Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Native American Wisdom
    Native American Wisdom
    Native American Wisdom
    Ebook93 pages1 hour

    Native American Wisdom

    By Kent Nerburn

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Joseph, Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, Black Elk, Ohiyesa, and many others share their insights on Native American ways of living, learning, and dying.

    There is something archetypal about the philosophy of the original Americans, especially to the sensibilities of modern European Americans. We recognize it as coming from the earth we walk on, from those who preceded us. As we read the wisdom of these peoples, it is possible to feel a reconnection with our land and ourselves.

    Taken from orations, recorded observations of life and social affairs, and other first-person testimonies, this book selects the best of Native American wisdom and distills it to its essence in short, digestible quotes that are meaningful and timeless — perhaps even more timely now than when they were written.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNew World Library
    Release dateMar 10, 2011
    ISBN9781577312543

    Related to Native American Wisdom

    Related ebooks

    Philosophy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Be Your Own SHAMAN

      Dec 21, 2021

      Be Your Own SHAMAN
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Keeping the Faith

      Jul 23, 2019

      Keeping the Faith
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Wild Things

      Jun 3, 2018

      The ground was spongy and green, the accents Irish, the light atmospheric and ‘soft’ (in other words, it was raining); the scene was set for a storytelling session about epic battles and strange worlds, good versus evil. Especially as we were standin

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Native america

      Apr 25, 2023

      My name is Matika Wilbur. I am from the Swinomish and Tulalip Tribes. Ten years ago, I sold everything, packed my bags, and hit the open road to begin a Kickstarter-funded mission to visit, engage with, and photograph more than 500 tribal nations. I

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Time Travel with Historical Fiction

      Sep 15, 2022

      September is always a busy time of year. Students head back to school, many heritage organizations reset after Labour Day, and there always seems to be a lot of activities to pack in before cooler weather arrives. I sifted through my “To Be Read” pil

      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Books With The Most Impact

      Mar 15, 2023

      Books With The Most Impact
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Youth Nonfiction

      Mar 27, 2024

      By Marc Aronson and Paul Freedman. Illus. by Toni Chambers. May 2024. 176p. Atheneum, $17.99 (9781665935500). Gr. 6–10. 394.120973. Criticizing traditional historians for considering the “first Americans” to be those who arrived from Europe as part o

      12 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Spirit Of The Rillito

      May 1, 2023

      The Spirit Of The Rillito
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      It Takes A Village

      Dec 11, 2024

      It Takes A Village
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      How Big Is Your Family?

      Dec 10, 2024

      How Big Is Your Family?
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Gutbucket

      Feb 27, 2024

      Gutbucket
      18 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Our Relations

      Sep 15, 2023

      Creation stories tell us that in the beginning, there was only water. Water is therefore considered our oldest relation and the source of all life. The land itself was born of sacrifice, the ultimate gift of life given by the Ancients during the time

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Southern Stand

      Mar 16, 2020

      Southern Stand
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Reminiscence And Observation

      Feb 9, 2021

      Reminiscence And Observation
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Is this Land Your Land?

      Mar 25, 2022

      Is this Land Your Land?
      18 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Astronomy: Sky Country

      Nov 16, 2022

      Astronomy: Sky Country
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Written In The Stars

      Nov 15, 2020

      Written In The Stars
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      My 3 Greatest Revelations

      Nov 10, 2021

      1 We Are Smothering the Planet with Our Poop The next time you go grocery shopping, look at where your food comes from. Most of it isn’t local. Strawberries come from California or Florida, asparagus from Mexico or Chile, bananas from Brazil or Ecuad

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Contextualizing the Past

      Dec 15, 2022

      Contextualizing the Past
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Yemaya The Ocean Mother

      Aug 2, 2024

      Yemaya The Ocean Mother
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Native American Wisdom

    4/5

    28 ratings2 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      It would unconventional to find a truly balanced perspective on the Indians. This collection of quotes shows one very positive side and there is some wisdom to be gleaned. Chief Seattle of the Suqwamish and Duamish: "The red man has ever fled the approach of the white man, as the morning mist flees before the morning sun.... It matters little where we pass the remnants of our days. They will not be many. But why should I mourn the untimely fate of my people? Your time of decay may be distant, but it will surely come, for even the white man, whose God walked and talked with him as a friend with friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers, after all. We will see." Chief Joseph (Nez Perce): "It does not require many words to speak the truth." Charles Alexander Eastman "Ohiyesa" (Santee Sioux): "It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. Its appeal is the the material part, and it allowed its way, it will in time disturb one's spiritual balance." Four Guns (Oglala Sioux): "Many of the white man's ways are past our understanding.... They put a great store upon writing; there is always paper. The white people must think paper has some mysterious power to help them in the world. The Indian needs no writings; words that are true sink deep into his heart, where they remain. He never forgets them. On the other hand, if the white man loses his papers, he is helpless."
    • 5/5
      Amazing book!!!! It surprises me and let me hungry for more. The philosophy behind every quote has the power to enriching the reader’s mind.

