Prayer of Black Elk
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Photo: Knaska Wakan (aka Holy Frog, aka Willie Holy Frog), Ptecala Luka (aka Red Calf, aka Luke Big Turnip), Oglala, 1900.
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Grandfather, Great Mysterious One,
You have been always and before You nothing has been.
There is nothing to pray to but You.
The star nations all over the universe are Yours,
And Yours are the grasses of the earth.
Day in and day out You are the life of things.
You are older than all need,
Older than all pain and prayer.
Grandfather, all over the world the faces of the living ones are alike.
In tenderness they have come up out of the ground.
Look upon Your children with children in their arms,
That they may face the winds,
And walk the good road to the day of quiet.
Teach me to walk the soft earth,
A relative to all that live.
Sweeten my heart and fill me with light,
And give me the strength to understand and the eyes to see.
Help me, for without You I am nothing.
Hetchetu aloh!
(Black Elk)
You have been always and before You nothing has been.
There is nothing to pray to but You.
The star nations all over the universe are Yours,
And Yours are the grasses of the earth.
Day in and day out You are the life of things.
You are older than all need,
Older than all pain and prayer.
Grandfather, all over the world the faces of the living ones are alike.
In tenderness they have come up out of the ground.
Look upon Your children with children in their arms,
That they may face the winds,
And walk the good road to the day of quiet.
Teach me to walk the soft earth,
A relative to all that live.
Sweeten my heart and fill me with light,
And give me the strength to understand and the eyes to see.
Help me, for without You I am nothing.
Hetchetu aloh!
(Black Elk)
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Recommended Reading:
'The Spirit of Indian Women'
By Judith Fitzgerald (Editor), Michael Oren Fitzgerald (Editor), Janine Pease (Introduction)
Purchase Book:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Description:
The Spirit of Indian Women provides a unique glimpse into a world that is almost inaccessible in our time. Through the combined power of photos, art, and the wisdom of traditional voices, modern readers can come to feel something of the timeless spirit of Indian women.
'The Spirit of Indian Women'
By Judith Fitzgerald (Editor), Michael Oren Fitzgerald (Editor), Janine Pease (Introduction)
Purchase Book:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Description:
The Spirit of Indian Women provides a unique glimpse into a world that is almost inaccessible in our time. Through the combined power of photos, art, and the wisdom of traditional voices, modern readers can come to feel something of the timeless spirit of Indian women.
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