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Jon Young founded The Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall,
Washington many years ago. One of the core teachings of the
school is the remembrance of giving thanks to the planet and
all Her people. From Jon's Kamana Naturalist Training Program:
"The Haudenosaunee People are instructed to greet the day
with Thanksgiving, to begin each important gathering with
Thanksgiving, and to end each meeting the same way. Through
acknowledgement and Thanksgiving, one recognizes the importance
of everything, thus creating a larger consciousness, a continuous
memory of what we have on the planet." The following Thanksgiving
Address was shared with the Wilderness Awareness School by
Chief Jake Swamp of the Mohawk Nation and founder of The Tree
of Peace Society. The sharing of this Thanksgiving Address
is meant as just that, a sharing of one of the many expressions
of gratitude that can be found through all traditions and
all nations. For more information on Wilderness Awareness
School,
visit www.wildernessawareness.org
For more information on The Tree of Peace Society,
visit www.treeofpeace.org
THE THANKSGIVING ADDRESS
Ohen:Ton Karihwatehkwen:
The "Words Before All Else"
"Today we have gathered and have come from many different
places. We have all arrived safely at this place to share
with each other our gifts from the Creator. So we bring our
minds together as one in Thanksgiving and Greetings to one
another.
"We now turn our thoughts to Earth Mother who, like our own
mother continues to give for our well being. She continues
to care for us and has not forgotten her instructions from
the beginning of time. We now bring our minds together in
Thanksgiving for the Earth.
"Now as one mind we turn our thoughts to the Waters of the
Earth for they too have not forgotten their original instructions
from the Creator of Life. The Waters continue to flow beneath
the ground, in little streams and in rivers, in lakes and
wetlands, and in the great seas. These Waters also continue
to fulfill their duty to Continued Creation. They quench our
thirst and help us to keep clean so we can fulfill our duty
to Creation. We now bring our minds together in Thanksgiving
to all the Waters of the Earth.
"We will now address all the Beings, both seen and unseen
that dwell in the Water for they too have not forgotten their
original instructions from the Creator of Life. There are
many life forms in the Waters which provide for us in many
ways. With one mind we send our Thanksgiving and Greetings
to all the Nations who dwell in the Waters.
"Now we direct our thoughts to the many kinds of plants that
live upon the Earth - the mosses, the many grass-forms, the
herbs, food plants and the many other low growing plants,
for they too have not forgotten their original instructions.
There are many members of this Nation who sustain those who
walk upon this Earth and there are many others who continue
to fulfill their duties to take away the sicknesses of the
human family. With one mind we send our thoughts and Thanksgiving
to the Plant Nations.
"With one mind we now think of our relations in the many
Insect Nations. Like all other members of the natural world
they too have not forgotten their original instructions from
the Creator of Life, as they continue to perform the hard
work, such as insuring that the flowering plants can continue
to bear fruit, and that those things which are no longer needed
are returned to the Earth. With one mind we send our Thanksgiving
and Greetings to the many members of the Insect Nations. *
"We now gather our minds together and send Greetings and
Thanksgiving to all the Animal Life in the world, for they
continue to instruct and teach us even today. We are happy
that many still walk with us on our continuing journey although
their natural world has been changed and life has become very
difficult for them at times. Sometimes at night we may see
a fox or a deer in our headlights and we are reminded of that
feeling of kinship we get when we see the animals. With one
mind we send our Thanksgiving to all the Animal Life in the
world.
"With our minds together as one mind, we now look to the
Elders and to the Children, for they give us the guidance
of those who have walked before us in a good way, and purpose
to live our lives in a good way. With the guidance of the
Elders and the purpose of leaving a better World for the children
we can find the essential goodness of Life. With one mind
we send our Thanksgiving and Greetings to the Elders and the
Children.*
"With one mind we now think of the Trees. According to their
original instructions the Trees still give us shelter, warmth,
food and keep the air clean. The tree can make the environment
a more suitable place for life to dwell. When we see the trees
we are reminded of the beauty and power of the natural world.
