one of the big mistakes people made, because when they did it, they separated the Creator from their lives - or at least half or three-quarters of their lives." (Tom Porter, mohawk)

The elders say that everything created by the Creator is interconnected. Nothing can be separated. The elders say we should pray before we do anything. We should ask the creator, what do you want us to do? We are placed on Earth to do the will of God. If we manage our governments, communities, families, ourselves without spirituality, we are doomed to failure.

My Creator, direct my life so that spirituality is included in everything I do.

“The spiritual power that I serve is much more beautiful and much greater. We call it wisdom, knowledge, power and gift, or love. These are the four parts of spiritual power. And I serve them. When you serve this power, it makes your mind and spirit beautiful. You become beautiful. Everything that Tunkashila creates is beautiful.” (Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)

When I was little, I asked my grandfather, "What should I pray for?" He thought for a long time and then said: "Pray only for wisdom and the knowledge of love." This has deep meaning. Whatever happens, I ask the Creator to teach me a lesson to learn. I pray that He will help me learn these lessons. By doing this every day, we become beautiful human beings.

Great Spirit, grant me Your wisdom.

“And incredible things like these happen. But you must first believe in them. Don't wait until you first see them, then touch them, then believe them... You have to say it from the bottom of your heart." (Wallace Black Hart, Lakota)

The power of our beliefs is incredible. The power of faith is a very natural power. Where does our faith come from? We form an imaginary picture inside our mind by talking to ourselves. This self-talk is recorded in our minds and three dimensions - words that evoke a picture to which a feeling or emotion is attached. Having received words and a picture, this emotion is what turns an idea into a belief. The right emotion is born when you speak from the heart. The heart is the source of emotions that can cause incredible things to happen.

Great Spirit, with You everything is possible.

"Silence is the absolute stability or balance of the body, mind and spirit." (Charles Eastman (Ohayesa), Santee Sioux)

Be still and know. All new teachings, all ideas about new things, creativity, dreams and mental efficiency come to those who study silence. All warriors know the power of silence. All Elders know about stillness. Be still and know God. Meditation is a place of silence. This is the place where the voice of God is heard. We can find an incredible amount of knowledge in a place of silence. This is the sacred dwelling of God.

Great Spirit, teach me the power of silence.

"Because if you believe in something and believe long enough, it happens." (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

We are created by the Great One to do His will through mental images and visions. Our thoughts are three-dimensional: words, images and feelings. We create visions by thinking words, and we create a feeling for the vision by experiencing enthusiasm, desire, conviction, and other strong feelings. Having created a vision, we move towards it and become what we think about. All visions are tested by our conversation with ourselves. For example: “This will not happen, where will the money come from?” When this happens, we need to get rid of the test and focus on believing in the vision. Why? Because God said that if we believe in something long enough, He will provide it for us!!!

Great One, may my faith be strong today. Help me to believe in my visions.

“We are responsible for the condition of the Earth. We are the ones who are in charge of it and who can change it. If we wake up, it will be possible to change the energy. It's possible to change everything." (Unbatz Men, Maya)

The environment we want to see from the outside will be created by our mental representations [pictures] in our heads. We must have the right view of the environment, and with it the right values. These values will give our mental representations their true meaning. If we respect Mother Earth, we will not throw garbage on Her, or pour poison on Her. We will not misuse Her. Mother Earth is what She is today because of the mental representations of previous generations and also because of the mental representations of our own generation. If we want the environment to change, each person must change their mental representation. "As inside, so outside."

Great Spirit, make me ready for Your guiding voice today.

“People must be responsible for their thoughts in order to learn to control them. It may not be easy, but it is possible." (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

We control our thoughts by controlling our conversation with ourselves. At any moment we want, we can talk to ourselves in a different way. The struggle comes with the emotions that are attached to our thoughts. If our emotions are strong and seem out of control, we can tell ourselves STOP!, take a few deep breaths, then ask the Creator for the right thought or the right decision or the right action. If we do this for a while, our mental life will be different. It helps if in the morning we ask God to direct our thinking. God loves to help us.

Great Spirit, direct my thinking today so that my choice is made by You.

“Race and language don't matter. Barriers disappear when people unite on the highest spiritual level.” (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

Not only the barriers of race and language are overcome by spirituality, but all things are overcome by spirituality. Within every human being there is a spirit. When we look at people, we can choose to look at their outside or their inside. Spirituality lives within, we must be able to see what is inside of ourselves. If we see spirituality within ourselves, we will see it within others as well. There is a saying: “What you see is what you get”.

My Creator, cause me to look at all my brothers and sisters with spiritual eyes.

The circle of those who speak and the circle of those who listen. The speaking circle allows people to talk as much as they need to talk. There is just as much to be gained from listening. Is it a coincidence that the Creator gave us one mouth and two ears? The power of the circle allows you to share your heart with each other. What we share with each other also heals us. When we talk in a circle about pain, it diverges in a circle, and we are freed from pain. The circle of speakers works because when people gather in a circle, the Great Mystery is in the center.

My Creator, give me the courage to share and the courage to listen.

"Everything is spirit and everything is connected to each other." (grandfather William Command, Algonquin)

If everything is connected, we cannot disconnect. Disconnecting is not a realistic choice. That is why we are always spiritual in whatever we do. Every alcoholic is spiritual. All our brothers and sisters are spiritual. We may misbehave, but we are spiritual nonetheless. Our choice is to live out of harmony with the spiritual paths, or live in harmony with the spiritual paths. Everything is spiritual.

Great Spirit, give me the knowledge to be in harmony with the spirit today.

