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October 2009 
Quotes from Chief Joseph
WayOfTheSpirit
Chief Joseph
Quotes from Chief Joseph
"The earth is our mother. She should not be disturbed by hoe or plough. We want only to subsist on what she freely gives us. Our fathers gave us many laws, which they had learned from their fathers.
These laws were good. I have carried a heavy load on my back ever since I was a boy. I realised then that we could not hold our own with the white men. We were like deer. They were like grizzly bears. We had small country. Their country was large. We were contented to let things remain as the Great Spirit Chief made them. They were not, and would change the rivers and mountains if they did not suit them.Our fathers gave us many laws, which they had learned from their fathers. These laws were good.
They told us to treat all people as they treated us; that we should never be the first to break a bargain; that it was a disgrace to tell a lie; that we should speak only the truth; that it was a shame for one man to take another his wife or his property without paying for it. We were contented to let things remain as the Great Spirit made them.
Suppose a white man should come to me and say, Joseph, I like your horses. I want to buy them. I say to him, No, my horses suit me; I will not sell them. Then he goes to my neighbour and says, Pay me money, and I will sell you Joseph's horses.
The white man returns to me and says, Joseph, I have bought your horses and you must let me have them. If we sold our lands to the government, this is the way they bought them.
I am not a child, I think for myself. No man can think for me.
If you tie a horse to a stake, do you expect him to grow fat? If you pen an Indian up on a small spot of earth, and compel him to stay there, he will not be contented, nor will he grow and prosper.
The earth and myself are of one mind.
We were taught to believe that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything, and that he never forgets, that hereafter he will give every man a spirit home according to his deserts; If he has been a good man, he will have a good home; if he has been a bad man, he will have a bad home.
This I believe, and all my people believe the same.
Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country, now overrun by white men. They do not protect my father's grave. They do not pay for all my horses and cattle.
Good words cannot give me back my children. Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home where they can live in peace and take care of themselves.
I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk.
It does not require many words to speak the truth.
We do not want churches because they will teach us to quarrel about God, as the Catholics and Protestants do. We do not want that. We may quarrel with men about things on earth, but we never quarrel about the Great Spirit.
I believe much trouble and blood would be saved if we opened our hearts more. I will tell you in my way how the Indian sees things. The white man has more words to tell you how they look to him, but it does not require many words to seek the truth.
Too many misinterpretations have been made... too many misunderstandings...
The Great Spirit Chief who rules above all will smile upon this land... and this time the Indian race is waiting and praying.
If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian...we can live in peace. There need be no trouble. Treat all men alike.... give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who is born a free man should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases. We only ask an even chance to live as other men live. We ask to be recognised as men. Let me be a free man...free to travel... free to stop...free to work...free to choose my own teachers...free to follow the religion of my Fathers...free to think and talk and act for myself."
to dispose of us as you see fit.
If I thought you were sent by the Creator,
I might be induced to think you had a right to dispose of me.
Do not misunderstand me, but understand fully
with reference to my affection for the land.
I never said the land was mine to do with as I choose.
The one who has a right to dispose of it is the one who has created it.
I claim a right to live on my land and accord you the privilege to return to yours.
Brother, we have listened to your talk coming from the father in Washington,
and my people have called upon me to reply to you.
And in the winds which pass through these aged pines
we hear the moaning of their departed ghosts.
And if the voices of our people could have been heard,
that act would never have been done.
But alas, though they stood around,
they could neither be seen nor heard.
Their tears fell like drops of rain.
I hear my voice in the depths of the forest,
but no answering voice comes back to me.
All is silent around me.
My words must therefore be few. I can say no more.
He is silent, for he has nothing to answer when the sun goes down.
Access: Public
Chief Joseph is a wise man.
I am white I guess………I don't really know what I am. I have no heritage…..that I am aware of anyway. I have lived in America all my life……….my dad all his life and my grandmother the same. I hear tails that my (paternal) great grandmother was part indian. My mom has done a family tree, on my fathers side as well. I may see about getting some of that info from her. I have no idea whether I am german, french, scandanavian, english………..I am sure you get the picture. I think I am a culmination of many………….now I am just American.
When confronted with this history I cringe. I no more like what was done with Native Americans, than what was done with the Africans. It brings me great pain………to know this…..even though I had nothing to do with it…….or my closest ancestors.
Who did this? and is still doing this?……………the greedy heartless man
oops…….let me be politically correct………could be a greedy heartless woman as well
WOW, I am coming back here and read it again, and again…..again…again
Thanks for posting!
L.
The Greedy Indeed…the ones that see material as the status of a spirit…the ones that think exploration must lead to exploitation…I am part of all…but accept only spirit….these things are continuing to go one…within this and most other nations…anyplace that the “white race” has deemed to be “savage”…uncivilized…under developed…uneducated…has suffered the same fate and still does….I encourage all things led by the Great Spirit…for it will never let one down…yet man does repeatedly when clinging on to the flesh and seeing only within the pleasures of life…
Is it not odd that year after year the United states is beaten with hurricanes originating from the African Coast line…and leading a path as did the Slave ships…and causing devastation in pretty much the ports where Slaves where sold…it is said that the cries of the spirit of the African children raises from the depth of the waters…and so do the cries of the spirits of the families left behind on the African Shores each year….to set forth the breath of Spirit…to embrace them again…
There are many such stories told within “ethnic” communities….that link our Mother Earth directly to the spirit of all her children…
This is what I do I plant seeds in the mind by remembering and sharing thee stories of ones that suffer still….
