CHIEF SEATTLE (1786-1866)
The first time I read this I thought to my self how sad that these great people are just giving up and saying goodbye agreeing to live on reservations because they had no other choice. They had lost so many in the wars that there were few left and they didn’t need much land. They were tired of their sons being blackened with hate and vengeance. Tired of fighting, wanting to live in peace. Believing that this was a generous offer instead of their people being destroyed completely. Then I read it again and realized that Chief Seattle wasn’t giving up or say goodbye to anything. He was more or less saying goodbye to their time on earth he had just come to accept his destiny and the destiny of everyman that they are going to die. “My people are an ebb tide, we will never return”. He believed that it was their fate, that his people would prepare for and welcome death. He had great faith that his spirit would be with his ancestors and once again flourish on the land that they loved, their “mother” Since there was no way that two groups who were so different could live together “day and night cannot live together” that maybe they could be brothers in the spirit world. That is was no longer the time for his people to be on this land.
I got a chill at the end when he said, “the white man will never be alone. So let him be just and deal kindly with my people. The dead have power too.” It was such a clear warning. “Can any decent white American read this without great shame?” I can’t. There were so many things that they could have learned had they came to this land and listened.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA (1752-1830)
SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA (1752-1830)
I enjoyed this reading and thought what SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA said was so simple, something that I was raised to believe that everyone should be able to worship in their own way. Were not telling you your wrong so don’t try to tell us that we are. Religious freedom was why the white men came to America in the first place and then they try to change others because theirs is the right way and everyone else is wrong. How do they know? I thought it was great the way he pointed out that even though their religion was written in a book they all still could not agree on the correct way to worship and that the “Red Men” never quarreled about religion. I agree that “forms of worship do not matter”, what “pleases him is the offering of a sincere heart”. I like how he mentioned that they might reconsider if the preaching helped their neighbors be “honest and less disposed to cheat the red man”
Would you believe in someone’s religion when you didn’t agree with how they treated others?
Think about this if someone came to your house and asked you for dinner you might help them. Then the next night they showed up with their family and asked you for dinner would you feed them? Then they came back with more people and asked you if they could stay, then they paid your family to fight you until you moved into the barn and they lived in your house. Then they came to you and said that they way you talk to god is wrong you need to do it their way. Would you believe them? Would you believe in someone’s religion when you didn’t agree with how they treated others? I don’t think that I would go against everything that I was ever taught by my ancestors for strangers who came in and took advantage of my hospitality, killed my brothers and lied to me again and again. After all that was taken from them I think that is was very respectful that they even offered their hand to the white men and blessed them on their journey.
I enjoyed this reading and thought what SA-GO-YE-WAT-HA said was so simple, something that I was raised to believe that everyone should be able to worship in their own way. Were not telling you your wrong so don’t try to tell us that we are. Religious freedom was why the white men came to America in the first place and then they try to change others because theirs is the right way and everyone else is wrong. How do they know? I thought it was great the way he pointed out that even though their religion was written in a book they all still could not agree on the correct way to worship and that the “Red Men” never quarreled about religion. I agree that “forms of worship do not matter”, what “pleases him is the offering of a sincere heart”. I like how he mentioned that they might reconsider if the preaching helped their neighbors be “honest and less disposed to cheat the red man”
Would you believe in someone’s religion when you didn’t agree with how they treated others?
Think about this if someone came to your house and asked you for dinner you might help them. Then the next night they showed up with their family and asked you for dinner would you feed them? Then they came back with more people and asked you if they could stay, then they paid your family to fight you until you moved into the barn and they lived in your house. Then they came to you and said that they way you talk to god is wrong you need to do it their way. Would you believe them? Would you believe in someone’s religion when you didn’t agree with how they treated others? I don’t think that I would go against everything that I was ever taught by my ancestors for strangers who came in and took advantage of my hospitality, killed my brothers and lied to me again and again. After all that was taken from them I think that is was very respectful that they even offered their hand to the white men and blessed them on their journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
