Mad bear presentation

MAD BEAR
Written by: DOUG BOYD
SPIRIT, HEALING, AND THE SACRED IN THE
LIFE OF A NATIVE AMERICAN MEDICINE MAN

Presented by:
FERVAASLAM
ANAM ARSHAD
SIDRA KHAN
KHADIJA SHAHADAT
YUMNA JAVED
Presented to:
DR. GHULAM MURTAZA

Biographical Novel
 Biography of a Medicine man who was an activist, a leader, a
spiritual person and a great human being
 Novel shows the rich spiritual, intellectual as well as
traditional heritage of American Indians.

This novel is written by a White person, earlier there was a
time, when white people manipulated the facts and figures of
Native Americans and wrote whatsoever they wanted to
show the world according to their propaganda while they
pretended to be Natives’ well-wishers.

This presentation is divided into some key issues that
are being discussed in this novel.

SPIRITUALITY:
Subtitle of this novel hints about the spiritual side of Native
Americans.
Spirit, Healing, and the Sacred in the Life of a Native American
Medicine Man.

Mad Bear has power to read the minds.
I picked up your thoughts right before you were thinking about
something cold to drink (Pg. 23)
Mad Bear has power to read the minds.
I picked up your thoughts right before you were thinking about
something cold to drink (Pg. 23)

Mad Bear and Rolling Thunder believe, that human conscious
remains awake even when they fall asleep.
…only the body sleeps- and when the body sleeps, conscious attention is
not lost at all, but simply directed elsewhere. (Pg. 26)

Mad Bear had a Heart Attack and he knew it before hand.
And I knew it was going to be heart attack, though I had no symptoms at the
moment. (Pg. 30,31)
He got on car and went to hospital himself and at that time heart attack hit him.

Unnatural medicines break man’s relationship with the spirits
of nature.
So then came the heavy medications… You can even lose contact
with your spirit helpers that way. (Pg. 31)
Natives believe doomsday comes in the result of hierarchy.
there’s no such thing as doomsday- only the end of one era and
the beginning of another. (Pg. 34)

There is an incident of a boy who was hit by a car and was declared
dead by medics, and Pitter Mitten- another medicine man- treated
the boy spiritually and gave him a new life.
… he walked up and leaned over the boy. He stared at him for a while,
almost nose to nose. Then he blew in his face, hard and quick and he said,
… “Open your eyes. Open all the way, but don’t move until I tell you.”
(Pg. 44)

Peter Mitten’s father was a mentor of Mad Bear.
His father was a medicine man too- another one of my teachers- and very,
very powerful. His father was one who had mastered ‘Invisibility’.
(Pg. 46)
Peace-Pipe ceremony is held for thanking the spirits.
This is a sort of what you could call peace smoke… you can just carry this
along and use it once in a while when it seems needed. It’s not a chemical
thing, you know, it’s a medicine behind it. (Pg. 53)

Logic can never understand spirituality.
I had learned that strangers to his (Rolling Thunder) ways found Rolling
Thunder more difficult to understand in their own milieu than in Rolling
Thunder’s traditional setting. (Pg. 55)

For Natives, meditation does not mean sitting in the dark and escaping
from present.
You don’t just sit down and close your eyes and open up in some kind of
passive way and say, ‘well, here I am, take me away’, or whatever.
(Pg. 61)
So, if you want to know our thoughts on meditation, the steps go to more an
more consciousness – not into unconsciousness.
(Pg. 62)

Rolling Thunder had hearing problem. Olga Worrall, a spiritual
healer, treated Rolling Thunder’s ear, in fact she recognized the
healing hands of the son of Rolling Thunder- Spotted Eagle.
Look, these are healing hands, see here. This man is a potential
healer. This should be recognized so this can be developed.
(Pg. 69)

Native Americans believe in spirituality. They have many spiritual
figures in them. There is the introduction of a woman named
Sandy who is a dreamer and sees a lot. Mad Bear says to Boyd:
I want to reserve . . . Her name’s Sandy (Pg.74)
Mad Bear and Beeman arranged prayers in the event of “One is the
Human Spirit”. Boyd says:
I learned also . . . U.N. Day (Pg.75)

