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There Were No Temples Or Shrines Among Us Save Those Of Nature.

-Charles Alexander Eastman

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There Were No Temples

Charles Alexander Eastman

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There Were No Temples Or Shrines Among Us Save Those Of Nature.

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No One Who Is At All Acquainted With The Indian In His Home Can Deny That We Are A Polite People.

The Indian Was A Religious Man From His Mother's Womb.

In Every Religion There Is An Element Of The Supernatural, Varying With The Influence Of Pure Reason Over Its Devotees.

More Than This, Even In Those White Men Who Professed Religion We Found Much Inconsistency Of Conduct. They Spoke Much Of Spiritual Things, While Seeking Only The Material.

That Is, We Believed, The Supreme Duty Of The Parent, Who Only Was Permitted To Claim In Some Degree The Priestly Office And Function, Since It Is His Creative And Protecting Power Which Alone Approaches The Solemn Function Of Deity.

Silence Is The Cornerstone Of Character.

The Religion Of The Indian Is The Last Thing About Him That The Man Of Another Race Will Ever Understand.

There Was No Religious Ceremony Connected With Marriage Among Us, While On The Other Hand The Relation Between Man And Woman Was Regarded As In Itself Mysterious And Holy.

The Wise Man Believes Profoundly In Silence - The Sign Of A Perfect Equilibrium. Silence Is The Absolute Poise Or Balance Of Body, Mind And Spirit. The Man Who Preserves His Selfhood Ever Calm And Unshaken By The Storms Of Existence - Not A Leaf, As It Were, Astire On The Tree, Not A Ripple Upon The Surface Of The Shinning Pool-his, In The Mind Of The Unlettered Sage, Is The Ideal Attitude And Conduct Of Life. Silence Is The Cornerstone Of Character.

The Native American Has Been Generally Despised By His White Conquerors For His Poverty And Simplicity. They Forget, Perhaps, That His Religion Forbade The Accumulation Of Wealth And The Enjoyment Of Luxury... Furthermore, It Was The Rule Of His Life To Share The Fruits Of His Skill And Success With His Less Fortunate Brothers. Thus He Kept His Spirit Free From The Clog Of Pride, Cupidity, Or Envy, And Carried Out, As He Believed, The Divine Decree-a Matter Profoundly Important To Him.

Native American

Children Must Early Learn The The Beauty Of Generosity. They Are Taught To Give What They Prize Most, That They May Taste The Happiness Of Giving.

Native American

Is There Not Something Worthy Of Perpetuation In Our Indian Spirit Of Democracy, Where Earth, Our Mother, Was Free To All, And No One Sought To Impoverish Or Enslave His Neighbor?

But To Have A Friend, And To Be True Under Any And All Trials, Is The Mark Of A Man!

The True Indian Sets No Price Upon Either His Property Or His Labor. His Generosity Is Limited Only By His Strength And Ability. He Regards It As An Honor To Be Selected For Difficult Or Dangerous Service And Would Think It Shameful To Ask For Any Reward, Saying Rather: "let The Person I Serve Express His Thanks According To His Own Bringing Up And His Sense Of Honor. Each Soul Must Meet The Morning Sun, The New Sweet Earth, And The Great Silence Alone!. What Is Silence? It Is The Great Mystery! The Holy Silence Is His Voice!

The Hospitality Of The Wigwam Is Only Limited By The Institution Of War.

Nearness To Nature... Keeps The Spirit Sensitive To Impressions Not Commonly Felt And In Touch With The Unseen Powers.

The American Indian Was An Individualist In Religion As In War. He Had Neither A National Army Nor An Organized Church.

Our People, Though Capable Of Strong And Durable Feeling, Were Not Demonstrative In Their Affection At Any Time, Least Of All In The Presence Of Guests Or Strangers.

The Logical Man Must Either Deny All Miracles Or None.

Friendship Is Held To Be The Severest Test Of Character. It Is Easy, We Think, To Be Loyal To A Family And Clan, Whose Blood Is In Your Own Veins.

In The Life Of The Indian There Is Only One Inevitable Duty-the Duty Of Prayer-the Daily Recognition Of The Unseen And Eternal. Our Daily Devotions Were More Necessary To Us Than Daily Food.

Indian Names Were Either Characteristic Nicknames Given In A Playful Spirit, Deed Names, Birth Names, Or Such As Have A Religious And Symbolic Meaning.

Symbolic Meaning

The Clan Is Nothing More Than A Larger Family, With Its Patriarchal Chief As The Natural Head, And The Union Of Several Clans By Intermarriage And Voluntary Connection Constitutes The Tribe.

The Native American Has Been Generally Despised By His White Conquerors For His Poverty And Simplicity.

Native American

Love Between A Man And A Woman Is Founded On The Mating Instinct And Is Not Free From Desire And Self-seeking. But To Have A Friend And To Be True Under Any And All Trials Is The Mark Of A Man!

He Sees No Need For Setting Apart One Day In Seven As A Holy Day, Since To Him All Days Are God's.

Each Soul Must Meet The Morning Sun, The New Sweet Earth And The Great Silence Alone.

The Family Was Not Only The Social Unit, But Also The Unit Of Government.

It Was Our Belief That The Love Of Possessions Is A Weakness To Be Overcome. . . . Children Must Early Learn The Beauty Of Generosity. They Are Taught To Give What They Prize Most, That They May Taste The Happiness Of Giving. . . . The Indians In Their Simplicity Literally Give Away All That They Have—to Relatives, To Guests Of Other Tribes Or Clans, But Above All To The Poor And The Aged, From Whom They Can Hope For No Return.

Native American

The Logical Man Must Either Deny All Miracles Or None, And Our American Indian Myths And Hero Stories Are Perhaps, In Themselves, Quite As Credible As Those Of The Hebrews Of Old.

As A Child I Understood How To Give; I Have Forgotten This Grace Since I Became Civilized.

Native American

If You Ask Him: "what Is Silence?" He Will Answer, "it Is The Great Mystery! The Holy Silence Is His Voice!" If You Ask: "what Are The Fruits Of Silence?" He Will Say: "they Are Self-control, True Courage Or Endurance, Patience, Dignity, And Reverence. Silence Is The Cornerstone Of Character."

There Were No Temples Or Shrines Among Us Save Those Of Nature.

It Has Been Said That The Position Of Woman Is The Test Of Civilization, And That Of Our Women Was Secure. In Them Was Vested Our Standard Of Morals And The Purity Of Our Blood.

The Red Man Divided Mind Into Two Parts, - The Spiritual Mind And The Physical Mind.

Friendship Is Held To Be The Severest Test Of Character.

If A Child Is Inclined To Be Grasping, Or To Cling To Any Of His Or Her Little Possessions, Legends Are Related About The Contempt And Disgrace Falling Upon The Ungenerous And Mean Person.

We Believe Profoundly In Silence-the Sign Of A Perfect Equilibrium. Silence Is The Absolute Poise Or Balance Of Body, Mind, And Spirit.

Native American

The Elements And Majestic Forces In Nature, Lightning, Wind, Water, Fire, And Frost, Were Regarded With Awe As Spiritual Powers, But Always Secondary And Intermediate In Character.

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