Sioux Indian Chief ~ Standing Bear

Peace Truth

Apr 1

@peacewriter51

Here are ten quotes from the great Sioux Indian Chief known as Standing Bear that will disturb

Much of what you think you know about "modern" culture.

1) Praise, flattery, exaggerated manners and acceptable, high-sounding words were no part of Lakota politeness.

Excessive manners were considered insincere, and the constant talker was rude and thoughtless. The conversation was never begun at once or hurriedly.

2) Children were taught that true politeness was to be defined in actions rather than in words. They were never allowed to pass between the fire and the older person or a visitor, to speak while others were saying, or to make fun of a disabled or disfigured person. If a child thoughtlessly tried to do so, a parent, in a quiet voice, immediately set him right.

3) Silence was meaningful to the Lakota. 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 amid sorrow, sickness, death or misfortune of any kind, and the presence of the notable and significant, silence was the mark of respect… strict observance of this tenet of good behaviour was the reason, no doubt, for his being given the false characterisation by the white man of being a stoic. He has been judged dumb, stupid, indifferent, and unfeeling.

4) We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, or the winding streams with tangled growth as 'wild'. Only to the white man was nature a 'wilderness', and only to him was it 'infested' with 'wild' animals and 'savage' people. To us, it was time. Earth was bountiful, and the blessings of the Great Mystery surrounded us.

5) With all creatures of the earth, sky, and water was a fundamental and active principle. In the animal and bird world, a brotherly feeling existed that kept the Lakota safe among them. And so close did some of the Lakotas come to their feathered and furred friends that in true brotherhood, they spoke a common tongue.

6) This concept of life and its relations was humanising and gave the Lakota an abiding love. It filled his being with the joy and mystery of living; it gave him reverence for all life; it made a place for all things in the scheme of existence with equal importance to all.

7) It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the older adults liked to remove their moccasins and walk barefoot on the sacred ground… the old Indian still sits upon the world instead of propping himself up and away from its life-giving forces. For him, to sit or lie on the ground is to be able to think more deeply and to feel more keenly. He can see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to other lives about him.

8) Everything was possessed of personality, only differing from us in form. Knowledge was inherent in all things. The world was a library, and its books were the stones, leaves, grass, brooks, and the birds and animals that shared, alike with us, the storms and blessings of earth. We learned to do what only the student of nature learns, and that was to feel beauty. We never railed at the storms, the furious winds, biting frosts and snows. To do so intensified human futility, so whatever came, we adjusted ourselves, with more effort and energy if necessary, but without complaint.

9) …the old Lakota was wise. He knew that a man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to a lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his children close to nature's softening influence.

10) Civilization has been thrust upon me… and has not added one whit to my love for truth, honesty, and generosity.