AHO MITAKUYE OYASIN

February, 2006

Land and Stars, The Only Knowledge

North , West, South, and East.
Above and Below and All Around.
Within knowledge of the land,
We are existant.

Coldness and wind and the snow, northward.
Mildness and mountain and the rain, westward.
Hotness and desert and the hail, southward.
Warmness and mesa and the sun,eastward.
Starshine and sky and the darkness, upward.
Earthsource and stone and the light, downward.

By this Northern Mountain, we live.
On this Western Peak, we live.
In this Southern Canyon, we live.
Upon this Eastern Mesa, we live.
Under this Sky Above, we live.
Above this Earth Below, we live.

We are Existent within knowledge of land,
We are Existent within knowledge of stars.
All around and Below and Above
East, South, West, and North.
This is our prayer. This is our knowledge.
This is our source. This is our existence.

Always the land is with us.
Always the stars are with us.
With our hands, we know the sacred earth.
With our spirits, we know the sacred sky.
We are with the land and stars.
We are with the stars and land.

With offering, all around outside.
With offering, all around inside.
This is the knowledge we have.
This is the existence we have.
In thankfulness, we give and we know.
In thankfulness, we receive and we know.

- Simon Ortiz, 1993