Natives possess harmony and unity of minds because of their
spiritual beliefs.
The Indian people can help . . . This is our gift.
Beeman spoke in his native tongue . . . Great spirit
(Pg.76)
She(Sandy) described the events . . . Just as she had been there
with us” (Pg.79)

Father David, a medicine man who was greatly respected in natives,
was brought in the event to offer prayers
Now people were listening (to his prayers) and it mattered neither to them
nor to David whether they understood his Hopi-language words. They
understood David. (Pg.83)
 Sandy dreams about Japanese monk and tells about it to Mad Bear
She had dreamed of the man with serpents about his head(as Mad Bear
had seen the serpents) . . . Circling about his head.
(Pg. 84-85)

Mad Bear have prophetic vision:
He had evidently picked up on our arrangement though I had not told
him of anyone helping me. (Pg. 127)
Mad Bear around and trust to his spontaneous intuition. (Pg. 128)

Its an earthquake. And I don’t know what happens after that ‘cause then
their vision expands and they see building falling apart all over the place,
and bridges, and everything. (Pg.133)
The ceremony went pretty good. I got a hold of the young man and he
recognized me…I told him this is where he used to live. (Pg. 158)
I pick up your thoughts ,you know. (Pg. 160)

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
All the creatures are the off-spring of the nature. They consider Earth as
their Mother.
When you refer to the Earth you say “Mother Earth”. That’s the being herself,
the spirit that’s behind this Earth. It’s a female creation, it’s a child of the Great
Spirit too. We look at her as our Mother. (Pg. 24)

Natives believe people should cooperate with the forces of
nature.
People should be involved … in a constructive way. This means
waking up out materialism and connecting up again with the spirit
world – learning to understand and cooperate with the living forces
of nature. (Pg. 34)

Tress are also living beings and they are the off-spring of Mother
Earth.
… he caused me to notice number of trees that were thoroughly dead, most
of them were still standing, but some were lying on the ground… Then we
had observed how the tops of many trees were bending over- bowing down
in fear and sadness towards the belly of the Mother,… Perhaps these trees
along with the high way died of sadness and desperation. (Pg. 42)

There is no any fight against Mother.
Those who fight against the Mother- Earth and Nature- there’s no winning
and no reason to win. It’s useless and yet the coast is so great. (Pg. 50)
To the American Indians, the tree is the symbol of life.
There is the ‘Sacred Tree of Life’ … It was the tree that was painted on the
faces of the Indian braves for protection in battles as they struggled to
defend their lives and lands. (Pg. 50,51)

Trees are teachers of the lessons of the life for them.
The teaching is, in the tree. It’s so beautifully symbolic. It’s the lesson
humanity needs… The more living trees people kill out of blind anxiety, the
more they kill the prospects for a healthy world… Once people can pick up
on the trees as their living relatives and feel for them, then they’ll
understand the whole picture! (Pg. 61)

Environmental Factors or Ecology is of more consideration for
Native Americans.
People talk ecology on one hand,… but yet on other hand, they go on
fighting against it… The first thing you could do is just remember every
day to thank your mother. That simple thing thanks giving to Earth
Mother... (Pg. 61)

 There was a gathering of all the delegates. Flowers were a part of the decor
but because of impractical arrangement, they started burning. Mad Bear
objected it.
It has just been . . . While we are eating. (Pg. 96-97)
Flowers were cut off from their roots just the same as the natives
were separated from their lands by Euro-Americans.

