Our Deep Gratitude to Indigenous Peoples
Words Before All Else
We begin our page of Thanksgiving with an ancient practice from the Haudenosaunee people. They speak words to align their hearts and minds to nature before every important gathering. Thanking and acknowledging all living beings. They greet the natural world . . .
We bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as People.
We bring greetings and thanks to . . .
Earth Mother
The spirit of Water
The Fish
Plant life for many generations to come
Plant Foods
The Medicines Plants and to the keepers of the Medicines
All the Animal life in the world
The Tree life
All the Birds
The Four Winds
Our Brother, the Sun
Our Grandmother the Moon
All the Stars
Our Enlightened Teachers
We thank Great Spirit for all the gifts of Creation
Imagine starting every important gathering in this honoring way. Embroidering these words with all that makes you thankful for life in all its forms. Weaving a beautiful colored tapestry of beings.
Special thanks to The Tracking Project for making the Thanksgiving address available. You can order it here.
We stand on the shoulders of indigenous peoples who, against all odds, have preserved their ways of being, doing and learning over thousands of years. We recognize and honor elders who have informed our world view and encouraged us to share their practices to all 'listening ears.'
Over 800 years ago, the Haudenosaunee (people of the longhouse) brought the world’s oldest participatory democracy into being. They lived in the great lakes region of what is now the United States and Canada. Three courageous individuals (the Peacemaker, Hiawatha and Jigonhsasee) devoted over twenty years to forging peace. Five warring nations literally “buried the hatchet” under a white pine tree ending years of bloody conflict. When these indigenous nations bound themselves together, they adopted the Great Law of Peace as their decision-making guide.
The Great Law of Peace: “In our every deliberation, we must honor the past seven generations and consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
– Shared by Paula Underwood, Keeper of a 10,000-year-old oral history
We’re dedicated to bringing earth based practices for peace making to a broader audience.
This moment is calling us to design for peace rather than conflict.
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