Because I am an Indian too

from Vinod B.    May 07

Columbus set out to search for us, found native americans, and now we have the same name !

I am from Planet Earth first, Asia and India next. I am inspired deeply by the native american values of living with nature and being in surrender to the Great Spirit.

My introduction to native american culture has been through books. I know that's not the real thing, yet it has made me resonate to the unique way of life which was so shockingly brought face to face (and tomahawk to guns) with the migrating settlers from Europe first, and from the East coast later. I recall with special empathy books which brought me the first distant stories of the indians of the americas:
Indians of the Americas, John Collier
The Way West, W.B. Guthrie
The Big Sky, W.B. Guthrie
The Oregon Trail, Francis Parkman
... and hundreds of popular fiction paperbacks...
...and more recently...
Centennial, James Michener...

In my heart the native american saga is as important to world culture as the code of the knights of England, and bushido, and dhammapada and upanishads. My planet is rich - and in no small measure because of my indians of the americas.

And the words and names? There's nothing like it on my entire planet !
Seminole, Shawnee, Osage, Yosemite, Niagara, Minnihaha, Aroostook, Kukukuhoo, Wahgoosh, Neegig, Shingoos.... in fact the lesser known names are the more beautiful because you dont get used to them and so you hear them fresh...

And passages like... "I hope no more groans of wounded men and women will ever go to the ear of the Great Spirit Chief above, and that all people may be one people. Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekht has spoken for his people"... are timeless in their application to the temporary human condition of division and war...

Peace Pipe, Everyone?

Vinod

we owe so much

from Isa K.    May 25, 2007

the Great Peace of the Iroquois is the inspiration that gave William Penn the understanding that human systems, and governments, are limited to serving their people, not running their lives, minds and hearts, and the UN Charter on Human Rights very well could have been written by the First Nations without all the help from the rest of the world, but what is most first nation about the First Nations is what is most human in all of us. We will be less if we do not appreciate who they are.

natural ecologists

from Anarchists A.    Feb 26, 2007

We can learn a lot from the Native (North and South) Americans with respect to living off the land. 

Culture is identity

from Janeya C.    Feb 08, 2007

It is so important to preserve the knowledge, customs, and languages of the native people of the Americas. What is lost to each new generation is invaluable and can never be retrieved. We must act now if we are to retain the diversity and the beauty of Native American cultures all over the nation.

A dwindling opportunity

from Rob Y.    Nov 02, 2006

I've long admired the culture of the Native American tribes long settled in sounthern California and am distraught about the devistation they have incurred over time. We have the rapidly declining ability to preserve what little is left of this culture, but not if we don't act soon.