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Indian Education fom A to Z – Y

You already possess everything necessary to become great.

(Crow Proverb)

Indian Education from A to Z – X

X – The Four Directions – X

Native American Medicine Wheels teach people about their place in the universe and their relationship to all things on Earth. The Four Directions, inherent within medicine wheels, represent East, West, North, and South each have their own meanings. There are many interpretations, and they may vary from tribe to tribe. Here are a few aspects, according to our Anishinaabeg teachings:

- East – Yellow, where the sun rises, birth, new beginnings
- West – Black, where the sun sets, adults, a place of introspection (the “looks within” place)
- North – White, where the snow comes from, the position of the elders, the seat of wisdom
- South – Red, the place of family and relationships, adolescents

Indian Education from A to Z – W

When you were born, you cried
and the world rejoiced.
Live your life
so that when you die,
the world cries and you rejoice.

White Elk

Indian Education from A to Z – V

Very seldom now do I catch one familiar note from those early warblers of the woods. They have all passed away …

I now listen to the songs of other birds that have come with the advance of civilization … and, like the wild wood birds our fathers used to hold their breath to hear, they sing in concert, without pride, without envy, without jealously – alike in forest and field, alike before wigwam or castle, alike before savage or sage, alike chief or king.

(Simon Pokagon – Potawatomi Chief)

Indian Education from A to Z – U

Ute Prayer

Earth teach me stillness
as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach me suffering
as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility
as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring
as the mother who secures her young.
Earth teach me courage
as the tree which stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation
as the ant which crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me resignation
as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth teach me regeneration
as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me
to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me
to remember kindness as dry fields weep in the rain.

(Author Unknown)

Indian Education from A to Z – T

Those who have one foot in the canoe and one foot in the boat
are going to fall into the river.

(Tuscarora Proverb)

Indian Education from A to Z – S

Silence was meaningful with the Lakota, and his granting a space of silence before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and regardful of the rule that “thought comes before speech.”

And in the midst of sorrow, sickness, death, or misfortune of any kind, and in the presence of the notable and great, silence was a mark of respect. More powerful than words was silence with the Lakota.

His strict observance of this tenet of good behavior was the reason, no doubt, for his being given the false characterization by the white man of being stoic. He has been judged to be dumb, stupid, indifferent, and unfeeling.

As a matter of truth, he was the most sympathetic of men, but his emotions of depth and sincerity were tempered with control. Silence meant to the Lakota what it meant to Disraeli when he said, “Silence is the mother of truth,” for the silent man was ever to be trusted, while the man ever ready with speech was never taken seriously.

(Chief Luther Standing Bear, Teton Sioux)

Indian Education from A to Z – R

Remember that your children are not your own,
but are lent to you by the Creator.

(Mohawk Proverb)

Indian Education from A to Z – Q

Qwatsinas – (Hereditary Chief Edward Moody), of the Nuxalk Nation once said:

We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can’t speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees.

Indian Education from A to Z – P

Praise, flattery, exaggerated manners, and fine, high-sounding words were no part of Lakota politeness. Excessive manners were put down as insincere, and the constant talker was considered rude and thoughtless. Conversation was never begun at once, or in a hurried manner.

No one was quick with a question, no matter how important, and no one was pressed for an answer. A pause giving time for thought was the truly courteous way of beginning and conducting a conversation.

(Chief Luther Standing Bear – Oglala Sioux)

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Those who have one foot in the canoe and one foot in the boat are going to fall into the river.

(Tuscarora Proverb)

Those who have one foot in the canoe and one foot in the boat
are going to fall into the river.