ᏕᏣᏓᏩᏛᎯᏙᎵᏍᎨᏍᏗ

Ꭷ 

ᎠᏉᎯᏳᎢ that there are variations on our “purpose” as ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏩ but we unlike the ᏥᏍᏆ ᎢᎾᎨ ᎦᏁᎯ ᎠᏣᏗ ᎠᎾᏓᎾᏏᏂᏙᎯ ᏥᏍᎪᏱ ᎠᎴ other animals, ᏗᏡᎬ and other plants have to discern our course. 

Despite that, we are given a nature from our mothers ᎦᎵᏉᎩ ᏧᏂᏴᏫ, a gift of talent and opportunities to hone our skills. 

Our purpose is given by birth to a ᏏᏓᏁᎵ and ᏍᎦᏚᎩ and by experience to ᎣᎦᎵᎢ and the greater good, ᏚᏳᎪᏛ. 

Our nature is to search for ourselves, learn from one another and struggle for self worth by comparing ourselves to our peers. ᏕᏣᏓᏩᏛᎯᏙᎵᏍᎨᏍᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏓᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᏕᏣᏓᎳᏏᎾᏕᏍᏗ

ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᎢᎦᏁᎳᏅᎯ

Ꭷ ᎠᎩᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗᏱ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ

ᎪᏛ ᎠᏥᎸᎦᏴᎵ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ 

ᏅᏙ ᎢᎦ ᎡᎯ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ

ᏧᏂᏴᏫ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᎠᎴ 

ᏧᏁᏥ ᎠᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ

ᏗᎳᏍᎦᏟᏗ ᏗᏓᏏᏃ ᏓᏆᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᏃᏊᎴ ᏍᏆᏁᎳᏅᎭᏍᏊ

ᎢᎦᏓᏁᎳᏅᎭ ᎨᎮᏍᏗ

ᎩᎦᎨᎭ

Ꭷ If you find yourself in the ᎩᎦᎨᎢ ᏥᎦᏅᏅ everyday you are at ᏓᏄᏫ. You are either surrounded by enemies and need to find the solace of your ᏍᎦᏚᎩ or you are out of balance. ᎩᎦᎨᎢ ᏥᎦᏅᏅ is necessary but it is conflict ᎠᎴ ᎩᎦᎭ. You are burning yourself up without ᏅᏩᏙᎯᏯᏛ ᎢᎦᏘᎭ. ᏚᏳᎪᏛ needs a defender and the ᎩᎦᎨᎢ ᏣᎦᏅᏅ exists to correct and protect but it was not given to us as a way to live. Live in peace ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᏫᏥᏍᏓᏩᏚᎦ and ᏫᏥᏍᏓᏩᏚᎦ the ᏧᏁᎦ ᏥᎦᏅᏅ. 

Speaking with ᎣᏣᏝᏅᏢ from the plains people, individuals that had great grandfathers that fought against the ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ military and fathers that joined that military, I began to understand our own ᏗᎧᏃᎮᏓ better. Some of their own grandmothers were victims of ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ military depredations, why would they ever join the ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ military? Because it was expected and ᏗᎾᏟᎯ do what is asked of them. They were defending those at home, their own ᏏᏓᏁᎸ and ᏍᎦᏚᎩ and they received ᎠᏥᎸᏉᏗ in their ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᏗᎾᏟᎯ societies for it. 

ᎠᏆᏅᏔᏛ there has been social coercion that amounts to brainwashing to support the United States government and the flag for which it stands but ultimately ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᏗᎾᏟᎯ made the conscious choice to do what they did and it wasn’t for the same reasons as other populations. They knew that the majority of ᎠᏂᏲᏁᎦ wanted us to just move on and get over it, that people did not have our best interests in mind. It was likely that further resistance would lead to further genocide, so survival was the biggest factor and the ᎠᏥᎸᏉᏗ of serving their ᏍᎦᏚᎩ could also be found in that military service. It was better than unemployment, poverty and substance abuse. They had ᎠᏥᎸᏉᏗ in their actions. However, I don’t believe they ever forgot that we were not equals in this colonized land and they wanted us to live to see better days so they gave us the best chances they could by holding on to a hope that those sacrifices would provide us with opportunities that they did not have. I think highly of them and their choices and because of that I stand for them but I will not salute the ᎠᏲᏁᎦ ᎦᏓᏗ. 

