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They listened to the warbling of birds and noted the grandeur and
Observation was certain to have its rewards. Interest, wonder,
the beauties of the forest. The majestic clouds which appear like
admiration grew, and the fact was appreciated that life was more
mountains of granite floating in the air the golden tints of a sum-
260 than mere human manifestation; it was expressed in a multitude of
forms. honest, and worthy of confidence, the Confederate Lords may elect
This appreciation enriched Lakota existence. Life was vivid and him to a seat with them and he may sit in the Confederate Council.
pulsing; nothing was casual and commonplace. The Indian live He shall be proclaimed a Pine Tree sprung up for the Nation and be
lived in every sense of the word from his first to his last breath. installed as such at the next assembly for the installation of Lords.
Should he ever do anything contrary to the rules of the Great
Chief Luther Standing Bear Teton Sioux Peace, he may not be deposed form office no one shall cut him
down- but thereafter everyone shall be deaf to his voice and his ad-
vice. Should he resign his seat and title, no one shall prevent him. A
Pine Tree Chief has no authority to name a successor, nor is his title
Conversation
hereditary.
Praise, flattery, exaggerated manners, and fine, high sounding words
were no part of Lakota politeness. Excessive manners were put down
Constitution to the Five Nations
as insincere, and the constant talker was considered rude and thought-
less. Conversation was never begun at once, or in a hurried manner.
No one was quick with a question, no matter how important, and
Not by Bread Alone
no one was pressed for an answer. A pause giving time for thought
My friends, how desperately do we need to be loved and to love.
was the truly courteous way of beginning and conducting a conversa-
When Christ said that man does not live by bread alone, he spoke of
tion.
a hunger. This hunger was not the hunger of the body. It was not the
hunger for bread. He spoke of a hunger that begins deep down in
Chief Luther Standing Bear Teton Sioux
the very depths of our being. He spoke of a need as vital as breath.
He spoke of our hunger for love.
Love is something you and I must have. We must have it because
Persistence
our spirit feeds upon it. We must have it because without it we be-
When you begin a great work you can t expect to finish it all at once;
come weak and faint. Without love our self-esteem weakens. With-
therefore do you and your brothers press on, and let nothing dis-
out it our courage fails. Without love we can no longer look out
courage you until you have entirely finished what you have begun.
confidently at the world. We turn inward and begin to feed upon
Now, Brother, as for me, I assure you I will press on, and the
our own personalities, and little by little we destroy ourselves.
contrary winds may blow strong in my face, yet I will go forward and
With it we are creative. With it we march tirelessly. With it, and
never turn back, and continue to press forward until I have finished,
with it alone, we are able to sacrifice for others.
and I would have you do the same.
Though you may hear the birds singing on this side and that side,
Chief Dan George
you must not take notice of that, but hear me when I speak to you,
and take it to heart, for you may always depend that what I say shall
be true.
Show Me
Brother! We are told that you have been preaching to the white
Teedyuscung Delaware
people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We are ac-
quainted with them. We will wait a little while, and see what effect
your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good and
Crowned Leadership
makes them honest and less disposed to cheat us, we will then con-
We now crown you with the sacred emblem of the deer s antlers, the
sider again becoming Christians.
emblem of your Lordship. You shall now become a mentor of the
people of the Five Nations. The thickness of your skin shall be seven
Red Jacket Seneca
spans- which is to say that you shall be filled with peace and goodwill
and your mind filled with a yearning for the welfare of the people of
the confederacy.
Free Wisdom
With endless patience you shall carry out your duty, and your
We have men among us, like the whites, who pretend to know the
firmness shall be tempered with tenderness for your people. Neither
right path, but will not consent to show it without pay! I have no
anger nor fury shall lodge in your mind, and all your words and
faith in their paths, but believe that every man must make his own
actions shall be marked with calm deliberation.
path!
In all your deliberations in the Council, in your efforts at lawmak-
ing, in all your official acts, self-interest shall be cast into oblivion.
Black Hawk Sauk
Cast not away the warnings of any others, if they should chide you
for any error or wrong you may do, but return to the way of the Great
Law, which is just and right.
Quarreling about God
Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have
always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, We do not want churches because they will teach us to quarrel about
even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the earth the God, as the Catholics and Protestants do. We do not want to learn
unborn of the future Nation. that.
We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on this earth.
Constitution of the Five Nations But we never quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that.
Chief Joseph Nez Perce
Pine Tree Chiefs
Should any man of the Nation assist with special ability or show
great interest in the affairs of the Nation, if he proves himself wise,
261
God Made Me This Way Misfortune
I am of the opinion that so far as we have reason, we have a right to
use it in determining what is right or wrong, and we should pursue Do not grieve. Misfortunes will happen to the wisest and best of
the path we believe to be right. men. Death will come, always out of season. It is the command of
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