A grandfather and grandson were out hunting one early morning, and they came upon a ridge on the <a target="_top" href="http://www.flamingtext.com/" ><img src="http://blog.flamingtext.com/blog/2011/03/29/flamingtext_com_1301411606_9354.png" border="0" alt="Image by FlamingText.com" title="Image by FlamingText.com"></a>walking on.... over the ridge was a large clearing below, where at a distance, they could see two wolves - a black one, and a white one - fighting furiously.

They watched as the wolves attacked each other in battle. The grandfather narrowed his eyes, and said slowly, "Ah, yes.... this is the way with all of us Human Beings, within our hearts, each and every day."

The grandson asked, "What do you mean, grandfather?", to which the old one replied;

"Always in our hearts, every day, is a struggling battle, like those two wolves down there.... one is the wolf in us who wishes to do bad things, and the other is the wolf who wishes to do good and honourable things.

The grandson listened more intently now, with a look of slight recognition, and deep concern. The grandfather continued....

"Sometimes, the bad one seems to win.... and other times, the good one seems to take a stronger lead. When we see honourable people who do great deeds, and make great sacrifices for the good of others, we know that the good wolf's spirit is strong within his heart, and is the winning spirit in that Human Being. Each good and honourable deed he does gives this spirit more power within him. This in turn, empowers the Human Being to be more honourable."

The boy smiled, as the grandfather continued to speak....

"But when we see those people who turn to badness, and hatred, doing terrible and dishonourable things, we can know that the bad wolf within him is strong - and each bad and wrongful deed he does, gives the bad wolf more power over him, until it has won, and has utterly consumed him."

The young one's face fell with a look of slight, shuddering inner fear.

So the boy thought long and hard on these things, as he continued to watch the wolves battling below. They both battled fiercely, giving no quarter - neither one backing down. Seeing this, he looked within himself, and saw the truth of his wise grandfather's words, and it made him very concerned for himself with a great, deep fear.

"But grandfather," said the boy, "How will I know which wolf will win within me??"

The grandfather smiled, looked at him with an understanding eye, and after a moment, told him,

" ....the one you FEED."

The above speech was delivered by Chief Dan George at the Canadian Centennial Celebration in 1967

"The white people, who are trying to make us over into their image, they want us to be what they call "assimilated," bringing the Indians into the mainstream and destroying our own way of life and our own cultural patterns. They believe we should be contented like those whose concept of happiness is materialistic and greedy, which is very different from our way. We want freedom from the white man rather than to be intergrated.

 We don't want any part of the establishment, we want to be free to raise our children in our religion, in our ways, to be able to hunt and fish and live in peace. We don't want power, we don't want to be congressmen, or bankers....we want to be ourselves. We want to have our heritage, because we are the owners of this land and because we belong here. 

The white man says, there is freedom and justice for all. We have had "freedom and justice," and that is why we have been almost exterminated. We shall not forget this."

"  You have made promises to me and to my children. If the promises had been made by a person of no standing, I should not be surprised to see his promises fail. But you, who are so great in riches and power; I am astonished that I do not see your promises fulfilled! "I would have been better pleased if you had never made such promises than that you should have made them and not performed them. . ."

Shinguaconse ("Little Pine")

Some of our chiefs make the claim that the land belongs to us. It is not what the Great Spirit told me. He told me that the land belongs to him, that no people own the land, and that I was not to forget to tell this to the white people.

Kannekuk, Kickapoo

You now have become a great people, and we have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets. You have got our country now, but you are not satisfied. You want to force your religion upon us. We are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We will wait a little while, and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again what you have said.

Red Jacket, Seneca

Our religion is not one of paint and feathers; it is a thing of the heart.

Seneca

 "  How smooth must be the language of the whites, when they can make right look like wrong, and wrong like right."

From Black Hawk, Sauk


 

Woe to those who call evil good

and good evil,

who put darkness for light

and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet

and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

and clever in their own sight.

ISAIAH 5 : 20 - 21

He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people
curse, nations shall abhor him:

PROVERBS  24 : 24

He that justifies the wicked, and he that condemns the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

PROVERBS 1 7 : 1 5

 He has showed you, O man, what is good. 
       And what does the LORD require of you? 
       To act justly and to love mercy 
       and to walk humbly with your God.

MICAH 6 : 8