Natives give respect and attention to plants as living beings.
They listen to them and talk with them.
I myself gather herbs . . . Things like flowers. (Pg. 97)
They considered earth as their mother.
We never thought about selling the land. That’s a disrespect to the
Earth. (Pg.108)

Natives live with their old, natural ways of living.
We have got ourselves in a pretty vulnerable situation . . . About the same.
(Pg. 109)
Natives believed in “purification” ;nature mourn with Natives and
purifies the land by removing all trespasses:
I recalled how many trees were bowed over and how Mad Bear had
pointed out to me, saying that they were bending toward the Earth in fear
and despair. (Pg. 135)

 “Nowadays, with all the digging and cutting and chopping up the
Earth, seems like the lines get cut. Broke connections to the spirit
world. Just when we need it too”. (Pg. 149)
 Any time you take anything sacred without permission, its rape
whether its some woman’s person or someone’s tradition or Mother
Earth herself. (Pg. 152)
 When the Indians came to the end of the longest walk in
Washington D.C, spring had passed and it was summer. (Pg. 257)

He (Mad Bear) said,
So may there be a soft and warm breeze from the East and may it carry
power and peace to the people there that may be helped to receive
greater courage and wisdom—and may all people change their path
away from danger and destruction.” Now as we break our circle and
prepared to return to the four directions from where we came, I’m
going to give my thanks and respects to each and every one of you one
by one, as you pass around and go on your way. And may you all go in
peace.
(Pg. 282)

Modern people make a big mistake, even in your country, I think
manipulating everything, destroying whatever gets in the way. The
invaders over here, they thought they had the right to manipulate
whatever they wanted and they call this ‘ dominion’ . Well there is
plenty of proof that this ‘ dominion’ business is a losing game.
(Pg. 330-333)

We are getting so strong for technology, but every year the
society is becoming weak. So human ability is getting more and
more weak and now people only believe machine and they don’t
develop their body. (Ch. 7)

PEACEFUL CULTURAL CO-EXISTANCE
Natives have adopted many habits of Euro-Americans, for their
own survival. They respect every culture and religion and they
want the same respect for their own culture and religion.
…each have their own way. (Pg. 20)

Mixing of food, as Native Americans have adopted Euro-
Americans’ food as well.
What we had here today was scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes, bacon,
sausage, hotcakes, toast and muffins and jelly, fried tomatoes, doughnuts,
and of course, that little percolator.
(Pg. 36, 37)

Native Americans transformed themselves for their survival. As
Mad Bear says:
We’re starting into a transition now, and there’ll be no stopping it- no
holding it back. It’s already begun and people feel it.
&
The key to survival is to embrace transition, not to resist it. People should
participate in the transition, creatively, like they really want it.
(Pg. 50)

 I recalled how Mad Bear had described the four previous spiritual summits
when he had… benefit of the planet. (Pg.74-75)
Mad Bear said that
The Native Americans are the hosts of this land . . . is meant to be. (Pg.75)
Beeman added
That’s our sacred instructions . . . land of the Iroquois (Pg. 75)

Indians have always wanted peace with all cultures and religions of
the world. An Indian guy Anyas says
What kinda music did they say that was ? . . . Some of our own traditional
music in some way. (Pg.77)

Delegations from all over the world were arriving in New York to
attend the summit to share commonalities.
Dalai lama was invited . . . considerable attention and curiosity (Pg. 79-80 )
Indians have always respected other cultures and religions.
He (Anyas) wanted to talk about the sacred objects . . . offering and a
teaching (Pg.80)

 Boyd says:
Mad Bear had often spoken to me about the global responsibility of all spiritual
spokespersons and representatives. (Pg. 89)
 A consummating event was organized on official United Nations Day
reception.
Our hosts were encouraging everyone to ‘mix it up’. . . Mad Bear and I(Boyd) began
an immediate friendship with a Hindu delegate at our table as we waited for the
seats to fill. (Pg. 95)

The Japanese priest and Mad Bear talked about the responsibility
of all spiritual leaders and representatives to have an intellectual
unity.
Now, what is the real purpose . . . to save their world (Pg.89)

Native Americans believed in coexistence, as Mad Bear ‘s all
struggle was for his people:
We are talking _ I mean, we, our Indian people. (Pg. 130)
It is time for intertribal unity. (Pg. 139)
It requires offering. It requires a relationship. (Pg. 141)

He was the voice of his people:
Mad Bear expected to be the Native people’s message. (Pg. 145)
Two medicine men could make contact without speaking:
Mad Bear and Jison, they were both enjoying their contact beyond their
verbal communication. (Pg. 166)

