Among the Nations

The Wise Chief, in the Council. The greatest man is not the strongest, nor the tallest, nor the swiftest. The greatest nation is not the largest or most wealthy. Powerful nations, who have lost their heart, will decay and die. Our history is filled with this carnage. Wealthy nations, who have lost their heart, will always be robbed. They make themselves a target of envy and man's greed. Nations with too much land cannot defend their borders. Nations with too little land cannot feed their camps. A nation of warriors needs more than weapons. To find fulfillment for all the people, A nation must be rooted in itself, Aware of its own heart, Balanced in the ways of The Mother, Slow to anger, Quick to accept, Always centered. As each man must find his quiet heart, So the nation must find its collective quiet heart, Through the wise guidance of its Elders and Chiefs. It is in Ceremony that a Nation best discovers its quiet heart. It is in The Circle that a Nation feeds and nourishes its quiet heart.

(Excerpted from Quiet Heart by Sleeping Crow, a collection of Native spiritual teachings based upon life with a small, Pacific Northwest Native American nation.)