Indians were keen observers of the world around them, naming and explaining it down to the smallest details. The power of their words lay in their simplicity and clarity.
For the Indians, the word was of sacred origin, an expression of sacred power. The sacred meaning they attributed to it was particularly evident in their poetry. In many tribes, a warrior had to “find” three songs during his lifetime: a sacred song, a war song, and a death song. Once found, these songs held his power and served as inspiration and encouragement to face life and death.
Although only a small part of the Native American cultural heritage has been preserved, what remains points to their main concerns: awareness of nature, hidden forces, and overall harmony, as well as respect for all living things. In their poetry, they expressed a deep connection with nature and the belief that everything in it is imbued with the power of the Great Spirit.
Warrior brave yourself before battle
I am a fox.
Once. Oh, to die!
If there is something difficult,
if there is something dangerous,
it is my task
to do it!
Dakota
War song
Let’s see if it’s real,
let’s see if it’s real
this life I’m living?
You forces that reside everywhere,
let’s see if it’s real
this life I’m living?
Pawnee
What is life?
A firefly’s flicker in the night,
A buffalo’s breath in winter,
A tiny shadow that rushes through the grass
and disappears at twilight.
Black Feet
From the land of brightness
There is a land of brightness,
far from here, a land of eternal brightness!
From there comes the sparkle of rivers,
from there comes the delicious salmon.
From the land of brightness comes my joy,
my joy that knows no end.
Chinook
Singing stars
We are stars that sing.
We sing with our brightness.
We are fiery birds,
we fly through the sky.
We open the path for souls,
the path for great spirits.
Among us are the Three Hunters;
they chase a Bear.
From timeless times
they hunt… hunt.
We look at the mountains.
We sing about the mountains.
Passamaquoddy
Welcome to the Newborn
Hey you, Sun, Moon, stars – all of you who move through the sky,
I beg you to listen to me!
A new life has arrived among you.
Welcome it into your circle, I implore you!
Smooth its path to reach the top of the mountain.
Hey you, winds, clouds, rain, fog, and all others who move
through the air,
I beg you to listen to me!
A new life has arrived among you.
Welcome it into your circle, I implore you!
Smooth its path to reach the top of another mountain.
Hey you, rivers, lakes, trees, grass, and all others who are
on the earth,
I beg you to listen to me!
A new life has arrived among you.
Welcome it into your circle, I implore you!
Smooth its path to reach the top of the third mountain.
Hey birds, big and small, flying in the air,
hey animals, big and small, living in the forest,
hey insects, big and small, crawling in the grass and bustling the earth,
I beg you to listen to me!
A new life has arrived among you.
Welcome it into your circle, I implore you! Smooth his path to reach the top of the fourth mountain.
Shoshone
Sioux Indian Prayer
May my hands filled with respect
touch the things you have created.
Sharpen my ear to hear Your voice.
Make me wise to understand the teachings
that You mysteriously placed in every leaf, in every stone.
I seek strength, not to overpower my brothers,
but to conquer my greatest enemy – myself!
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things
I cannot change.
Grant me the courage to change the things
I can change.
Grant me the wisdom to know the difference.
Let me not pray to be shielded from danger,
but to face it fearlessly.
Let me not beg for the ease of my pain,
but for a strong heart to overcome it.
Let me not seek allies in the battle of life,
but to rely on my own strength.
Let me not plead for deliverance from fear,
but for hope to conquer my freedom.
Sioux
A Song of a Man Dying in an Unknown Land
If I die here in a foreign land,
if I die in a land that isn’t mine,
still the thunder,
forgiving thunder,
will take me home.
If I die here, the wind,
wind that blows across the prairie,
the wind will take me home.
Wind and thunder are the same everywhere,
what difference does it make
if I die here in a foreign land?
Ojibwa