"Grandfather, Great Spirit, once more behold me on earth and lean to hear my feeble voice. You lived first, and you are older than all need, older than all prayer. All things belong to you -- the two-legged, the four-legged, the wings of the air, and all green things that live. "You have set the powers of the four quarters of the earth to cross each other. You have made me cross the good road and road of difficulties, and where they cross, the place is holy. Day in, day out, forevermore, you are the life of things."

Black Elk: Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux

 

Grandfather Cries

by Charles Phillip Whitedog

Grandfather, do you know me?

I am your blood.
The son of your son.
I come to ask you a question Grandfather. Grandfather, don't you know me? Can I stop being Indian now?
There are others that want to be Indian,
And if they can start from nothing,
I should be able to stop from something?

Grandfather, don't you know me?
Grandfather, I don't look like you.
I don't know what you know.
It would be easy for me to hide behind my paler skin.
No one would know the pain I feel,
Or see the tears I cry for your Great Grandchildren.

Grandfather, don't you know me?
Grandfather, look what I have done to our world.
Mother Earth is on her knees.
The Snake and Owl rule the day.
I don't understand the language you speak
Grandfather.

Grandfather, don't you know me?
Grandfather, I want my Pepsi, Levi's and Porsche too.
I want to go where the others go,
And see the things they see too.
I don't have time to dance in the old way Grandfather.

Grandfather?
Grandfather, why are you crying?
Grandfather, why are you crying?
Grandfather, please stop crying.
Grandfather, don't you know me?

 

An Indian Prayer
by H. Kent Craig

My grandfather is the fire
My grandmother is the wind
The Earth is my mother
The Great Spirit is my father
The World stopped at my birth and laid itself at my feet
And I shall swallow the Earth whole when I die and the Earth and I will be one.

Hail The Great Spirit, my father
without him no one could exist
because there would be no will to live

Hail The Earth, my mother
without which no food could be grown
and so cause the will to live to starve

Hail the wind, my grandmother
for she brings loving, lifegiving rain
nourishing us as she nourishes our crops

Hail the fire, my grandfather
for the light, the warmth, the comfort he brings
without which we be animals, not men

Hail my parent and grandparents
without which
not I
nor you
nor anyone else
could have existed

Life gives life
which gives unto itself
a promise of new life

Hail the Great Spirit, The Earth, the wind, the fire
praise my parents loudly
for they are your parents, too

Oh, Great Spirit, giver of my life
please accept this humble offering of prayer
this offering of praise
this honest reverence of my love for you.