“If people want to get back into balance, one of the things they have to do is find the truth. They have to start telling the truth themselves, and that's hard to do. The way the world is going today does not object to lies.” (John Peters (Slow Turtle), Wampanoag)

“Heal yourself—your physical and spiritual bodies. Revive yourself with light, and help those in whom the poverty of the soul. Return to the inner spirit we left behind while looking for happiness elsewhere." (Villaru Huayata, Quechua Nation, Peru)

“The most important thing now is to open the inner temple of the soul with right thinking and right deeds.” (Villaru Huayata, Quechua Nation, Peru)

“This is an awakening time for the inner father and inner mother. Without this we will not receive the highest initiation; instead, we will receive an initiation into darkness. That is why any exploration or revolution without God leads not to freedom, but to more slavery.” (Villaru Huayata, Quechua Nation, Peru)

"All life is a circle." (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

An atom is a circle, an orbit is a circle, the earth, moon and sun are circles. The change of seasons is a circle. The cycle of life is a circle: a child, a youth, an adult, an old man. The sun gives life to the earth, which nourishes the life of trees, whose seeds, falling on the earth, grow into new trees. You must learn to see the cycle given to us by the Great Spirit, because it will help us more in our understanding of how things happen. We must respect these cycles and live in harmony with them.

Great Spirit, let me grow in the knowledge of the circle.

“There is no death. There is only a change of worlds. (Chief Seattle, Sukuamish and Duwamish.)

The elders tell us about another dimension - the Spirit World. Our spirit does not die in the body, it only seems so to our eyes and brain. Some of our ceremonies provide a glimpse into the Spirit World. Death is only part of the process of life. It shows the transition to the Spirit World. The elders tell us that this is the joyous journey of life.

My creator, help me understand both worlds - the visible and the invisible. Let me not be afraid of the world in which You live.

"We call it the 'sacred' red road because it is the road that leads us to lead a good life, an honest and healthy life." (Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

The Red Road is the path we follow when we want a direct connection with the Great Spirit. She demands sacrifice. It requires a test of our faith. Walking this trail is a real honor. The fruits of such an action are wonderful, and not only for us, but the effect of them will be felt for three generations. This means that your children will benefit, as well as your grandchildren. Do you want to walk this sacred road?

Great Spirit, guide me and my family along the Red Road.

"We endure more sorrows because we have been cut off from our earth, our first Mother, our spiritual Mother." (Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

Where does life come from? From the earth. Where does everything return? To Earth. Where do values come from? From the earth. Many people are lost because they don't know the importance of connecting with the Earth. They are associated with money, connections, success, goals. When we are disconnected from the Earth, we experience feelings of sadness and loss. When we are connected to the Earth, we feel warm and safe.

Great Spirit, help me stay connected to Mother Earth.

“In the ability to share and love everyone and everything, some people naturally find exactly what they want, while in fear, others find the need to conquer.” (Chief Luther Standing Bear, Sioux)

There are two systems of thought from which we can choose. One is the thought system of love, the other is the thought system of fear. If we choose love, we will see the laws, principles and values of the Creator. If we choose fear, the results will be so paralyzing that they will lead us to want to take over and distrust the Great Spirit. The fear thought system automatically creates attack, conflict, the need to control others. The thought system of love seeks peace in the mind, unity and makes us seekers of love.

Great Spirit today let me see only love.

“You can't just sit down and talk about the truth. So it doesn't work. You must live it and be a part of it, and then you can know it.” (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“Even the seasons form a great circle with their changes, and always return to their place. Human life is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is with everything in which the force moves. (Black Deer (Hehaka Sapa), Oglala Sioux)

“Doing things right is very difficult, but as long as we do it, we are connected to the Great Spirit.” (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“We say there is a right time and place for everything. It's easy to say but hard to understand. You have to live it to understand it." (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“Let the person whom I have helped express his gratitude in accordance with his own upbringing and sense of humor.” (Charles A. Eastman (Ohayesa), Santee Sioux)

"We continue to have our otahan, our exchange of gifts, because it helps us to remain Indians." (Lame Deer, Lakota)

Our traditional communities and villages operate on interdependence. Share the reindeer and give freely what you have to another. Another way to express this principle is that it is better to give than to receive. Sharing what you have destroys complexity. The elders say - live a simple life. One of the principles of the Invisible World is that the more you give, the more you receive. You can become a source of abundance for your family, tribe, community. Whatever you share will come back to you in an amount equal or greater. The Indian way for everyone is to give to another, so the community wins.

Great Spirit, today teach me the principle of bestowal. Let me be Your source of abundance.

“I can tell you that understanding begins with love and respect. It begins with respect for the Great Spirit. All things – I mean ALL things – have their own will and their own path and their own purpose. That's what should be respected." (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

Everything on earth has a purpose and is created special. No two things are the same. Sometimes we have an image in our mind of how things should be, and often what we see is different from reality. When this happens, we often want to control the environment by making it act or behave according to our image. We must leave it alone. God controls everything. How can we do it? We tell ourselves that we love everything and respect everything as it is. Accept what we cannot change.

Great Spirit, teach me the value of respect and help me accept people, places, and things as they are.