To pledge allegiance to a ᎠᏲᏁᎦ ᎦᏓᏗ and the attempt to stomp out our nations, in favor of ᏌᏊ ᎠᏰᎵ ᎠᎹᏰᎵ ᏚᏙᎢᏍᏛ is not something I can do. Not because I’m against our ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᏗᎾᏟᎯ but because I am for them. ᎦᏥᏯᎫᏍᏓᏁᎭ and all those that have sacrificed for our ᏍᎦᏚᎩ and ᏏᏓᏁᎸᎢ of any color or background. I may not take a knee but I understand those that do so because some thought they were fighting for a different nation than what we have and they show respect for those that died in the service for a better world by kneeling, because that nation is not here. They are in morning for the ideals that have been shattered by injustice and racism. ᎪᎵᎪ that and I stand for those that cannot stand and will not stand because of the weight in their hearts. Don’t ask me to pledge allegiance ᎢᏗᏙᎾ ᎨᎮᏍᏗ ᏌᏊ ᎢᎦᎵᎪᎯ ᎢᏗᏴᏫᏯᏠᏯᏍᏗ ᎨᎮᏍᏗ

ᎬᏯᎫᏍᏓᏁᎭ

Ꭷ We have no ᏌᏊ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎧᏁᏍᏗ for respect. 

We can say ᎤᏬᎯᏳᎯ, ᎪᎯᏳᎯ ᎣᏍᏓ ᏥᏰᎸ or any other specific idea but they are all feelings, and respect is an action at its core. English is blurry, the messy edges of English make epistemology a hard thing to tack down but ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ is a concrete foundation to lash the very corners of ᎡᎶᎯ down. 

When I support you ᎬᏯᎫᏍᏓᏁᎭ is my respect. 

Things that I hold in high regard, sacred ᎦᎸᏉᏗᏳ I treat as ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏗᏳ and that is with respect. 

To notice and take note of, to have a perspective of - ᎠᏆᎦᏙᏍᏗ, something to take respect of.... 

This is respect to me. What I seek and find ᎠᎩᏩᏛᏗ is what I offer, respectfully ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏔ ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏕᏘ. 

These things I hold most gingerly ᏕᏥᎢᏙᎭ, are illuminated and made clear ᏗᎬᎾᎨᏍᎬᎢ and given by ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ are opened and shared with respect. 

ᏩᏕ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᎢᎦᏘᎭ

Ꭷ Karma is not a ᏣᎳᎩ ᎧᏁᏍᏗ it is Sanskrit. It refers to the dross we carry from this life to the next when we do not follow our Dharma, another Sanskrit word, duty. 

It does not refer to the idea that the universe keeps score and makes things even in this life. It is not justice Ꮭ ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᏱᎩ, not how it is used in the west. It is not the idea of what goes around comes around. It is tied to an ancient eastern mysticism.  

It is not ᎦᏚᏩ ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ. 

Our way is not about divine retribution but balance ᎢᎦᏘᎭ ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏗᏍᏊ. We are of the same life ᏕᎦᏓᏠᏯᏍᏗ ᎢᏕᎮᏍᏗ, so what happens to you happens to me.  ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᎠᏆᏛᏁᏗ ᏓᏆᏚᎵᎭ I endeavor to think right and do right. ᏧᏁᎦ ᏗᎦᏅᏅ ᏫᏥᏍᏓᏩᏕᏍᎪᎢ I follow the white path and even though I misstep from time to time, ᏗᎧᏃᏩᏛᏍᏗ ᏓᏆᎳᏍᎨᏍᏗ I will follow our teachings. 

That doesn't protect me from all trouble and every challenge. It just gives me a firm footing and clear vantage point to find the way. Bad things happen to good people and bad people get away with terrible things but we are one another's keeper ᏕᎦᏓᎨᏳᏎᏍᏗ and that means ᎢᎦᏓᏁᎳᏅᎯ we must be one another's provider. ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᎢᎦᏛᏁᏗ the justice is what we must provide. Right is what we must do. 

ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