“The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass speaks to me. The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, The rhythm of the sea, speaks to me. The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower, speaks to me. The strength of the fire, the taste of salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me And my heart soars.” – From “My Heart Soars,” by Chief Dan George, a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, author, poet, and actor, who was born 24 July 1899. Chief Dan George was nominated for both the 1970 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Old Lodge Skins in “Little Big Man,” a performance for which he won the Producers Guild of America Award, the National Society of Film Critics Award, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award. Some quotes from Chief Dan George: “If you talk to the animals, they will talk with you, and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them, and what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears one destroys.” "O Great Spirit whose voice I hear in the winds, I come to you as one of your many children. I need your strength and your wisdom. Make me strong not to be superior to my brother, but to be able to fight my greatest enemy: Myself." “The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle. But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild’s fondness? May the stars carry your sadness away, May the flowers fill your heart with beauty,May hope forever wipe away your tears,And, above all, may silence make you strong.” youtube/watch?v=QwgnDn8ez9g
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 12:54:37 +0000