Certain things have power, that’s for sure. But something we don’t
know all the inside detail why they happen.
(Pg. 159)
Nothing can happen by chance, nothing can move but it is moved.
(Pg. 173)

In the spring, Jon noticed a bulletin posted around the college
buildings and grounds announcing the appearance on campus of
representatives of AIM.
AIM, the American Indian Movement, along with traditional spiritual leaders
from many tribes had begun a cross-country march in response to newly
proposed legislation intended to abrogate existing treaties and ‘terminate’
the remaining Indian reservations. They call it ‘The Longest Walk’. (Pg. 248)

 The march proceeded across the United States from Alcatraz to Washington
D.C. (Pg. 249)
 One young man introduced himself saying that he belonged to a once proud
and powerful tribe that had lost its language, most of its culture and history,
and all of its population but for seven known remaining members. He told us
that if the bills before Congress should pass and government should take
away the remaining reservations, rights and recognition of the Indians, this
would become the fate of all the tribes. (Pg. 249-50)

 I think that’s what we mean,” said another. “That’s what this whole
thing is about---to counter that image and strengthen our own vision--
-the vision of our people. (Pg. 250)
 The organizers of the march had made it clear that The Longest Walk
was for people of all colors and all cultures and that anyone and
everyone was welcome to join them in support of their cause.
(Pg. 252)

 Marion was a major stop for the marchers and their movement. Here
Leonard Pelletier was incarcerated in the state prison. The
circumstances of his arrest were very controversial, but it was generally
believe among Native Americans that he was a “political prisoner”
incarcerated on contrived charges to weaken the traditional leadership.
His had become a famous case among all American Indians as well as
those concerned with Indian affairs and civil rights. (Pg. 253)

It was a spectacular sight: many Indians in striking regalia and
with vividly colorful banners, flags, ad posters. It was an
impressive display, but there was no one here to see it or hear it
but the police officers and the marchers themselves. But to these
traditionals this was a ceremony and they had come with great
hardship to offer prayers and sacrifices for their cause.
(Pg. 255)

 Some of the medicine people conducted the personal sacrifices---the “
offerings of flesh”. “This offering symbolizes our will and
determination”, one of them explained. “Even those of us who think we
have nothing to give, nothing to offer in prayer, can give the ultimate gift.
We can give of ourselves. We can offer our very flesh.” (Pg. 255)

 AIM had amended the education and restored the self-esteem of thousands
of Indian children who had fallen behind and who had been let down by the
public school system where the Native people’s history and heritage was
ignored or distorted. (Pg. 263)
 A small-scale sampling or model of what we hope will become an ongoing
intercultural, interracial interreligious process of contact and
communication. (Pg. 299)

 We need diversity and not uniformity in a situation like this. If we can honour
and attend to each and every individual’s cultural customs and comforts, I
think they will all be much more empowered to contact and communicate with
people of differing colours and customs. (Pg. 300)
 We changed the name of the closing event from Festival of Brotherhood, to
Festival of Humanity. (Pg. 301)

 “As cross-cultural leaders from around the world, we support in spirit and action
the right of Native Americans to protect and maintain their traditional spiritual
lands. Threats to these lands are threats to the survival and development of the
Native American people. As a priority example, we demand the cessation of the
mining of coal, uranium, oil and gas in the Four Corners Territory, where Utah,
Arizona, Nevada and Colorado touch. We further demand an increase in the
scientific research that has shown the severe ecological dangers that will result
from mining efforts in this unique geophysical area. And finally, we demand that the
U.S American Religious Act, an act that protects Native Americans sacred lands,
and that other governments, especially those of the Americas, support our
demands”. (Pg. 314)

 We understand that the sacred traditions of all peoples are threatened
when the traditions of one culture are threatened. Thus our attention to
this specific Native American cause is a beginning of our efforts on behalf
of all cultures whose spiritual roots hold certain lands and/or traditions
to be sacred. (Pg. 314)