“No being and no group of beings can block the path of another being, or change it contrary to what suits its nature and its purpose. It can be done temporarily, but in the end it won't work." (Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“One day it can be 100 degrees in the shade and then all of a sudden there's a storm and golf ball sized hail and the prairie turns white and your teeth chatter. It's good - it's a reminder that you're just a small piece of nature, not as powerful as you think." (Lame Deer, Lakota)

"The spirit still has something to reveal to us - a medicinal plant, a spring, a flower - a very small flower, perhaps you can spend a long time looking at it, thinking about it." (Lame Deer, Lakota)

The modern world tells us: hurry up!, get there soon!, work harder, produce more, hurry up, eat faster, don't be late, don't give in to stress - headaches, conflicts, drink to calm down, take a stress management course, time management - STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! Go spend five minutes with a flower or plant. Look at it - think of it - look at its beauty, smell it, close your eyes and smell it again. Touch it, touch it with your eyes closed. Think small things. Now close your eyes and pray.

Great Spirit, this feeling of calmness in me may continue throughout the day.

“I wanted to feel, smell, hear and see, but not just with my eyes and mind. I wanted to see with CHANTE ISTA, the eye of the heart.” (Lame Deer, Lakota)

Why do some people keep the peace in their mind every day? How do some people stay so damn positive? How can you stay positive when you work and live in a negative environment? How is it that two people can observe the same difficult situation, but one is oppressed by it, and the other is not? Two people who find themselves in the same situation react completely differently. If every morning we ask the Creator to let us see with His understanding and His love, we will discover a new way of "seeing." The eye of the heart is a free gift given to us if we ask for it every day.

Grandfather, let me see the world and all the things you have created with the "eye of my heart."

"Silence and self-control permeate the fullness of our lives." (Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

The Creator gave us all the Red Road, and on this Red Road we must think and behave spiritually. To be sure that I behave in accordance with the Red Road, I must develop self-discipline. Self-control works best when we pray for courage and strength to do the will of the Great Spirit. We are here on earth to do the will of the Great Spirit. Sometimes we have to fight with ourselves to do it.

Great Spirit, help me to make sure that my self-control is guided by spiritual paths.

“Every thing or living being that exists in this world, be it trees, flowers, birds, grasses, stones, the soil of the earth, or human beings, has its own special way of being - its essence, its spirit - that's what makes it so, what it is. That's what is meant by relationship." (Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

Scientists have finally realized what the Elders have taught for thousands of years - everything is interconnected. Because everything is interconnected, what you do to one thing, you do to everything. If you poison part of the earth, the poison will eventually affect everything else. If you poison the plants, the birds will eat the plants, which will poison the birds. Birds that people eat will poison people. People will have babies with defects because the plants have been poisoned. We must learn to live in harmony with the earth. We must learn to think well. Every good thought is felt by everyone, and leads to the fact that everything will be happy.

Creator, make my thoughts be good thoughts.

"In the Indian way, we are connected with a flower if we understand its spirit - the essence of its life." (Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

Everything on our earth is alive. Every stone, every plant, every animal, every tree, every bird, every thought is alive. This is true because everything is created by the Great Spirit, and the Great Spirit is alive. We should stop every day of our lives and understand, consciously, that this is true. Firstly, we should understand it, secondly, we should accept it, thirdly, we should appreciate it, and then, we should move on.

Great Spirit, let me see life through Your eyes. Let me be alive today.

"But each of us must find what his gift is in order to be able to use it in his life." (Jimmy Jackson, Ojibwa)

The old people say everyone has their own song. This song is the reason for our existence on this earth. When we do what we came to this earth to do, we know true happiness. How can we recognize our song? Pray. Ask the Great Secret: "What do you want me to do during my stay on earth?" Ask. He will tell you. He will even help you develop yourself to fulfill His mission.

Great Spirit, help me find my song and let me sing it.

"The Creator is the reason for the existence of everything, a part of the spirit of the Creator exists in everything, and therefore all things are connected." (Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

The Creator created nature, people and all things as an interconnected system. Everything is connected to each other. This connection exists in the Invisible World. Just as the parts of our body are parts of the body, the parts are separate but also connected. If one part of our body is in pain, everything considers the pain to be its own. In other words, the pain of one is the pain of all. This is true for any interconnected system. Since we are all connected, we must respect and care for our Earth and each other.

Great Spirit, let me treat everyone today as if they were You.

"The Great Spirit is the one who takes care of us." (Jimmy Jackson, Ojibwa)

The only place our mind can find peace is when we focus on the Creator. Every day we must ask the Creator to direct our thoughts. When we look at our brothers and sisters, we must see the Creator in them. When we look at trees, plants and animals, we must understand that the Creator is within us. Our attention should be on the Creator. When we work, we do it for the Creator. When we are worried, we should pray to the Creator. When we are happy and joyful, we must understand that we feel the closeness of the Creator. Thinking with the thoughts of God, we create the world.

O Great Mystery, let me think of you today.

“The old people have always said that no matter who despises or ignores you, no matter who does not let you into their circle, you should pray for them, because they are just like us.” (Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

"In the end, nature will teach." (Tom Porter, mohawk)

“Peace ... comes into the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their unity with the Universe and all its forces, and when they realize that Wakan-Tanka lives in the center of the universe, and that this center is actually everywhere, inside everyone of us".
(Black Deer [Hehaka Sapa], Oglala Sioux)

Creator, help me find peace.

My Creator, let me learn the lessons of nature.

“Teachings are for everyone, not just Indians... White people have never wanted to learn before. They thought we were savages. Now their understanding has changed and they want to learn. We are all children of God. The tradition is open to anyone who wants to learn.”
(Don Jose Matusuwa, Huichol)

In the summer of 1994, a white bison calf was born. This means that now is the time for all races to come together. The elders say that at this time, the voice of the vuntry will begin to speak to everyone. He will say that now it's time to forgive, now it's time to come together. Do we want to do it? Do we want to stop judging other people? The elders say He will speak through people of all races and genders. We must open our hearts and welcome our brothers and sisters.