To date…everyone coming to this country seems to be able to excel…yet…Elders…Children and mostly Native Americans…are being forgotten by this government systematically….There are reservation Today…that come winter will need blanket drives to give to elderly Native Americans living on Reservations…To date Native Americans are still being forced into situations Politically speaking that are in humane…the government is doing little if anything to establish equality…never mind comply with the treaties…when is the last time you have not watched some “romanticized version” of a “Indian Movie”…there is a heck of a lot more then riding horses…living in TiPis or wearing war bonnets…The culture was butchered…imagine someone coming to your home…a stranger…you feeding this stranger and providing him with shelter…and he then rising stating I “discovered your home” you must now leave and live in the backyard…you will no longer be known by your birth name…you will no longer be able to speak your tongue…or follow your way of life…
Imagine…strangers attacking your home out of the clear blue…putting you and the children that are old enough in chains leaving the newborns either behind or killing them…then being hauled of onto a ship…raped…starved shackled…separated from anything that is reasonable “humane”….Imagine…
This things in a lot of ways are still happening…the world is allowing it…there are women/ children being sold into prostitution…there is child pornography….is it a race issue…one could lean into yes easily…for most of these things sprung forth thru a race that is of light complexion…but that is not the source…the source is this…Spirit continues to allow these things…I do not care what anyone says if somebody were to demand WAR…and nobody would go…there simply would not be WAR…Unity…and embracing all spirit…and taking the good of all and shedding the bad of all society is what needs to happen in order for man-child…to lift into a truly spiritual consciousness…
Ok I have written a book…lol
Peace,Blessings and Light
You aren't kidding, you wrote abook! But Cherrie my dear it's a book that needs to be written. And mostly we need to follow the red road in our lives, whether we have 100% Native peoples blood or are physically “white”…I look white but the Nez Perce/Yakima great grandmother lives in me as strongly as the sturdy German peasantry or the Scottish line back to (I kid you not) William Wallace. Via my great great grandbmother on Dad's side, Clara Wallace's family tree…people forget sometimes in relying on physical appearance only, that those of us with Celtic ancestry also knew what it was not be subjugated by conquerers. Enough! Live free, and be the change you wish to see!
Namaste,
CalmEagle
Cherrie,
Thanks for being brave enough to discuss these issues. I have just added a discussion to my pod…….similar to what I am going to say next.
I believe our Nation especially (America) as well as the world in general needs some “cultural healing”. Our generation is having to bare the burden of the wounds our ancestors created.
I have a hard time because I don't see us as seperate……….I see us together sharing one place called “Earth”. I love the various traditions, arts, music……..etc. that the different cultures have created……………..put them all together and what an awesome human culture :-)
What do you think about cultural healing?
Kind Spirit…”what do I think about cultural healing”…
I try to soothe the pains daily with my posts…etc. I also try to remind as many as possible that these things must become a lesson…from the past and not a contniueing thing of the present….
To heal culturally speaking…people have to merge and let go of the “self”….something that “modern society” has yet to learn…
overall, Nations have yet still not reached the point to say…equality for all SPIRIT…young, old, man, or woman…..Truthfully…change will induce it's force only thru the Great Spirit and this our Mother Earth….for people do not have it in them to seriously and completely let go…
Imagine…this Nation for instance…to all of a sudden do away with “millionares….hollywood…..Beverly Hills….Casinos….and say…HEY from now on everyone will live equal…equal housing…equal food…equal…vehicles…no one owns land anymore…you pay with deed …no longer money…everybody receives work…school becomes a Universal teaching program…we will send people that are eager and willing to “third world” nations to build and create sustainable healthy living conditions…
Simply put…PARADISE…would it not be???
Can cultures heal from the past together?… of course they can…but can cultures that have let go…in order to create equality…????
Mother Earth screams obviously not…for her children all over are still dying…of hunger…impure water…repulsive living conditions….When men completely failed The Great Spirit took over….this is how I truthfully see this chapter of humanity ending before beginning the next…
When is the last time you have met a person that lived well beyond their means and then tell you…You know I really can no longer live with myself and all these things I can buy and now own…I have homes all over the world…a personal Jet….more money then what I know what to do with…heck I even have a gold plated bathroom…7 cars…
but I think…I want to give it all away to help starving children in Africa…I just need one house maybe 2 cars…the rest I will do away with…to help others…I could also give the other homes to people that have no place to live…or better sell them and help fix some of these abondoned buldings that would give a lot of families a home…
I have yet to meet someone like that…my husband came close…but you know what they say…”almost doesn't count”….
Cultural healing …long process that is ongoing….and obviously not everyone is so eager to bring about the change…to create real…true equality…
so here you have my spin on it…I am one that walks trying along side with others…hopefully eventually we will no longer be the “few”…
Peace,Blessings and Light..
WayOfTheSpirit