HORIZONTALITY AND HARMONY
Native Americans believe in horizontality and harmony as the
believe in the equality of everything.
Everything in this physical dimension is divided into fours… Every aspect
of time and space seems to divide naturally into fours- as if it’s all
composed of four parts- like, for example, the four quarters of an hour and
four quarters from moon to moon. Then there’s the four seasons and the
four directions. (Pg. 33)

Everything is divided in four.
Just as we could speak of four parts of a day, four parts of a month, four
parts of a year, four parts of a human lifetime,… four parts of the whole
history of this Earth… there are four elements – earth, water, air and fire.
(Pg. 34)

Natives have a well-knit food chain. They don’t waste food, rather
extra food is shared with other living beings.
We never waste any food here. Nothing goes to waste… There’s no lack of
mouths in this world- mouths of all sizes… Even the aunts enjoy some toast
now and then. (Pg. 51)
There is no contest for Indians, only harmony exists.
Do not be competitive. Do not compete for survival. Compete, combat, and
die. Cooperate, cultivate, and live. (Pg. 51)

Natives take care of each other. They know each and every person and
their belongings as well, in their clan. Doug Boyd says
I’ve talked with Rolling Thunder since we were out in Tucson . . . There in the
same place. (Pg.70-71)
They always stay in touch with each other. Bear says:
I figured out how to work this thing. Any time , I wanna contact you . . .
Waiting for you. (Pg.73)

Native Americans have harmonious relationship with people, animals
and nature as well:
 Its not a matter of saving our own necks. It’s a matter of being aware and
being helpful. (Pg. 134)
 They are dreaming, and they both gotta share the same dream. (Pg. 133)
 Those seven starts, you didn’t see those may be…they kept on saying us
people must be crazy ‘cause you cant see seven. Since my grandma's day
they were going on like that. (Pg. 148)

Native Americans believed in coexistence, as Mad Bear ‘s all
struggle was for his people:
 We are talking _ I mean, we, our Indian people. (Pg. 130)
 It is time for intertribal unity. (Pg. 139)
 It requires offering. It requires a relationship. (Pg. 141)

He was the voice of his people:
 Mad Bear expected to be the Native people’s message. (Pg. 145)
Two medicine men could make contact without speaking:
 Mad Bear and Jison, they were both enjoying their contact beyond their
verbal communication. (Pg. 166)

 We are all brothers and sisters—all of us—all over the Earth and we will
always brothers and sisters. (Ch. 13)
 So it’s time from now on to begin to respect one another all over this land and
to carry this out from now on. We have no, uh, weapons of any kind. We have
come here without weapons. We have come here without any purpose to harm
anyone. We only want to preserve our culture. We do not want to be dissolved.
We have come here from all over, many tribes from great distances. We all
know what purpose we are here for. We are here because we want freedom!
(Pg. 260)

 That is why we need freedom for our people, not to be dissolved. We
believe our culture must blossom forth so that we can all work together.
Not only Indian people but many other people as well all over the world,
are having problems, and we all need to stand together. We are gathered
here because we believe in our sacred instructions and we want to
preserve our way of life. (Pg. 261)

 So, in closing I would just like to pray for everyone all brothers and
sisters. I pray we will not be dissolved but that we may be able to preserve
our way of life. May the fragrance of love go into every human’s heart and
soul so that we can live in peace and brotherhood and respect one another
as brothers and sisters and live a good life from now on. (Pg. 261)

We can talk to a tree or a mountain or a rock—and they talk back to
us. The winged things of the air, the four leggeds, we have
conversations with them to this day. It is because we know the
meaning of respect. I would like all people to know that if they could
understand the meaning of respect, they would not fear us—because
they would understand something of the psyche and the beauty of
our people. (Pg. 263)

 Look how all these tribes and races and cultures are gathered here and
living together. Every culture and religion has to be supported for what
it is.
 The time for any one culture or religion or race to try to do away with
another is over. That time has got to be over or else everyone’s time is
over. That’s what this whole thing is about here.
(Pg. 266)