Great Spirit, keep my ears open as I walk the path You have chosen for me.

"As elders, we in turn must show respect to our young people in order to gain respect from them."
(Grace Ezek, nisga "a)

Great Spirit, let me respect both the elders and the young.

Great Mystery, teach me to respect everything that you have created.

“We create evil among us. We create it; and then we try to call him the devil, Satan, evil. But man creates it. There is no devil. Man creates the devil."

Within each person there are laws and regulations by which we must live. These laws and regulations communicate with us in a low voice. When we are calm, this voice guides us. If we choose a life without harmony, it becomes filled with malice, hatred, selfishness, dishonesty, and so on. When these things appear in our lives, we abdicate responsibility and blame something or someone else for them. If we want to live in harmony, we must pray to return to living according to the principles that the Creator has given us.

Great Spirit, let me walk with these principles today.

"We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila [Creator] and our real Mother is Earth."
(Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)

Great Spirit, thank you for being my Father. Teach me to honor the Earth.

My Creator, direct my life so that spirituality is included in everything I do.

Great Spirit, grant me Your wisdom.

Great Spirit, with You everything is possible.

"Silence is the absolute stability or balance of the body, mind and spirit."
(Charles Eastman (Ohayesa), Santee Sioux)

Great Spirit, teach me the power of silence.

"Because if you believe in something and believe long enough, it happens."
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

We are created by the Great One to do His will through mental images and visions. Our thoughts are three-dimensional: words, images and feelings. We create visions by thinking words, and we create a feeling for the vision by experiencing enthusiasm, desire, conviction, and other strong feelings. Having created a vision, we move towards it and become what we think about. All visions are tested by our conversation with ourselves. For example: "This will not happen, where will the money come from?" When this happens, we need to get rid of the test and focus on believing in the vision. Why? Because God said that if we believe in something long enough, He will provide it for us!!!

Great One, may my faith be strong today. Help me to believe in my visions.

The environment we want to see outside will be created by our mental representations [pictures] in our heads. We must have the right view of the environment, and with it the right values. These values will give our mental representations their true meaning. If we respect Mother Earth, we will not throw garbage on Her, or pour poison on Her. We will not misuse Her. Mother Earth is what She is today because of the mental representations of previous generations and also because of the mental representations of our own generation. If we want the environment to change, each person must change their mental representation. "As inside, so outside."

Great Spirit, make me ready for Your guiding voice today.

“People must be responsible for their thoughts in order to learn to control them. It may not be easy, but it is possible."
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

We control our thoughts by controlling our conversation with ourselves. At any moment we want, we can talk to ourselves in a different way. The fight comes with the emotions that are attached to our thoughts. If our emotions are strong and seem out of control, we can tell ourselves STOP!, take a few deep breaths, then ask the Creator for the right thought or the right decision or the right action. If we do this for a while, our mental life will be different. It helps if in the morning we ask God to direct our thinking. God loves to help us.

Great Spirit, direct my thinking today so that my choice is made by You.

“Race and language don't matter. Barriers disappear when people come together at the highest spiritual level.”
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

My Creator, cause me to look at all my brothers and sisters with spiritual eyes.

My Creator, give me the courage to share and the courage to listen.

"Everything is spirit and everything is connected to each other."
(grandfather William Command, Algonquin)

If everything is connected, we cannot disconnect. Disconnecting is not a realistic choice. That's why we are always spiritual, no matter what we do. Every alcoholic is spiritual. All our brothers and sisters are spiritual. We may misbehave, but we are spiritual nonetheless. Our choice is to live out of harmony with the spiritual paths, or live in harmony with the spiritual paths. Everything is spiritual.

Great Spirit, give me the knowledge to be in harmony with the spirit today.

"The most important thing now is to open the inner temple of the soul with right thinking and right deeds."
(Villaru Huayata, Quechua Nation, Peru)

"All life is a circle."
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

Great Spirit, let me grow in the knowledge of the circle.

“There is no death. There is only a change of worlds.
(Chief Seattle, Sukuamish and Duwamish.)

The elders tell us about another dimension - the World of Spirits. Our spirit does not die in the body, it only seems so to our eyes and brain. Some of our ceremonies provide a glimpse into the Spirit World. Death is only part of the process of life. It shows the transition to the Spirit World. The elders tell us that this is the joyous journey of life.

My creator, help me understand both worlds - the visible and the invisible. Let me not be afraid of the world in which You live.

"We call it the 'sacred' red road because it is the road that leads us to lead a good life, an honest and healthy life."
(Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

The Red Road is the path we take when we want a direct connection with the Great Spirit. She demands sacrifice. It requires a test of our faith. Walking this trail is a real honor. The fruits of such an action are wonderful, and not only for us, but the effect of them will be felt for three generations. This means that your children will benefit, but what about your grandchildren. Do you want to walk this sacred road?

Great Spirit, guide me and my family along the Red Road.

"We endure more sorrows because we have been cut off from our earth, our first Mother, our spiritual Mother."
(Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

Great Spirit, help me stay connected to Mother Earth.

“In the ability to share and love everyone and everything, some people naturally find exactly what they want, while in fear, others find the need to conquer.”
(Chief Luther Standing Bear, Sioux)

Great Spirit today let me see only love.