With one mind we send our Thanksgiving to all the members
of the Tree Nation.
"We now bring our minds together to send our Greetings of
Thanksgiving to the Birds. At the beginning of time the Birds
were given a very special duty to perform. They were instructed
to help lift the troubled minds of the Human Family and during
the day our minds are often lifted by the songs of the Bird
Nations. They too continue to fulfill their obligation to
Continued Creation. With one mind we send our Thanksgiving
to all the Birds of the world.
"We are thankful to the Four Winds who continue to blow and
cleanse the air in accordance with their original instructions.
As we listen to the Winds, it is as if we are hearing the
Creator's breath, clearing our minds as it blows through the
Trees. With one mind we send our Thanksgiving to the Four
Winds.
"Now we turn our attention to the Thunderbeings. For they
too have not forgotten their original instructions and welcome
the Spring with their loud voice. Along with the lightning,
they carry the waters of Spring on their backs. It is also
said that the Thunderbeings were given the job to hold down
the beings beneath the Earth which would prevent life from
continuing. With one mind we send our Thanksgiving and Greetings
to the Thunderbeings.
"Our minds are one as we send thoughts to our oldest brother
the Sun. Each day the Sun continues his instructions from
the Creator of Life, bringing the light of day, the energy
source of all life on Earth. With one mind we send our Thanksgiving
and Greetings to our oldest brother the Sun.
"We now gather our minds together and give Thanks to our
oldest Grandmother the Moon. She too has not forgotten her
original instructions, holding hands with all of the women
of the world and binding all of the female cycles and rhythms
of the Waters so that we may continue to carry out our obligation
to Creation. With one mind we send our Thanksgiving and Greetings
to our Grandmother the Moon.
"With one mind we send our thoughts to the Star Nation who
continues to light our way during times of darkness to guide
us home, and holds the secrets of many forgotten stories.
Even though many of the stories are no longer in our minds,
it is said that it is enough to be thankful to the Stars and
perhaps one day we would learn these stories again. With one
mind we send our Thanksgiving and Greetings to the Star Nation.
"With our minds as one we think of the Four Spirit Beings
who live in the Four Directions. At the beginning of time
when the Creator first made the Human Family, it was seen
that we very quickly got ourselves into trouble. The Creator
knew that we needed extra help and so created the Four Spirit
Beings to remove the obstacles from our paths. We know that
they are helping us when we are moving through life and a
feeling tells us not to go a certain way, or that we are on
the right path. They speak to our feelings, so by trusting
our feelings we can avoid trouble and stay on the right path.
And now we gather our minds together as one and send our special
Thanksgiving Greetings to the Four Spirit Beings.
"We are thankful to all the Enlightened Teachers who have
come to help throughout the ages. They help us to remember
the way we were instructed to live as People. In doing so
they have cleared a path so that we may walk more freely as
we fulfill our obligation to Creation. With one mind we send
our Thanksgiving and Greetings to these caring Teachers of
the World. *
"Now we have arrived in a very special place where dwells
the Great Spirit, the Creator of the Universe. As one mind
we turn our thoughts to the Creator, for without the Creator
we would not be able to walk on the Earth fulfilling our original
instructions. Everything we need is provided for us and all
we have to remember is to give thanks. With one mind we send
our Thanksgiving and Greetings to the Creator.
"We have now become like one being. We send our Prayers and
special Thanksgiving Greetings to all the unborn children
of all the future generations. We send our thoughts to the
many different beings we may have missed during our Thanksgiving.
With one mind we send our Thanksgiving Greetings to all of
the Nations of the World.
"Now Our Minds Are One."
Additions by Jon Young and John Stokes.
The * paragraphs were added to the Thanksgiving Address by
Jon and John.
The Thanksgiving Address is a tradition of the Haudenosaunee
People as shared with Wilderness Awareness School by Chief
Jake Swamp.
"Just as Nature is dedicated to helping
us, we too should be dedicated to helping Nature." Amma
Om Amriteswaryai Namah
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