11 Wonderful Proverbs Of The North American Indians

The proverbs of the North American Indians are very special. In their meaning they convey  a magnificent balance between harmony, strength and dignity. And almost all of them have a genuine love of nature as a backdrop.

The Indians of North America have been represented by a warrior stereotype for decades. Almost all “cowboys and Indians” movies portray them as essentially combat-oriented communities. However, the philosophy that emerges from his proverbs speaks of a vision of the world oriented towards peace and mutual respect.

Although most of these communities were exterminated, much of their wisdom survived the genocide. Many of his teachings overcame time and violence. Thanks to this, we have made a selection of 11 of his proverbs to the delight of all. They are as follows.

The choice of thoughts

The Dakota contribute several of the most beautiful proverbs of the North American Indians. This is one of the most interesting: ” Think what you want to think, but don’t forget that you have to live with your own thoughts every day. “

This teaching reminds us that we are the ones who choose the thoughts that inhabit our mind. And it is those guests who accompany us day and night. What kind of ideas we allow to inhabit there depends on each one of us.

Environment

Several of the proverbs of the North American Indians refer to the importance of nature. This, for example, calls to moderate pride in the face of what surrounds us: “ We do not inherit the land from our ancestors ; we only borrow it from our children ”.

Likewise, they warn about the responsibility of the human being towards other forms of life: “ When the last tree is cut down, the last river poisoned, the last fish caught, only then will people realize that money cannot be eat ”. One way or another, they went centuries ahead in time with a teaching like this.

Everything has a purpose

The indigenous communities propose a meaning for everything that exists: “ Everything on earth has a purpose, each herb can cure a disease, each person has a mission to fulfill . This is the concept of the Indians about existence ”.

This means that every being, animate and inanimate, has a reason to exist. Its presence in the world is fully justified, although it is not understandable to those who perceive it. Therefore, this proverb of the North American Indians is also a call to respect and tolerance.

Judge others, in the proverbs of the North American Indians

As in other societies, those of North American Indians warn about the risk of being unfair when judging others. This is how this Sioux proverb points out: ” Before judging someone, walk 3 moons with their moccasins. “

Consideration with others is not only in the fact of being cautious when making judgments. Also some proverbs make a direct call to avoid hurting others, because ultimately it is damage that one does to oneself.

This is what this aphorism points out: “ Avoid hurting people’s hearts, the poison of the pain you cause to others will return to you. You must be sincere and true in all your actions. Honesty is the great inheritance that we will leave to the universe ”.

Learn from the strong

Many of these societies sought peace, but they were also prepared for war. That is why many of the proverbs of the North American Indians allude to the fight. One of them says the following: ” The brave die once, the coward, many. “

This sentence refers to the brave being resolute, while the coward doubts. For this reason, the suffering of lack of courage is equivalent to dying many times. This idea of ​​courage is reinforced in another beautiful proverb: ” If you want to be strong like the bison, do not eat the bison, but what he eats. “

The phrase is a call to look at strength as a process that is carried out from the inside out and not the other way around. It is complemented by another Navajo proverb that states: ” Rocky terrain doesn’t need a prayer, it needs a pointed ax. ” In this case, it exalts the value of the action and not of the intention.

Friendship

Native American communities placed a high value on friendship and loyalty. In this proverb they emphasize the dedication that friendship demands: ” Walk often the path that leads to your friend’s garden, lest the undergrowth prevent you from seeing the way. “

It is a beautiful phrase that calls to cultivate the bonds of friendship. It also warns that failure to do so could create barriers that later become difficult to overcome. Friendship needs interest, time and proximity. Otherwise, it hardly survives.

Walk together

In this beautiful teaching of the Ute Indians, a true catalog of what equality means in human relationships is condensed: “ Don’t go behind me, maybe I don’t know how to lead. Don’t go ahead, maybe I don’t want to follow you. Come to my side so that we can walk together ”.

This, like other proverbs of the North American Indians, is a compendium of wisdom. Although almost all of these communities currently represent only a small minority, their knowledge is undoubtedly universal in scope.