"If anyone has children, they better teach their children to follow the traditions that we're leaving behind because it is later than we think with all that's going on."  

--Juanita Centeno, CHUMASH

The habits, attitudes and beliefs that carry the human through the trials of life are developed at a very young age. If we are taught respect at a very young age, the odds are we'll be respectful through our whole lives. If we are taught to dance at a young age, we'll dance our whole lives. If we are taught to sing the traditional songs while we are young, we'll sing those songs through out whole lives. And weho do we drum and sing songs to? Our children. This is how we keep it going.  


Great Spirit, today, teach me to teach the children.

"People think other things are more important than prayer, but they are mistaken."  

--Thomas Yellowtail, CROW  

An Elder once said the most important thing you can do in the course of a day is to pray. If we get up late or oversleep, which is more important? Rush to work without praying or pray first and then go to work? The Elders say it's more important to pray. If we get angry, should we act on our anger or should we pray first? The Elders say it's more important to pray first. If, during the day, we face indecision, what should we do? PRAY. If, during the day, we become irritated or we experience fear, what should we do first? PRAY. The Warrior who prays first will lead a different life from those who pray last.  



  Great Spirit, teach me to pray first!

"We know that in all creation/Only the human family/Has strayed from the Sacred Way."  

--OJIBWA Prayer  

How have we gotten so far off track? What has happened to us? What is happening to our family? How did it happen so quickly? Every individual needs to answer these questions for themselves. What do we need to do to start living the Sacred Way again? Pray! Today I will start praying. I pray the Creator will lead all Native People to a great healing. I pray we'll be free from alcohol and drugs. I pray we will return to the culture, to spirituality and to unity.  


My Mother, help us to heal ourselves. Make us strong again.

"As we plunge ahead to build empires and race for supremacy we should stop and listen to [the female] song of life. For without the female there is no life."  

--Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman, Traditional Circle of Elders  

Women are created with the ability to produce life. Women have a special tie to the Earth Mother. They have something in common. They are the source of life. The Earth Mother gives songs to the Woman to sing. These songs are about life, about beauty, about children, about love, about family, about strength, about caring, about nurturing, about forgiveness, about God. The World needs to pay attention and listen to Her. She knows.  


Great Spirit, let me listen to Her songs.

 "Women. They have the power of generations. Women have the power to have children and not to have children."

--Cecilia Mitchell, MOHAWK  

The Woman is not only the key to life; she is also the key to future generations. An Elder once joked that the Woman only needs the man for one night. We need to look at and respect the power of the Woman. She is special and we need to treat her that way.  


Great Spirit, today, let me show the greatest respect to our Women.

"Everything really is equal. The Creator doesn't look at me any better than He looks at the trees. We're all the same."
 
--Janice Sundown Hattet, SENECA  

Sometimes humans think we are the center of the Universe. Sometimes we think we are above or better than other people or things. The Great Spirit made a set of Laws and Principles by which all things should live. Everybody and everything lives by the same Laws. We are all made of atoms just like the trees. The life force in the middle of the atom is the life force of the Great Mystery. It is the same for everything. We are all equal in the eyes of the Creator.  


Great Spirit, today, I will respect your handiwork.

"Spiritual matters are difficult to explain because you must live with them in order to fully understand them."  

--Thomas Yellowtail, CROW  

To know something we must become one with it. We cannot know what a flower smells like until we actually smell it. Close your eyes and experience the fragrance. The Elders say there are two worlds, the Seen World and the Unseen World. To experience the Seen World we need to physically pick the flower and smell it. To experience the Unseen World we need to know about principles, laws and values; and no matter what our mind or our physical senses tell us, we must decide and act on these principles. If someone does wrong to us, we must pray for that person or persons to have peach, happiness and joy in their life. We must not get even or retaliate in any way. Only by doing this can we understand spiritual matters.  


Great Spirit, give me your power whenever my weakness shows so I can live by spiritual decisions.

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"Once you make a friend, a friend never leaves you, even to death. So a friend is really hard to find."
     
--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Once, an Elder told me he made a decision to be my friend. He said this friendship wasn't based on my behavior or how I acted; he said the friendship was based on his decision. He decided to be my friend. This friendship has happened like he said. Even if I don't see him for a long time, or if I get mad at him, he has never changed his decision. This is true friendship.



Great Spirit, I'm glad you are this kind of Friend.