Hopi Traditional song and prayer
Shared with Native Village by Katherine Cheshire

On International Women’s Day in 2003, UNESCO (the United Nation Education Science Culture Organization) picked one woman from 12 countries for their work in behalf peace and the plight of women, children and community in the world. This year the woman they chose from the United States was Katherine Cheshire. Katherine is keeper of Oral Traditions and works on behalf of the Hopi Elders and Peoples over the world. She presented this speech at the General Assembly

Traditional song and prayer:

Asquali, thank you for being our friend, thank you for allowing us to share our thoughts with you in this special time in history.

I stand before you today with a humble heart and prayer for peace, a simple women with the love for beauty, children and the Elders sharing a gift of wisdom that has been passed down from generation to generation mouth to ear in secret and private places.

With out official standing and with Truth and love of mother earth land and life. In indigenous way of thinking it is rare for a women to be speaking in public. Yet we stand at a dawn of a new time where the prayers and thoughts of our Grandmothers, Great grandmothers echo from mouth to ear in the seen or unseen worlds. "Tell the truth my daughters, tell the truth". Little did I understand the impact of this message.

To those of understanding these thoughts and words are complete - for others it is not. I think back from the past and remember the prayers and wishes of those who have come before us and left the knowledge to follow. First find yourself, then there needs to be a lot of love and it is hard to work with love for sometimes people will not except you but you must keep at it constantly praying.  In these times of challenges and trouble, especially

The word "Hopi" means gentleness, kindness, truthfulness and especially being a person of Peace. This is what the elders have taught, "be a person of peace". And if we succeed then the whole world will be at peace. And speak one language, the language of peace and Universal Balance. This seems like a very simple statement however in practice it is more difficult then you can imagine.

In my humble opinion I doubt that any mother, sister, daughter or Grandmothers would not stand up in these times of turbulence and not speak for peace and to have a better life for their loved ones. A life of health and happiness, a life where our diversity is the strength of the coming generations.

We are grateful that UNESCO, TV5 and the Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie are helping guide us to a lasting peace and we pray that some way we can turn the tides of war with the power of Love and Truth. Yes, we are a minority, however if you are minority of one, two or three the elders tell us that will be enough to make a difference. We understand that one person will not change this world yet one person may change the world for one person and it is in this way we can change the world for a better life for those yet to be born.

Throughout the Hopi creation stories, our art, rituals, the solar and lunar cycles, there is always a reminder of those who have come before and left the knowledge for those to follow, weaving a rich tapestry of origin and humanity together as one spiritual family.

Instructions, warnings and prophecy acted out and demonstrated daily in stories, art, songs and rituals serve as a living record of a Divine Ancestry. It is common knowledge, even if unspoken, among all our Indigenous Ancestors of a greater heritage. Our elders have long taught from these ancients who left us messages etched in stone on tablets and carved in special places the places of the unseen records of how mankind has a deeper heritage in the Sky Nations and how for thousands upon thousands of years there was order and bounty here on Mother Earth, our true physical home. We are taught, that we came to the Earth to be of service, to learn deep spiritual lessons and help others do the same. The Ancient Traditions, especially the Hopi, when viewing the world, look at a Universe in balance and bring this balance in concert with other worlds which support our experience here on the Mother Earth, the inner knowing that together we are here to look after the well being of the land and life.

"Truth is One, paths are many". This truth from our Ancient Ones reminds us of where our very souls originate, a place where all creation stories are the same, the place where we are all one, where the Holy Ancestors have been with us through our whole development and always came to interface with us in these special times in history. It was a time when "the ones who walk the Earth were knower of the Unknowable and held the Truth in the palms of their hands" throughout all the worlds and stages of development on these Many Beads (solar system). This has happened and is most likely still happening today.

May the ripples of this great day of reverence of "International Women's Day" be a true Mothers day where we the mothers and grandmothers of the world stand up and say "No to War" and yes to life? In our old traditions it was seldom allowed for a war to happen with our women and their approval. As creators and caretakers of land and life, this approval would only happen in rare circumstance. However, if ones own village and home were in danger or our children we would be the first to protect and serve land and life.

With a humble heart and gratefulness I thank you for allowing me to speak to you. Let us all look at the daunting task ahead and join hands for a better future for our children and mother earth let us work together to find a way out of this military mind and again find the compassion and prayer to awaken the world to the living beauty our hearts seek. May peace Rain in the hearts of Human Kind.

We are all looking for a peaceful way, we are looking for survival, the only solution is that we must go back to the Original Spiritual Instructions. All the sacred traditions speak of these things so you see we are not so different after all. Mother Earth supply the substance for our table and the great father sun shines on us daily where ever we are in this creation world. We await those who are serious and ready to help us accomplish this.

Asquali, and thank you again for your time and consideration

"Together with all Nations we hold this world in Balance”.