 Without trying to Christianize or convert each other—we might still
have a chance to feel safe and easy again as our people used to in the
past. (Pg. 267)
 There arrived clouds of birds—black birds—perhaps thousands of
them, and they settled in the branches of the trees all around us and
remained nearly silent. One gigantic eagle had flown in above this
cloud of birds and, for a moment, all eyes were on him as he sat, stone
still, at the very top of the tallest tree. (Pg. 305-306)

 We walked in the sunset along the dirt road that around the hill. We moved in
a slow procession, singing in harmony as we went, the song that we had
chosen and reheard. (Pg. 308)
 If these people like to have an eagle around, they can have an eagle if they
want. It’s a good thing, because Eagle sees and knows a lot, but it should be
respected, and by the way, it’s not necessary to point at it. (Pg. 309)
 But we also believe that our safety depends much more upon the safety of our
planet—the air, the water, the land, and the forests—than it does upon the
safety of corporations or nations. (Pg. 312)

MISREPRESENTATION BY EURO-
AMERICANS
Conrad represented blacks without giving them voice and called
them specimen, savages and cannibals. But Doug Boyd represented
them as intellectuals and learned people.
This table, like everything else in the house, was covered with books,
magazines, papers herbs,… (Pg. 19)

Natives were always portrayed as primitive and savages. But
through this novel we can see these people are learned and have
rich intellectual heritage. Mad Bear is also a writer.
This is the name of my book, “Earth Mother Crying”. (Pg. 24)

The spiritual treatment that Peter Mitton gave to that lifeless child
was never acknowledged although everybody believed.
Everybody knew that those medics had actually found that kid dead and
had confirmed him dead, but nobody put that in writing… they’re never
reported, they’re just denied. And even when they’re observed and
admitted, they just cant be officially acknowledged. (Pg. 44)

 White men always misunderstood American Indians.
It was the “Sacred Tree of Life” that was mistakenly referred to by the white man as
“war paint”. (Pg. 51)
 These people were considered to have no culture at all. They were called
cannibals and brutes but it is not true. They possess culture and a complete
heritage.
They were sitting in their room . . . Mad Baer was dressed in his complete
traditional regalia . . . I need the air in here. (Pg.73)

They considered the elders of tribes of great worth and value. They
were respected very much.
On the following morning, Rolling Thunder arrived with Grandfather David
Monongye, spotted Fawn and several others. Later, two more elders from
Hopiland arrived. (Pg. 76)
Ancestors of Indians were not stupid. They were looked up to in the
beginning.
These were some of the ‘handful of beads’ . . . In the beginning.” ( Pg.107)

Since Columbus arrived in America, Natives were misinterpreted
and misrepresented through media and literature:;Mad Bear
answered to such discourses:
 “We are not here to be studied and studied and put into textbooks and
museums.” (Pg. 130)
 “We don’t live in your libraries in the pages of your books”. (Pg. 131)
 “The oral history has remained unbroken.” (Pg. 147)
 “We are not specimens.” (Pg. 130)

 The woman working in the Red Cross office had remarked. “Well, I don’t
understand these protests,” I don’t understand why these Indians insist
on hanging on to their difficulties. We have equal opportunities in this
country. Why can’t these Indians come off these reservations and join the
real world? You’d they’d want to take advantage of all the wonderful
things that modern life has to offer. (Pg. 251)

 “The difficulties of which she speaks have nothing to do with our Indian identity
or our way of life. Any hardships we are experiencing are related to oppression.
(Pg. 251)
 “These people are racist,” one of them told us. “They dislike non-Indian
people”. “Well, I agree with them,” said the first. They use really strong
language talking about ‘the white man’. “They do it on purpose too,.” “They do
it to embarrass us.” They all agreed that the Indians wanted them to hear their
criticism and wanted them to feel ashamed. (Pg. 254)

