Since earliest historical times there has been an aura of mystery surrounding the North American Indian people and culture. And yet even with all that has been recorded about our culture rarely have we been able to speak for ourselves. We are an ancient people with an ancient culture that is rooted in the very beginnings of life on earth. As Indigenous people we were initiated into this way of life by spiritual beings in the earliest epochs of time. In those times our ancestors communicated directly with the universal and tribal entities. At that time we accepted our responsibility for stewardship and responsibility to the land and life. As natives we are the primary spiritual caretakers of the natural order in the Western Hemisphere. It is our responsibility to maintain harmony, good health and positive order for the benefit of all living beings. It should be made clear that when I speak of land I mean every living thing that has taken form and that relies on the earth for sustenance. This is why we believe that the earth is the mother of all living beings. It is our view that we are a part of a living creation that all beings are living and growing and that everything is inter-related in a sacred web of life or cosmic family. We believe all original people of the world have similar sacred responsibilities as we do. It is through our devotion to these responsibilities that we are able to maintain a positive spiritual order on earth. Each tribe has its own distinct customs, language and ways of life based upon the region in which it lives. Our tribal or folk spirit was initiated here on this land and soil. This makes us all related, although our individual tribal ways may differ. Each tribe was given spiritual responsibilities according to that particular bioregion. Thus, a body of spiritual knowledge and practices has accumulated and been handed down through oral tradition and spiritual practices. In general, what can be said is that the practices are ceremonies, rites, rituals and meditations. The earliest forms were found upon cosmic and universal rhythms and agricultural and hunting cycles. This wisdom has been kept by small groups of initiates and sacred practitioners to this day. With the arrival of European colonist began a cycle of cataclysmic change in native responsibility for the land. The racial and cultural conflict that insued was in actuality less a matter of conquest and land possession than a spiritual clash of values and responsibilities for the land. While economic, political and social changes have impacted the way of life of indigenous people, the spiritual responsibilities for all land and life have remained constant. Today, very complex issues that are impacting our lives challenge us. To address these changes we should look into the essential spiritual question of …. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HUMAN BEING LIVING ON THE EARTH?
It is a big task to be a human living on the earth at this time. Let us all help each other by respecting, nurturing and honoring the earth…..she is mother to us all!.
Together in Peace, Iowne
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