ᏅᏙ

Ꭷ ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏙᎩ ᏥᏰᎸᎢ

Ꭷ ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏔ ᎠᎩᏰᎸᎢ

Ꭽ ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏙ ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏖᏢᎢ

Ꭷ ᎯᎠ ᏄᏍᏓ ᎠᏆᏓᏅᏔ

Now my mind my body

Now my feeling my being

Now my heart my thought

Now this thing I know

ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ

Ꭷ ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ ᏧᎦᎾᏮ ᎠᏁᎮᎢ ᎠᏎᏛ ᎢᎦᎵᎪᎯ

About 13 years ago some of them came up and met with our elders. They spoke Nawatl and Mayan and we spoke ᏣᎳᎩ. 

It was clearly shown that where there stories of us ended ours began. They were more than cousins they are brothers and sisters. ᏧᎦᎾᏮ ᏥᎦᎴᏂᏍᎡᎢ that is where it started. They ᏏᏓᏁᎵ let's start treating them that way. 

ᎢᏗᏴᏫᏯ ᎢᎦᎵᎨᏎᏀᏗ

ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ

She is what we do, how we do it and why we do it. 
She is what we think, believe, value, how we behave and why it is so.
She is the collective property of our people and her origins are in our ancestors' echoes.

When she was healthy, she had no limits, but she recedes - as she has been openly derided, opposed and punished.  She is slipping and stumbling along the trail, loosing traction and tripping. 

Is all that we do her?
She is everything, but her hair didn't used to look like that, she didn't laugh so loud and I don't understand her words.  I don't recognize her.  Maybe it's not her.  Without her, I am not me.

If we don't choose her, we choose another, by default.

ᏕᎦᏅᏖᏍᎦ

Ꭷ one has to learn about  situations of injustice, from as many sides as possible ᏕᎦᏓᏅᏖᏍᎦ 

We must go through the ᎤᎵᏏᎩ go through ᎤᏒ ᎡᎯ.  Go through the pain, anger and morning and seek understanding. 

ᏗᎧᎳᎬᎢ ᎢᏗᏢᎢ  the sun will come up. 

Set the ᎩᎦᎭ ᎠᏓᏏ aside, ᎭᏫᏂ ᎢᏗᏢ ᏗᏣᎳᏍᎨᏂ not to be forgotten but out of the way because we can't let those tragedies get in the way of what we find to be right and true. We cannot stumble over it as we wander about in ᎤᎵᏏᎩ....

ᏃᏊᏥᎩ we must seek to defend those still suffering and prevent perpetrators from committing those injustices ᎠᏎᎭ ᎢᎦᏛᏁᏗ

ᎡᎵᏍᏓ ᏚᏳᎪᏛ ᏫᏗᏍᏓᏩᏚᎦ 

In being pro-active we will become empowered. We can't stop at the search for justice but we must seek ways to make positive changes for the potential imprecators as well as victims of injustice. There will eventually be a balance struck in that our work must benefit all involved. ᎢᎦᎵᎪᏒᎢ

When agreements are made in good faith, both sides are entitled to the fulfillment of that contract. It is sad when we must advocate for our own rights. In a ᎦᏚᏩ ᎢᏯᏛᏁᎵᏓᏍᏗ we should not have to do so. However, in such cases that one side wants to abdicate their responsibilities, it becomes necessary to be able to stand up for yourself and others when it is needed ᎦᏣᏃᏍᏓ ᎢᏳᏛᏁᏗ

Entitlement should exist. 

Reparations are different. 

I think that reparations should only come as a result of an agreed upon social contract. If a person wrongs another in full understanding of the agreed upon potential consequences, and then if reparations are a part of those consequences, then the wronged should be entitled to that restitution - as previously agreed upon. This is simple and right.  ᏥᏳᎪᏛ ᏅᏃᎯ a straight path.  

If restitution is promised as amends to past grievances, then the aggrieved are entitled to said restitution. I believe that the aggrieved could petition for restitution, but they are not inherently entitled by virtue of being wronged - unless the agreement, even social contract, provides for that justice. 

However, if oppressors continue to oppress without thought of ᏚᏳᎪᏛ or reparation for wrongs, revolution is the natural outcome and new atrocities will be committed - not justified, but realized ᏍᎩᏊ ᏫᏂᎦᎵᏍᏓ

'conquered' is a relative term. 

I would not argue that ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ in general, or ᎣᏥᏣᎳᎩ in specific were conquering heroes on our ends, but despite the fact that we were colonized, some of us did escape militarily crippling conquests. We have been worn down in other ways. 

There are more than a few ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ  that have grown into prosperous Nations despite tragic historical incidents. ᎢᎦᏓ ᎣᏥᏴᏫᏯ never lost a military victory but by use of political and social coercion were lead to a state of submission to the greater population.  ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏂᏐᎢ ᎣᏥᏴᏫᏯ were soundly defeated by military and political means. ᎠᏂᏥᏈᏍᏗ were wiped away altogether, but those of us that have survived are still here and are persistent in our goals. Ꮟ ᎣᏤᏙᎭ We aren't done yet, we will not just survive, but we will thrive ᎣᏥᎦᏚᏩᎩ

ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ

ᎤᏅᏥᎭ

Ꭷ ᏥᏨᏂᏤᎢ

Snow covers us like a protective blanket. It gives us peace and reminds us there is a time for rest. Some things can only be learned when there is ᎤᏅᏥᎭ. 

ᏅᏬᏘᎭᏃ that ᏗᎧᏃᏩᏛᏍᏓ tells used all things are sacred. It says it most assuredly ᎤᎵᏍᎨᏓ ᏕᎦᏓᏰᎸᏎᏍᏓ and it applies to all things. We also know that some things are more ᎦᎸᏉᏗ than others. Specifically people are sacred. We are to liken ourselves to that in each other. ᏕᎦᏓᎸᏉᏕᏍᏗ 

ᎠᏂᏴᏫ are spiritual things. Our people know that. It must guide us like a sense, a sense that isn't desperate from the other four. It is tied to our knowledge through personal and group experience ᎢᎦᏅᏔ and ᎢᎦᏓᏅᏔ our feelings. 

We know that those things can go awry. We can loose focus. That is why we must ᏕᎦᏓᎢᏤᎲᏍᏗᏍᎨᏍᏗ periodically renew ourselves. We must always challenge ourselves to grow. ᏕᎦᏓᏅᎾᎦᎳᏬᏍᎨᏍᏗ. But without our ᏅᏬᏘ we will not be let where we need to be. ᏍᏆᏘᏂᏎᏍᏗ ᏍᎩᏯᏁᎳᏅᎯ

Help one another in that. ᏕᎦᏓᏍᏕᎵᏍᎩ ᎢᎨᎮᏍᏗ and we will be providers for one another ᎢᎦᏓᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᏱᎩᏍᏕᎳ 

ᎣᏏᏳ

ᎠᏯ ᏩᏕ ᏥᎪᏪᎸᎦ