Luther Standing Bear - Lakota

Chief of the Oglala, Lakota (1905-1939)

We did not think of the great open plain, the !eautiful rolling hill, the "inding trea#
"ith tangled gro"th, a $"ild$% Onl& to the "hite #an "a nature a $"ilderne$ and onl&
to hi# "a it $infeted$ "ith $"ild$ ani#al and $a'age$ people% (o u it "a ta#e% )arth
"a !ountiful and "e "ere urrounded "ith the !leing of the *reat +&ter&%
,ro# Wakan (anka, the *reat Spirit, there -a#e a great unif&ing life for-e that flo"ed in
and through all thing -- the flo"er of the plain, !lo"ing "ind, ro-k, tree, !ird,
ani#al -- and "a the a#e for-e that had !een !reathed into the firt #an% (hu all
thing "ere kindred, and "ere !rought together !& the a#e *reat +&ter&%
.inhip "ith all -reature of the earth, k& and "ater "a a real and a-ti'e prin-iple% /n
the ani#al and !ird "orld there e0ited a !rotherl& feeling that kept the Lakota afe
a#ong the#% 1nd o -loe did o#e of the Lakota -o#e to their feathered and furred
friend that in true !rotherhood the& poke a -o##on tongue%
(he ani#al had right -- the right of #an$ prote-tion, the right to li'e, the right to
#ultipl&, the right to freedo#, and the right to #an$ inde!tedne -- and in re-ognition of
thee right the Lakota ne'er enla'ed an ani#al and pared all life that "a not needed
for food and -lothing% ,or the ani#al and !ird "orld there e0ited a !rotherl& feeling that
kept the Lakota afe a#ong the#%
(hi -on-ept of life and it relation "a hu#ani2ing and ga'e to the Lakota an a!iding
lo'e% /t filled hi !eing "ith the 3o& and #&ter& of li'ing4 it ga'e hi# re'eren-e for all
life4 it #ade a pla-e for all thing in the -he#e of e0iten-e "ith e5ual i#portan-e to all%
(he Lakota -ould depie no -reature, for all "ere of one !lood, #ade !& the a#e hand,
and filled "ith the een-e of the *reat +&ter&% /n pirit, the Lakota "ere hu#!le and
#eek% $Bleed are the #eek, for the& hall inherit the earth$ -- thi "a true for the
Lakota, and fro# the earth the& inherited e-ret long in-e forgotten% (heir religion "a
ane, natural, and hu#an%
(he /ndian and the "hite #an ene thing differentl& !e-aue the "hite #an ha put
ditan-e !et"een hi#elf and nature4 and au#ing a loft& pla-e in the -he#e or order
of thing ha lot for hi# !oth re'eren-e and undertanding6% +an& ti#e the /ndian i
e#!arraed and !affled !& the "hite #an7 alluion to nature in u-h ter# a -rude,
pri#iti'e, "ild, rude, unta#ed and a'age% ,or the Lakota, #ountain, lake, ri'er,
pring, 'alle&, and "ood "ere all finihed !eaut&4 "ind, rain, no", unhine, da&,
night and -hange of eaon !rought interet4 !ird, ine-t, and ani#al filled the "orld
"ith kno"ledge that defied the di-ern#ent of #an%
But nothing the *reat +&ter& pla-ed in the land of the /ndian pleaed the "hite #an,
and nothing e-aped hi tranfor#ing hand% Whate'er foret ha'e not !een #o"ed
do"n4 "here'er the ani#al i re-eed in their 5uiet prote-tion4 "here'er the earth i not
!ereft of four-footed life8that to hi# i an 9un!roken "ilderne%: But in-e for the
Lakota there "a no "ilderne4 in-e nature "a not dangerou !ut hopita!le4 not
for!idding !ut friendl&, Lakota philooph& "a health&8free fro# fear and dog#ati#%
1nd here / find the great ditin-tion !et"een the faith of the /ndian and the "hite #an%
/ndian faith ought the har#on& of #an "ith hi urrounding4 the other ought the
do#inan-e of urrounding% /n haring, in lo'ing all and e'er&thing, one people naturall&
found a #eaure of the thing the& ought4 "hile, in fearing, the other found need of
-on5uet% ,or one #an the "orld "a full of !eaut&4 for the other it "a a pla-e of in and
ugline to !e endured until he "ent to another "orld6%
(he old Lakota "a "ie% ;e kne" that a #an$ heart a"a& fro# <ature !e-o#e hard4
he kne" that la-k of repe-t for gro"ing, li'ing thing oon lead to a la-k of repe-t for
hu#an too%
,ro# Land of the Spotted Eagle 1933