I’m not a rich man according to most human reckonings, but I am rich in ability and I am rich in knowledge; I’m rich in favors, and I’m rich in cooperation with others.
-Weyewan Elder
Sumba, Indonesia
Even though you and I are in different boats– you in your boat and we in our canoe– we share the same river of life.
-Oren Lyons
Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee
(Iroquois Confederacy of Nations)
We know, of course, that our high hopes and pure intentions may fall flat. But we do know, that insofar as we breathe, we will do our very best to follow our conviction, in faith and hope. For we have seen that life is worth living only when it is free and compassionate. A personal view, of course, but one that sustains us.
Koson Srisang
Thailand
Yes, many Indian people in Central America are endangered. They need help and they know it. But remember, most people in the Western world are also lost. They have lost their connection with nature, which is essential. How will they be rescued?
-Miguel Soto
Costa Rican Indian, Costa Rica
If you want to know what development means to us, you must be willing to accept that our mode of development is not the same as yours. Our development is not based on accumulation of material goods, nor on the greatest rates of profit, obtained at the expense of our territories and future generations….. For us, development must take into account the future of an entire people.
-Evaristo Nugkuag
Brazilian Indian, Amazon Basin
There’s a story that the gods were talking one day, all gathered up, and they said, “Wait a minute now. Here we got man and he’s got all this power. He’s got all this potential. Man is a part of us…. but he hasn’t come to the point to where he knows what to do with this. What are we going to do?” They said, “We’ve got to hide it from him.” One said, “Let’s put it in the bottom of the ocean.” Another said, “No, no, He’ll go down there….” “Let’s put it up in the sky.” “No, no, one day he’s going to fly up there……” “Well, let’s bury it deep in the earth.” “No. He’ll dig. He’ll dig it up.” “Well, where are we going to put it?” One said, “Let’s go to the big god, the wisest of all, and ask him.” So they went to the wisest and they asked, “Where are we going to hid this from man?” He looked at them and responded, “Put it within him. He’ll never look there.”
-Leandis, Mexican healer, Northern Mexico
The only thing to ask for when you pray is wisdom, ask to be granted wisdom, then you won’t have to worry about the rest. Ask how to live and get by with what you have and to treat the other people like you want to be treated. If you treat other people like you want to be treated, you’ll forget about your pocketbook, you’ll forget about what you’re going to eat tomorrow, it won’t worry you. You’ll forget all your worries. That’s what life is all about.
-Willard Rhoades, Achumawi band, Pit River tribe
We direct to your mind that peace is not merely the absence of war, but the constant effort to maintain harmonious existence between peoples, from individual to individual and between humans and the other beings of this planet. We point out to you that a Spiritual Consciousness is the Path to Survival of Humankind. We who walk about on Mother Earth occupy this place for only a short time. It is our duty as human beings to preserve the life that is here for the benefit of the generations yet unborn.
-Passage From the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy
Statement to the word, May 1979
I chose to name my blog Corimagua to commemorate indigenous people throughout the world. Their people and cultures have slowly disintegrated to a point of near extinction but small pockets of proud indigenous tribes remain who maintain alive their customs, rituals, stories and knowledge. They have a deep understanding of the spiritual nature of our lives and of our interconnectedness with the planet and all other living beings. I decided to write a quote either by indigenous people or related to them in the morning, in order to share some of their wisdom with whoever reads my blog. I hope you find some truth in their wise and humbling words and they teach you like they have taught me.
When you can see, just give thanks for what you have gone through, what you are going through. Just give thanks. When you start doing that, things will change….. You may think you have lost everything, but when you can see you will know you have gained more than you ever had to give up. You will have found Yourself. Some never do.
-Lee Lyons
Onondaga Nation
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