    Book preview

    Native American Wisdom - Kent Nerburn

    Publisher’s Preface

    Life is an endless cycle of change. We and our world will never remain the same.

    Every generation has difficulty relating to the previous generation; even the language changes. The child speaks a different language than the parent does.

    It seems almost miraculous, then, that certain voices, certain books, are able to speak not only to one, but to many generations beyond them. The plays and poems of William Shakespeare are still relevant today—still capable of giving us goose bumps, still entertaining, disturbing, and profound. Shakespeare is the writer who, in the English language, defines the word classic.

    There are many other writers and thinkers who, for a great many reasons, can be considered classic, for they withstand the test of time. We want to present the best of them to you in the New World Library Classic Wisdom Collection. Even though these writers and thinkers lived many years ago, they are still relevant and important in today’s world for the enduring words of wisdom they created, words that should forever be kept in print.

    Native American Wisdom is a very special book in this collection. It is profound, enlightened, touching, poetic, and inspired. Every citizen of the planet Earth can gain value from the words and insights of the native Americans.

    We pray that their traditions will be remembered, and will grow and prosper; we hope that this book will, in its own way, contribute to increased awareness of and respect for the wisdom of the native American people.

    A significant percentage of the profits of this book will be contributed to worthwhile organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life of native Americans and preserving their traditions and wisdom.

    Shakti Gawain

    Marc Allen

    New World Library

    Introduction

    In 1492 Columbus and his crew, lost, battered, and stricken with dysentery, were helped ashore by a people he described as neither black nor white . . . fairly tall, good looking and well proportioned. Believing he had landed in the East Indies, he called these people Indians. In fact, they were part of a great population that had made its home on this continent for centuries.

    The inhabitants of this land were not one people. Their customs differed. Their languages differed. Some tilled the earth; others hunted and picked the abundance of the land around them. They lived in different kinds of housing and governed themselves according to differing rules.

    But they shared in common a belief that the earth is a spiritual presence that must be honored, not mastered. Unfortunately, western Europeans who came to these shores had a contrary belief. To them, the entire American continent was a beautiful but savage land that it was not only their right, but their duty, to tame and use as they saw fit.

    As the twentieth century draws to a close, Western civilization is confronting the inevitable results of this European-American philosophy of dominance. We have gotten out of balance with our earth, and the very future of our planet depends on our capacity to restore that balance.

    We are crying out for help, for a grounding in the truth of nature, for words of wisdom. That wisdom is here, contained in the words of the native peoples of the Americas. But these people speak quietly. Their words are simple and their voices soft. We have not heard them because we have not taken the time to listen. Perhaps now the time is right for us to open our ears and hearts to the words they have to say.

    Unlike many traditions, the spiritual wisdom of the native American is not found in a set of scriptural materials. It is, and always has been, a part of the fabric of daily life and experience. One of the most poignant reflections of this spiritual message is found in their tradition of oratory.

    Traditionally, Indians did not carry on dialogues when discussing important matters. Rather, each person listened attentively until his or her turn came to speak, and then he or she rose and spoke without interruption about the heart of the matter under consideration. This tradition produced a measured eloquence of speech and thought that is almost unmatched for its clarity and simplicity.

    Indian reasoning about governmental and social affairs was also carried on with the same uncompromising purity of insight and expression.

    It is from these orations, recorded observations of life and social affairs, and other first-person testimonies that the materials for this book have been drawn. This wisdom has been available in written form for some time, but much of it has been recorded only in imposing governmental documents and arcane academic treatises.

    We hope this volume breathes life back into these timeless words. As meditations, they have much to teach, not only about our personal lives and relationships, but about affairs of state and international relations as well. The time has come to listen to these echoes from our land—the wisdom and teaching of the native American people.

    Kent Nerburn

    Louise Mengelkoch

    Native American Wisdom

    1

    The Ways of the Land

    All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth.

    Chief Seattle

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1