Native American Words

When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover 
you cannot eat money.

~ Cree Prophecy ~

I do not think the measure of a civilization 
is how tall its buildings of concrete are, 
but rather how well its people have learned 
to relate to their environment and fellow man. 

~ Sun Bear of the Chippewa Tribe ~ 

What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across
the grass and loses itself in the sunset.

~ Crowfoot, Blackfoot Warrior  ~

When you were born, you cried
and the world rejoiced.
Live your life
so that when you die,
the world cries and you rejoice.

~ White Elk ~

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 ~

May the stars carry your sadness away,
May the flowers fill your heart with beauty,
May hope forever wipe away your tears,
And, above all, may silence make you strong. 

~ Chief Dan George  ~