“You can't just sit down and talk about the truth. So it doesn't work. You must live it and be a part of it, and then you can know it.”
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“Even the seasons form a great circle with their changes, and always return to their place. Human life is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so with everything in which the force moves.
(Black Deer (Hehaka Sapa), Oglala Sioux)

“Doing things right is very difficult, but as long as we do it, we are connected to the Great Spirit.”
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“We say there is a right time and place for everything. It's easy to say but hard to understand. You have to live it to understand it."
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“Let the person whom I have helped express his gratitude in accordance with his own upbringing and sense of humor.”
(Charles A. Eastman (Ohayesa), Santee Sioux)

"We continue to have our otahan, our gift exchange, because it helps us to remain Indians."
(Lame Deer, Lakota)

Great Spirit, today, teach me the principle of bestowal. Let me be Your source of abundance.

“I can tell you that understanding begins with love and respect. It begins with respect for the Great Spirit. All things - I mean ALL things - have their own will and their own path and their own purpose. That's what should be respected."
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

Great Spirit, teach me the value of respect and help me accept people, places, and things as they are.

“No being and no group of beings can obscure the path of another being, or change it contrary to what suits its nature and its purpose. It can be done temporarily, but in the end it won't work."
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

"The spirit still has something to reveal to us - a medicinal plant, a spring, a flower - a very small flower, perhaps you can spend a long time looking at it, thinking about it."
(Lame Deer, Lakota)

Great Spirit, this feeling of calmness in me may continue throughout the day.

“I wanted to feel, smell, hear and see, but not just with my eyes and mind. I wanted to see with the help of CHANTE ISTA - the eye of the heart.
(Lame Deer, Lakota)

Grandfather, let me see the world and all the things you have created with the "eye of my heart."

"Silence and self-control permeate the fullness of our lives."
(Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

Great Spirit, help me to make sure that my self-control is guided by spiritual paths.

Scientists have finally realized what the Elders have been teaching for millennia - everything is interconnected. Because everything is interconnected, what you do to one thing, you do to everything. If you poison part of the earth, the poison will eventually affect everything else. If you poison the plants, the birds will eat the plants, which will poison the birds. Birds that people eat will poison people. People will have babies with defects because the plants have been poisoned. We must learn to live in harmony with the earth. We must learn to think well. Every good thought is felt by everyone, and leads to the fact that everything will be happy.

Creator, make my thoughts be good thoughts.

"In the Indian way, we are connected with a flower if we understand its spirit - the essence of its life."
(Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

Everything on our earth is alive. Every stone, every plant, every animal, every tree, every bird, every thought is alive. This is true because everything is created by the Great Spirit, and the Great Spirit is alive. We should stop every day of our lives and understand, consciously, that this is true. First, we should understand it, secondly, we should accept it, thirdly, we should appreciate it, and then, we should move on.

Great Spirit, let me see life through Your eyes. Let me be alive today.

"But each of us must find what his gift is in order to be able to use it in his life."
(Jimmy Jackson, Ojibwa)

Great Spirit, help me find my song and let me sing it.

"The Creator is the reason for the existence of everything, a part of the spirit of the Creator exists in everything, and therefore all things are connected."
(Larry P. Aitken, Chippewa)

The Creator created nature, people and all things as an interconnected system. Everything is connected to each other. This connection exists in the Invisible World. Just as the parts of our body are parts of the body - the parts are separate but also connected. If one part of our body is in pain, everything considers the pain to be its own. In other words, the pain of one is the pain of all. This is true for any interconnected system. Since we are all connected, we must respect and care for our Earth and each other.

Great Spirit, let me treat everyone today as if they were You.

"The Great Spirit is the one that takes care of us."
(Jimmy Jackson, Ojibwa)

O Great Mystery, let me think of you today.

"In the end, nature will teach."
(Tom Porter, mohawk)

To understand the Indians, read their attitude

“Having exterminated the herds of the son of the prairies, having taken away the lands where he hunted, the rivers where he fished, he was made a stranger in his own country. The religious ideas of the Indian were connected with what surrounded him; they were expressed in deep reverence for the firmament and earth, trees and flowing waters. When he was torn out of what he had grown together with, death entered his heart.”
R. Edberg. Letters to Columbus. M., 1986. S. 67.

Speech by the Seattle Indian Chief in 1854
“The Diary of the Great Leader from Washington announces that he wants to buy our land. The Great Leader also sends us a message of friendship and goodwill. He is very kind, for we know that our friendship is too small a price to pay for his favor. However, we will consider your proposal, because we understand that if we do not sell the land, the pale-faced man will come with guns and take it by force. How can you buy the sky or the warmth of the earth? This idea is incomprehensible to us. If we don't own fresh air and splashes of water, how can you buy them from us?"

Tatanka Yotanke (Sitting Bull), Sioux, 1831-1890
“I am a red person. If the Great Spirit wanted me to be a white person, he would have made me one in the first place. He has put certain plans into your hearts; into mine he has put other and different plans. Every person is good in their place. Eagles don't have to be Ravens. We are poor, but we are free. No white man directs our steps. If we must die, we will die defending our rights."

White cloud
When the last tree is cut down, when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.

In 1890, in the face of the inevitable need to follow the path of civilization of the white people, the leader of the Sahaptin tribe, Smohalla, said these words:
“You require me to plow the land. It's like: take a knife and disembowel your own mother? This means that when I die, she will not accept me into her womb and will not allow me to rest in it. You require me to dig stones out of the ground. It's like: rip open the mother's skin to get the bones? This means that after death I will not be able to enter her flesh in order to be reborn in it. You require me to mow the grass, dry the hay, sell it and enrich myself like the pale-faced. But how dare I cut off my own mother's hair?

Even more famous are the words of the chief of Seattle:
“... Earth is our mother. Everything that happens to the earth happens to the sons and daughters of the earth... The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth. We know it. All things are connected - as by blood that unites the family ... We do not weave the web of life - we are simply woven into it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.”

