Sunday, June 19, 2011

Seven Philosophies for a Native American Man

First Philosophy ~ TO THE WOMEN
The cycle of life for the woman is the baby, girl, woman and grandmother.
These are the four directions of life.
She has been given by natural laws the ability to reproduce life ~
the most sacred of all things in life.
Therefore, all men should treat her with dignity and respect.
Never was it our way to harm her mentally or physically. Indian men were
never abusers. We always treated our women with respect and understanding.
So, from now on,
I will treat women in a sacred manner.
The Creator gave women the responsibility for bringing new life into the world.
Life is sacred, so I will look upon women in a sacred manner.
In our traditional ways, the woman is the foundation of the family.
I will work with her to create a home atmosphere of respect, security and harmony.
I will refrain from any form of emotional or physical abuse.
If I have feelings, I will talk to the Creator for guidance.
I will treat all women as if they were my own female relatives.
This I vow.

Second Philosophy ~ TO THE CHILDREN
As an eagle prepares its young to leave the nest with all the skills and knowledge
it needs to participate in life, in the same manner so, I will guide my children.
I will use the culture to prepare them for life.
The most important thing I can give to my children is my time.
I will spend time with them in order to learn them and to listen to them.
I will teach my children to pray, as well as the importance of respect.
We are the caretakers of the children for the Creator. They are his children, not ours.
I am proud of our Native language. I will learn it if I can and help my children to learn it.
In today's world it is easy for the children to go astray,
so I will work to provide positive alternatives for them.
I will teach them the culture.
I will encourage education. I will encourage sports. I will encourage them to talk
with the Elders for guidance; but mostly, I will seek to be a role model myself.
I make this commitment to my children so they will have courage
and fine guidance through traditional ways.

Third Philosophy ~ TO THE FAMILY
The Creator gave to us the family, which is the place where all teachings are handed down from the grandparent to the parent and to the child. The children's behaviour is a mirror of the parents' behaviour. Knowing this, I realize the importance for each Indian man to be responsible to the family in order to fulfil the need to build a strong and balanced family. By doing this,I will break the cycle of hurt and ensure the positive mental health of our children, even the children yet to be born.
So, from now on,
I will dedicate my priorities to rebuilding my family.
I must never give up and leave my family only to the mother.
I am accountable to restore the strength of my family. To do this, I will nurture our family's spiritual, cultural and social health. I will demonstrate trust, respect, honour and discipline; but mostly I will be consistent in whatever I do with them. I will see that the grandparents and community Elders play a significant role in the education of my children.
I realize that the male and female together are fundamental to our family life. I will listen to my mate's counsel for our family's benefit, as well as for the benefit of my Indian nation.

Fourth Philosophy ~ TO THE COMMUNITY
The Indian community provides many things for the family. The most important is the sense of belonging; that is, to belong to “the people”, and to have a place to go. Our Indian communities need to be restored to health so the future generation will be guaranteed a place to go for culture, language and Indian socializing. In the community, the honour of one is the honour of all and the pain of one is the pain of all. I will work to strengthen recovery in all parts of my community.
As an Indian man,
I will give back to my community by donating my time and talents when I am able.
I will cultivate friendships with other Indian men for mutual support and strength.
I will consider the effects of our decisions on behalf of the next seven generations;
in this way, our children and grandchildren will inherit healthy communities.
I will care about those in my community so that the mind changes, alcohol and drugs
will vanish...and our community will forever be free of violence.
If each of us can do all these things, then others, will follow; ours will be a proud community.

Fifth Philosophy ~ THE EARTH
Our Mother Earth is the source of all life, whether it be plants, the two-legged, four-legged ones or human beings. The Mother Earth is the greatest teacher, if we listen, observe and respect her. When we live in harmony with the Mother Earth, she will recycle the things we consume and make them available to our children. As an Indian man, I must teach my children how to care for the Earth so it is there for the future generations.
So from now on,
I realize Earth is our Mother. I will treat her with honour and respect.
I will honour the interconnectedness of all things and all forms of life.
I will realize the Earth does not belong to us, but that we belong to the Earth.
The natural law is the ultimate authority upon the lands and water.
I will learn the knowledge and wisdom of the natural laws.
I will pass this knowledge on to my children.
The Mother Earth is a living entity that maintains life.
I will speak out in a good way whenever I see someone abusing the Earth.
Just as I would protect my own mother, so I will protect the Earth.
I will ensure that the land, water and air will be intact for my children
and for my children's children ...the unborn.

Sixth Philosophy ~ TO THE CREATOR
As an Indian man, I realize we make no gains
without the Great Spirit being in our lives.
Neither I, nor anything I attempt to do, will work without our Creator.
Being Indian and being spiritual has the same meaning. Spirituality
is our gift from the Great One. This say, I vow to walk the Red Road.
As an Indian man
I will return to the traditional and spiritual values which have guided
my ancestors for the past generations.
I will look with new eyes on the powers of our ceremonies and religious ways,
for they are important to the very survival of our people.
We have survived and are going to grow and flourish spiritually.
We will fulfil our teachings and the purpose that the Creator has given us with dignity.
Each day, I will pray and ask guidance.
I will commit to walk the Red Road
or whatever the spiritual way is called in my culture.
If I am a Christian, I will be a good one
If I tradition, I will walk the road with dedication.
If each of us can do these things, then others will follow.
From this day forward, I will reserve time and energy
for spirituality, seeking to know the Creator's will.

(The Red Road....see below)

Seventh Philosophy ~ TO MYSELF
I will think about what kind of person I want to be when I am an Elder.
I will start developing myself now to be this person.
I will walk with the Great Spirit and the grandfathers at my side.
I will develop myself to remain positive.
I will develop a good mind.
I will examine myself daily to see that I did good and what I need to improve.
I will examine my strengths and weaknesses.
Then I will ask the Creator to guide me.
Each day, I will listen for the Creator's voice in the wind.
I will watch nature and ask to be shown a lesson which will occur on my path.
I will seek out the guiding principles which guided our ancestors.
I will walk in dignity, honour and humility, conducting myself as a warrior.
I will seek the guidance of the Elders so that I may maintain the knowledge
of culture, ceremonies and songs, and so that I may pass these on to
future generations.
I choose to do all these things myself, because no one else can do them for me.
I know I CANNOT GIVE AWAY WHAT I DON'T HAVE,
so I will need to learn to walk the talk.

.........................................................................................

The Twenty Third Psalm ~ Indian Version
will be the next publication in this series.
You will definitely want to read this interpretation.

Merle Baird-Kerr
June 19, 2011

  • The Red Road referred to in Sixth Philosophy is a new-age concept 
    of the right path of life as inspired by some of the beliefs 
    found in a variety of Native American religions.

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