“The earth and myself are of one mind. The measure of our land and the measure of our bodies are the same. . . .”[1] Joseph (1830-1904) Nez Percé chief

People whose clans, tribes and families have lived on the same lands for centuries are called indigenes. Some “old” ones still live today in ever shrinking homelands and with ever increasing pressures from modernity to give up their lands and to join or to be swallowed whole by our new-age and our culture.

According to our text books and our cultural psyche, this is progress. Also according to our collective minds, this is inevitable.

Our daughter Cait gave me a wonderful birthday gift. It’s a very small book, about 2-inches square. It is Native American Wisdom (Miniature Editions) by Running Press and Edward S. Curtis.[2] The little book is a collection of Curtis’ photos accompanied by quotes from the artist’s subjects about the native way of life—native ways presumed to be vanishing by the white readers of Curtis’ day a century ago.

Perhaps they were right about the “ways” of the people.

Yet we, ourselves—whether white man or red, whether Ashanti, Mbara or Turk, whether German or Scot or Maori or Inuit—we will hold these sentiments deep within our own freest hearts forever![3]

“The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born a free man should be contented when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases.” Joseph (1830-1904) Nez Percé chief

Thank you, Cait! Good things come in small packages.

Image: Chief Joseph and family circa 1880, about 3-years after he uttered his immortal words, “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”[4]

[1] See: http://greatdreams.com/wisdom.htm#Joseph – Chief Joseph (1840-1904)

[2] See: http://curtis.library.northwestern.edu/ – a photographer, artist and ethnographer Edward Sherriff Curtis

[3] See BP post: http://www.bentari.com/Blog/Entry.aspx?pid=276&bid=51&beid=830 – inspired by Maya Angelou

[4] Found in the Public Domain, see: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chief_Joseph_and_family.JPG

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