In turn, the Indians were shocked by the consumer attitude of whites to the environment, they were horrified by deforestation, plowing the soil, senseless destruction of bison and other animals.
“It seemed to the Indians that the Europeans hated nature itself - living forests with their birds and animals, valleys covered with grass, water, soil, air itself,” Dee Brown remarks.

More French Jesuits in Canada who preached among the Hurons, Iroquois and Algonquins the Word of God, drew attention to the fact that, despite paganism (in the Christian sense), the Indians are distinguished by their emphasized religiosity, and not in the sense of strict observance of rituals, but in the moral sense of the word. The famous researcher of the tribal society, Lewis Morgan, known for his works on the history and culture of the League of the Iroquois, notes an interesting ritual among them - sanundatheywata (“gatherings for repentance”). He reports that before each religious holiday, the Iroquois had a ceremony of public confession. People gathered together, and everyone who wanted to confess took a white wampum thread (a symbol of purity and truth) in their hands, confessed their sins and promised to improve.

Rules of Life - Sitting Bull, Seattle, White Cloud and other Indian chiefs

It doesn't take many words to tell the truth.

What is life?
This is the light of a firefly in the night. It's the bison's breath when winter comes. This is a shadow that falls on the grass and melts at sunset.

Love the earth.
It is not inherited by you from your parents, it is borrowed by you from your children.

When the last tree is cut down
when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.

First year of marriage
the newlyweds looked at each other and wondered if they could be happy. If not, they said goodbye and looked for new spouses. If they were forced to live together in discord, we would be as stupid as the white man.

You can not
wake up a person who pretends to be asleep.

The Great Spirit is imperfect.
He has a light side and a dark side. Sometimes the dark side gives us more knowledge than the light side.

Look at me.
I am poor and naked. But I am the leader of my people. We don't need wealth. We just want to teach our children to be right. We want peace and love.

Even your silence
may be part of prayer.

The white man is greedy.
In his pocket he carries a canvas rag into which he blows his nose, as if he is afraid that he might blow his nose and miss something very valuable.

We are poor
because we are honest.

Knowledge is hidden in every thing.
The world was once a library.

My son will never take up farming.
He who works on earth does not see dreams, but wisdom comes to us in dreams.

We don't want churches
because they will teach us to argue about God.

When a man prays for one day and then sins for six,
The Great Spirit is angry and the Evil Spirit is laughing.

Why do you take by force
what you can't take with love?

The old days were wonderful.
The old people sat under the sun at the doorstep of their house and played with the children until the sun plunged them into slumber. The old people played with the children every day. And at some point they just did not wake up.

When a legend dies
and the dream disappears, there is no greatness left in the world.

What is a man without animals?
If all the beasts are exterminated, man will die of great loneliness of spirit. Everything that happens to animals, happens to humans.

One "take" is better
two "I'll give."

Don't walk behind me
maybe I won't lead you. Don't walk ahead of me, I may not follow you. Walk side by side, and we will be one.

The truth is that
what people believe.

Even a small mouse
has the right to be angry.

I suffer when I remember how many good words were said
and how many promises were broken. There is too much talk in this world by those who have no right to speak at all.

May my enemy be strong and fearsome.
If I beat him, I won't feel ashamed.

The one who tells stories rules the world.

Seek wisdom, not knowledge.
Knowledge is the past. Wisdom is the future.

When you were born, you cried and the world laughed.
Live so that when you die, you laugh and the world weeps.

19th century Indians said...
When a legend dies and a dream is gone, there is no greatness left in the world.
In order to hear yourself, you need silent days
Talk to children when they are eating and what you say will remain even when you are gone.
There are many ways to smell like a skunk
Before you love, learn to walk in the snow without leaving footprints.
Look at your moccasin marks first before judging other people's flaws
The white man has too many bosses
The child is a guest in your house - feed, learn and let go
He who is silent knows twice as much as a talker
Even dead fish can go with the flow
The soul will not have a rainbow if there were no tears in the eyes
Don't judge a man until two moons have passed in his moccasins
There is no death. There is only a transition between the worlds
A well-spoken word is better than a well-aimed ax
If you have something to say, stand up to be seen
Those who go to bed with dogs get up with fleas
Inside every person there is a struggle between an evil wolf and a good one. The wolf you feed always wins

Indian mythology
Among the Indians of Central America, the main place in mythology was occupied by myths about the origin of fire and the origin of people and animals. Later, myths about the caiman, the patron saint of food and moisture, and the good spirits of plants, as well as myths inherent in all types of mythologies, about the creation of the world, appeared in their culture.
When the Indians began to widely use maize culture in agriculture, myths appeared about the supreme female deity - the "goddess with braids." It is interesting that the goddess does not have a name, and her name is accepted only conditionally, being an approximate translation. The image of the goddess combines the idea of the Indians about the spirits of plants and animals. The "Goddess with braids" is both the personification of earth and sky, and life and death.

After fundamental discoveries in psychology and sociology, interest in the culture of the Indians rapidly increased. French anthropologists Levi-Bruhl and Levi-Strauss studied the consciousness of modern man through the prism of the Indians. Carl Gustav Jung and his followers (Joseph Campbell) were engaged in the study of the subconscious and archetypes based on Indian myths. Most of all, researchers of narcotic states Grof, Castaneda and others did to popularize Indian culture. In the wake of the psychedelic revolution, interest in the traditional cultures of the Indians, where hallucinogens were widely used, increased significantly.
North American Indians, as a source of images, strongly influenced the romantic direction in literature and cinema. Thanks to fiction books and films about them, the average European knows much more about the Indians than about similar tribes in Africa, Asia, Oceania.

