Tewa Song: Oh our Mother the Earth
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Photo: Amos Two Bulls, Lakota. Photo by Gertrude Käsebier; 1900.
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Oh our Mother the Earth,
oh our Father the Sky,
Your children are we, and with tired backs
We bring you the gifts that you love.
Then weave for us a garment of brightness.
May the warp be the bright light of morning;
May the fringes be the falling rain;
May the borders be the standing rainbow.
Thus weave for us a garment of brightness,
that we may walk fittingly where birds sing;
That we may walk fittingly where grass is green.
Oh our Mother the Earth, oh our Father the Sky.
(Tewa Song)
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Source and Recommended Reading:
'Teaching Spirits: Understanding Native American Religious Traditions'
By Joseph Brown (Author)
Purchase Book:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Description:
eaching Spirits offers a thematic approach to Native American religious traditions. Within the great multiplicity of Native American cultures, Joseph Epes Brown has perceived certain common themes that resonate within many Native traditions. He demonstrates how themes within native traditions connect with each other, at the same time upholding the integrity of individual traditions. Brown illustrates each of these themes with in-depth explorations of specific native cultures including Lakota, Navajo, Apache, Koyukon, and Ojibwe. Brown demonstrates how Native American values provide an alternative metaphysics that stand opposed to modern materialism. He shows how these spiritual values provide material for a serious rethinking of modern attitudes - especially toward the environment - as well as how they may help non-native peoples develop a more sensitive response to native concerns. Throughout, he draws on his extensive personal experience with Black Elk, who came to symbolise for many the greatness of the imperilled native cultures.
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