Native Village

WORDS FROM THE CIRCLE

"Justice is not a flexible tool.  Unless we all do our part to ensure that justice is applied equally to all human beings, we are a party to its abuse.  We must stand together to protect the rights of others." Leonard Peltier

used"Build coalitions among Indian Nations.  There is strength in numbers.  Your vote counts now as never before." Leonard Peltier

"Combine Indigenous and general public voter blocks.  Walk together in support of change.  Vote unanimously for freedom." Leonard Peltier

**"Hope and resiliency.  These are your greatest strengths.  We can work together.  Sisters and brothers, all of one human family.  Your generation and mine." Leonard Peltier 


"As Italian-Americans, we can celebrate our heritage, but we don't need to be celebrating Columbus," Richard Castaldo, one of those injured in the Columbine High School massacre.

"There were [nearly 50 million] people here who had found the continent tens of thousands of years before him. I think he loses the right to be called the discoverer." Chuck Hunt 

used "You need to understand history because it isn't the past, it's the present... want to remind you again that indigenous peoples survived. They flourish today and they will continue to gain  in power: political, economic, demographic and cultural." Chuck Hunt 

"Losing a language is a major setback for everyone, because along with the language, you will also lose all of the poems, the stories, the songs. And those things are of immense importance to all of us as human beings." Anthony Aristar

"It is a crime that more than five centuries after their lands were first invaded, South America's indigenous people are still being killed, and in such large numbers. Only when their rights to their land are respected will these atrocities stop." Stephen Corry.

"Take care of your people, whatever you do."  Ruth Adams 

"ised Columbus is definitely not one of my heroes. It's like asking Jews to celebrate Hitler. I was thinking about Iraq -- it would be like asking the Kurds to celebrate Saddam, when he was responsible for their slaughter". Venida Chenault, Potawatomi and Kickapoo

used : There are hundreds and hundreds of books about Vietnam veterans written by Vietnam veterans, but there are less than a handful written by Native American Vietnam veterans, and only one by a Potawatomi Vietnam veteran. Our stories must to be told for future generations." Larry Mitchell, Potawatomi 

used I think sometimes people have a hard time accepting that the United States is the homeland of indigenous people. This is where the Creator placed us. And people get very angry and upset about the rights we have. If we shouldn't have rights, then who should?"  Venida Chenault 

**''The only non-immigrants are Native Americans.''  Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz.

**"We all need the same things: clean air and clean water.  We have a lot of work to do, but if we can combine our strengths, we can fight for what's right."  Jake Edwards, Onondaga

“We can only do so much to combat racism and prejudice, but we can control what we eat, what we feed our families and how much we move around.  We must take responsibility for our health and for the well-being of our children.  In so doing, we pass on a legacy of self-respect and tribal strength to future generations.”  Devon Mihesuah, Choctaw

**"Everything's connected.  We need to protect what was given to us by our Creator."  Jeff Hill,  Crow

** “The conscience of America can never be clear, the state of American education can never be strong, so long as Indian Country lives on a lonely island of educational poverty, amidst of vast ocean of wealth and educational opportunity for all Americans, except the first Americans, ” Ryan Wilson (Oglala Lakota) and head of the National Indian Education Association

''Native people have learned the white man's ways; now they have to learn ours.'' Janice Toulouse Shingwaak, Ojibwe/Anishinabe Kwe

"Right now, a lot of our students are being forced to receive their education in nonstable and nonpermanent structures.  When they're coming from homes that are also unstable and poor conditions, and then we're asking them to receive their education in poor conditions as well, what kind of message are we sending to our children?"  Lilian Sparks, National Indian Education Association

"The backlog (in school projects) is becoming a first-class crisis.  And, again, our young people are attending second-class schools at rates that should never happen here in America." Ryan Wilson,  National Indian Education Association

**"It’s what you’ve done that’s worthy, not how many possessions or how much wealth you have."   Scott McGowan, Chippewa

**"Don’t talk about what you’ve done. No bragging, no whining."   Scott McGowan, Chippewa

**"Our people don't come in parts. Either you are Indian, or you are not."
--Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE

"People who destroy our sacred sites and take our artifacts and grave goods destroy our history. This history doesn't Just belong to Native Americans, it belongs to all Californians and the world..." Lillian Robles, Juaneno Elder

"Respect should be given those indigenous nations who still carry on their ceremonies; still following the ancient laws of nature with songs and  ceremonies." -Oren R. Lyons, SpokesmanTraditional Circle of Elders

**''The old grandmas have always said to their babies that as long as the people have the songs, dances and the language, we will always be able to come home.''  Stonehorse Lone Goeman, Seneca
''It is not the land that is sovereign; it is the people. We try to do things to keep the oral traditions alive. These are reminding the people of that power.''  Stonehorse Lone Goeman, Seneca

"Bombing isn't a way of changing people's minds. You do that with education." Ted Turner

***"Within our culture, our new buffalo is educati0n."  Keith Moore

"Through our children, our language will live." Charlene Jones,  Pequot

  "When an entire language is lost, so much of the culture is lost with it."  Drew Hayden Taylor,  Ojibwe
 
"To be a native person is to be a good human being, Women's responsibility is to raise good human beings. Wherever we go, we are with our mother." Patrisia  Gonzales

**"Native American history is important to each and every one of us...  It’s important that we get to know and respect and honor. There is much wisdom for you to gain."  Michael Rao, President, Central Michigan University.
http://www.cm-life.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/10/28/4361ad7d108e2

**"My Grandfather survived on this earth without using anything that did not go back into the earth.  The whole world could learn from that." Floyd Westerman, SIOUX

**"The battle for Indian children will be won in the classroom, not on the streets or on horses.  The students of today are our warriors of tomorrow".    Eddie Box, Southern Ute
 
**"As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but all together we make a mighty fist."  Sitting  Bull-

** “Knowledge, combined with the wisdom of our peoples, is what creates true opportunity.”  Joe Shirley, Navajo

**"...The acquisition of an education is the only way that we can improve our lives, the lives of our children and our people."  Aleeah Livengood, Seneca, Cherokee, Oneida

**''By eating our traditional food and turning off our televisions, we can make an example every day.'' Tex Hall

**"In our ceremonies and prayers, we don't talk about the political stuff.  It's about good thoughts." Sheldon Peters Wolfchild,  Sioux

 **"Only when all our children understand the truth can they be better human beings.  It's not about blaming one another, but working together as human beings. All of us." Sheldon Peters Wolfchild,  Sioux

** "In our tradition and culture, the sacred hoop is very important. When relatives are lost to a family, it hurts the entire nation."  Chief Arvol Looking Horse

"Yes, there is hope and there is opportunity.  But it's up to you to grab it." Sial Thonolig

  "We all know this was Indian country at one time.  Pretty soon when (developers) get done here, people are not going to know that we were here..." Alvino Siva, Cahuilla
 

Words from the Circle p.9 Words from the Circle p.11

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