Tales of the Cherokee Indians
(c) *** JES 2003 *** Yuri Shimanovsky
http://archive.diary.ru/~Indiana/p26694962.htm#more1
How the Milky Way appeared.
Long ago, when there were very few stars in the sky, a miller lived in the Land of the Smoky Mountains. All his life he ground grain, and sold the resulting flour, thus earning his livelihood.
One autumn day in the morning, he discovered that someone had stolen some of the flour from the store. The miller was surprised and alarmed. He knew for sure that no one in the village was a thief.
He carefully examined the vault, the house, the paths leading to the house, and on one of them he found the footprint of a huge dog. The man was very scared. Never in his life had he met such large dogs. He spent the rest of the day in anxious thoughts, but without thinking of anything, he went to bed.
On the morning of the next day, he saw with horror that the flour had been stolen again. And next - traces of the same monster. Then he went to the council of elders to ask for help. One by one, the members of the council spoke with their thoughts, but all the proposals boiled down to the fact that you need to attack the dog and kill it. The miller, on the other hand, was resolutely against it, for it would be the height of madness to attack a dog, which, undoubtedly, came from the other world.
Then the last of the elders got up and said: “You can’t kill a dog. Let’s assume that this is so. But you can scare him, and he will forever forget the way to our village. Let’s do this. "Let everyone take with them a drum, a rattle, or something else that can sound loud. When the dog comes, we will light torches and make such a noise that he will be frightened and run away." That's what they decided.
At night, when the stars became bright, and the moon had made half its way through the firmament, people saw a huge dog. He came from the west. The moonlight played with his rearing fur. The beast approached the vault and began to devour the flour.
At that moment, torches flared up. People who jumped out from everywhere beat drums, rattled rattles, shouted, stomped. In a word, they made such a noise that it seemed that a thunderstorm of unprecedented strength was raging in the Land of Smoky Mountains.
The dog darted around in the lighted circle, looking for a way out. But people advanced, squeezing the ring. Then he crouched down, tightened up like a spring and rushed straight into the sky. Higher and higher the dog rose, scattering the stolen flour, until it was out of sight. And the scattered flour is still visible. The whites call it "The Milky Way" and the Cherokee Indians call it Gil Lutsun Stanunyi, which means "Where the Dog Fled".

Revenge of the Rattlesnake.
This story happened in those ancient times when people could understand the language of animals.
The children were playing near their home, while their mother was doing housework. Suddenly, the children began to call for help. Mother went outside the threshold and saw a rattlesnake crawling out of the bushes. The woman picked up a stick and killed the snake.
The father of the family was hunting in the mountains that day and was already returning home. When darkness covered the mountain gorges, the hunter heard a strange howling sound resounding from all sides. He looked around and was horrified to find that he was surrounded by a multitude of rattlesnakes that were stretching their heads up and seemed to be crying.
- What trouble did you have? - the hunter was surprised.
- Today your wife killed our leader, the Yellow Serpent, - they answered him, - And now we are sending the Black Serpent to make retribution.
"It's terrible," said the man. I'm sorry your leader died. Please forgive us.
- If you speak from the bottom of your heart, then help us. We don't need anything special. We'll just take your wife's life in exchange for our leader's life. "I'll agree for now," thought the man, "and then we'll see. After all, if I refuse, they'll kill me right here."
"All right," he said, "what do you want from me?"
- Go to the family, - the snakes hissed, - the Black Serpent will accompany you. When you enter the house, he will hide in the darkness at the threshold. Ask your wife to bring you water from the stream. That's all that is required.
The hunter went home, hearing the Black Serpent following invisibly. He returned after midnight, but his wife was waiting for him. The man sat down and asked for a drink. The wife filled the cup from the jug.
- No, - said the hunter, - I want fresh water from the stream.
- Well, - the woman answered, - and went out of the door.
The next moment there was a scream and, jumping out, the hunter saw that his wife was lying on the ground, bitten by a rattlesnake. She died soon after.
Then the bushes near the house stirred, and the Black Serpent crawled out again.
“That's not all, man,” he hissed, “listen, remember.
And he sang a strange song.
“This is a prayer,” said the Serpent, having finished singing, “from now on, let people sing this song when they see a rattlesnake. Then they won't be touched. In addition, if by mistake one of the snakes bites a person, sing this prayer over the victim and he will not die.
Many centuries have passed since these events took place. But the Cherokee still remember the song of the Black Serpent.

Why does the Possum have a bald tail?
Previously, the Possum's tail was beautiful and fluffy. It was a tail so magnificent in its perfection that Opossum sang songs and danced about it in the morning. Most of all, this annoyed the Rabbit, who had no tail at all, after being torn off by the bear. And out of envy, the Rabbit decided to play a cruel joke with the Possum.
Once a general meeting was announced in the forest, with the obligatory presence of all animals. At the end, it was supposed to hold an informal part and dances. Rabbit was asked to notify the animals about the upcoming event.
"Don't forget to come," he said as he ran past the Possum's home.
- I will come, - the Possum answered, - but with one condition. Prussian will give me a special place. Since I have a truly magnificent tail, I need to be seated so that all the animals can see it.
Rabbit promised to arrange for this and even offered to send someone to properly prepare the tail. The opossum was flattered and agreed.
Satisfied with his plan, Rabbit went to Cricket, who was so versed in the art of removing body hair that the nickname "barber" went after him. Rabbit explained the task to Cricket and went on about his business.
The next morning Cricket came to Possum and offered to take care of the tail. Namely, wrap it with a thin thread so that until the evening the tail, God forbid, gets dirty and wrinkled. The possum stretched out on the ground and closed its eyes, leaving the cricket to do its thing. And he got to work. With each turn of the thread, the Cricket bit the hairs on the tail, and he did it so skillfully that the Possum did not notice anything.
Arriving at the meeting, Possum happily took a special place, which, as promised by the Rabbit, was allocated. When it got dark, the dancing began. The opossum went to a prominent place and plucked the thread from his tail and sang the song "Look at my tail." The audience greeted the song with extraordinary animation. Everyone danced around the Possum. Encouraged, he sang the song "Wonderful color of the tail." In response, there was thunderous applause. "And how my tail creeps along the ground" - sang the Possum. There was an ovation all around. Never before has a Possum's tail attracted such attention. "What a wonderful fur," sang the Possum. And then he realized that the noise around him was just Homeric laughter. He looked down and saw that his tail was bald like a lizard's. Not a single hair.
In silence, the Possum left the dance and rolled on the ground for a long time in impotent rage. So he does to this day, when he does not like something.