 “All this concrete and all these walls create a false feeling of power and control. People think they
can achieve control by creating something unnatural. But it’s just an illusion. One day the little
blades of grass will come back and claim what’s theirs, and all this concrete will crumble into
dust! There’s no justification for keeping anybody inside those walls in such unhealthy
circumstances—I don’t care who they’re. The Natives peoples of these continent lived for
thousands of years without these prisons. This notion belongs to a foreign culture—it’s foreign to
mankind, actually, foreign to all life. You people brought this prison system over here from over
there—and look what a mess it’s made of everything. It’s made people all the more cruel and
cold—and scared. To tell you the truth, I think you people have your prisons out of fear—though
fear never solves anything. You people get yourselves so far away from nature you get weak and
scared—afraid of one another, your very own people. Imagine. And yet, you go on doing just what
it takes to make your society even worse! I’ll make one prediction here. One day in the future you
are going to have more prisons than schools and hospitals put together. And then soon after that—
because of that—everything will come tumbling down and the grass will come back.”
(Pg. 256)

 There was a small item on the front page reporting that Indian
militants had launched a protest outside the prison and that police had
to be called out to break up a riot.
 There was no way to know whether this report was racist, politically
motivated, or simply a case of misinformation. Perhaps it was an
attempt to make a more engaging story of an event whose real
meaning they were not prepared to understand. (Pg. 257)

 “There is only one color of mankind that has not been allowed to
participate in the international community and that’s the red people of the
Western Hemisphere. The reason for this was fear—fear on the part of
what he called the “multinational corporations”. (Pg. 262)
 “They fear our collective way of life,” he went on, “even though they took
their form of government from us”. But yet they fear our culture that
respects all life and respects the Earth. (Pg. 263)

 “When the reservations began to shrink to small areas, Indian people could not
continue to live on these reservations. So not out of choices, but because of the
necessities of life, many of our Indian people had to move off the reservations.
They had to move to large cities—Chicago, New York, Los Angeles—all over
this country our people began to move off the reservations and into urban areas.
Because their lands and their rights were being taken over by somebody else,
they had to leave their homeland and move into the cities. In the cities, they felt
the pains of discrimination. Our Indian people had to walk the streets of New
York City, had to walk the streets of Chicago and of Washington D.C., with their
heads hanging down in shame because they were Indians.” (Pg. 264)

 “I think in a nice kind way we should remind President Carter to look
around in his backyard. We bring to this city Indian awareness. I have
noticed in these buildings people are so far removed from the reality. The
truth is hidden from these people. But we are proud to say that, as Indian
people, we still understand the truth!”. (Pg. 265)

 “There may be some others somewhere whose very existence and identity is denied,
but I believe that we’re the only ones to whom that applies as an entire race. It
represents a challenge, see, because of this wish to ignore our sovereignty. It is kind
of ironic. Some folks in Congress want to do away with all out treaties across the
board, unilaterally, but they can’t even get it to a vote. So what about these treaties?
Treaties, by your government’s definition, are agreement between sovereign nations.
Isn’t it embarrassing? They want to disregard our sovereignty—but actually vote on
it. We are not supposed to be involved, though we’re parties to the treaties, because
we’re not supposed to represent ourselves. How can we participate in international
affairs if we don’t respect anything?” (Pg. 267)

 “But not international in the sense of just representing their nations. And not spiritual in the
sense of just representing their religions. It wouldn’t be just acknowledge each other’s religion
and religious rights—although that is important, so that is part of it. It would be to represent
the people as human race. Who represents the people of the villages and the city streets? Who
is there to address their common condition whatever their race or nationality? And not only
that but our all relations. Who is there to represent the rights of the four leggeds and the
finned and the winged? Who is there to speak for the trees and growing things? Who will
represent the rights of the rain forests and all the precious medicines that have been helping
us out? And who will there be who will speak on behalf of the Mother? The people I’d like to
see come and put their minds and hearts together are those who follow the spiritual paths,
know the sacred ways and can guide the people”. (Pg. 269)

 Because some things you gotta see for yourself and get to know directly—
not secondhand. (Pg. 276)
 You can’t just come into a territory and take over. First place, ever’
territory belongs to Nature and the Great Spirit and whoever they had in
there in the first place. (Pg. 306, 307)

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