Grasshopper warning.
Two hunters stopped in the forest for the night. They lit a fire, pitched a tent, and had dinner. When it got completely dark, a grasshopper sang nearby.
“Listen,” one hunter said laughing to another, “this lunatic has only until autumn to live, and he sings to himself, and doesn’t even know.
“I know everything,” said the grasshopper unexpectedly. - I even know that you will not live to see tomorrow evening.
The next day, the hunters fell into an enemy ambush and the one who laughed at the grasshopper was killed.

Enchanted Lake Atagahi.
To the west of the Okonalufti River, in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains lies an enchanted lake of wondrous beauty. All the Cherokee know about this lake, although none of the people have seen it.
It happened that a hunter came so close to him that he heard the noise of thousands of nesting wild ducks. But every time, having come to the place where there had just been a lake, a person found only a dried, cracked bottom. No birds, no animals, no even grass.
Since no one has seen the lake, some people claim that it does not exist. But this is not true. It is said that if you spend the night nearby, you can see it in the early morning. The lake will appear to your eyes in the first rays of the sun, filled with transcendental waterfalls of mountain streams. The water is teeming with fish, and innumerable flocks of wild ducks and pigeons scurry above the surface. Along the coast you will see many animal trails.
The water of this lake is curative for animals. As soon as a bear wounded by a hunter enters the water, he instantly recovers.
And just for this reason, animals hide the lake from people.

About how the Crane competed with the Hummingbird.
Crane and Hummingbird fell in love with the same girl. She generally preferred the Hummingbird, who was as handsome as the Crane was clumsy. But the latter was persistent, and in order to get rid of his claims, the girl set a condition - let both rivals arrange competitions in flight speed. She will marry the winner. The hummingbird was swift as lightning, while the crane was heavy and clumsy. Therefore, the girl thought, the Hummingbird would undoubtedly win and everything would look fair. There was only one thing she didn't know. The crane can also fly at night.
We decided so. Rivals start from the bride's house, fly around the world and return to their starting point. The one who arrives first will marry the girl.
At a signal, the Hummingbird took off like an arrow shot from a bow, and in an instant disappeared from sight. The crane at that time only spread its wings and took off heavily from the ground. The hummingbird flew all day, and in the late afternoon stopped for the night. He was far ahead.
The crane flew slowly all day and all night. Shortly after midnight he passed a sleeping hummingbird, and towards morning he stopped to rest by a stream.
In the morning, Hummingbird woke up and went on, thinking about how easily he would defeat his clumsy opponent. Flying over the stream, he was surprised to find a Crane eating tadpoles for breakfast. Hummingbird, never realizing how this could happen, rushed on and was soon far ahead.
The crane finished his meal and set off. When evening came, he continued to fly and passed by the rival sleeping on the branches exactly at midnight. The next day he won a little more in the distance, and on the fourth day he was already eating tadpoles for dinner, when Hummingbird overtook him. On the fifth and sixth days, the Hummingbird arrived late in the evening. On the seventh day, the Crane was one night ahead of the flight.
Having refreshed himself with tadpoles in the morning and having a good rest, he flew to the starting point, where the girl was waiting. Arriving in the afternoon, Hummingbird saw that he had lost.
The girl announced that she would never marry such a bore as a crane in her life. Besides, she changed her mind about getting married.

Why does the vulture have a bald head.
Once upon a time, the Vulture had a beautiful tuft on his head. So beautiful that the Vulture, out of pride, refused to eat carrion with others. And when other birds pecked at the body of a dead deer, wild boar, or some other animal, the Vulture proudly walked beside him and said:
- No, my friends, such food is not for me. And you eat, eat. In the end, the birds got tired of it, and they decided to teach the proud man a lesson. They conspired with the Buffalo and he pulled out the Vulture's tuft, and for one thing and all the feathers on his head.
Together with the crest, the Vulture lost his sense of pride. Now he does not disdain to eat carrion with others.

Conclusion
From all this incomplete information, the most obvious conclusion is:
The Indians were not godless savages, as the English colonists claimed. They had their own culture, religion, their calling and worldview, the closest connection with nature. They loved and were loved, they loved their wives and children, they respected the elderly and honored the Earth.

In terms of moral and spiritual development, the Indians are definitely far ahead of not only their colonists, but also people of modern times, where they still cannot learn to live in peace, honor the Earth, protect nature, where there is profit, profit, constant lies and empty promises. much more important than love for the environment. In a world where there is no honor and dignity, in such a world there can be no truth and greatness.
"Don't you think so?"