I just love the Native American blessings included in this post. This one strike me as being particularly authentic, real and comforting in this era of great divisiveness.
Cherokee Travelers' Blessing I
translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I will extract the thorns from your feet.
Yet a little longer we will walk life's sunlit paths together.
I will love you like my own brother, my own blood.
When you are disconsolate, I will wipe the tears from your eyes.
And when you are too sad to live, I will put your aching heart to rest.
Thanks for these, Michael. I prefer Spanish to English usage in this context, since the polite term in Spanish is “indigena.” Etymologically, “native” just means your were born here, so even I’d be a native American. I do acknowledge, however, that usage governs language. You can’t always impose logic on it.
In the 70's I gave my grandmother a copy of Edward Curtis' Portraits From North American Indian Life. I remember how she cried when we looked at the images together. She is not native American, but she remembered traveling when she was young, visiting most of the places in the book, and she thought of how beautiful it was to be there and how wonderful it was to sit with them. It was the only time I ever saw her cry.
I just love the Native American blessings included in this post. This one strike me as being particularly authentic, real and comforting in this era of great divisiveness.
Cherokee Travelers' Blessing I
translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
I will extract the thorns from your feet.
Yet a little longer we will walk life's sunlit paths together.
I will love you like my own brother, my own blood.
When you are disconsolate, I will wipe the tears from your eyes.
And when you are too sad to live, I will put your aching heart to rest.
I think it is comforting and has a good spirit.
Thanks for these, Michael. I prefer Spanish to English usage in this context, since the polite term in Spanish is “indigena.” Etymologically, “native” just means your were born here, so even I’d be a native American. I do acknowledge, however, that usage governs language. You can’t always impose logic on it.
Yes, words do take on meanings different from their roots.
One of my favorite examples is "villain" which originally meant someone who lived and/or worked on a villa.
In the 70's I gave my grandmother a copy of Edward Curtis' Portraits From North American Indian Life. I remember how she cried when we looked at the images together. She is not native American, but she remembered traveling when she was young, visiting most of the places in the book, and she thought of how beautiful it was to be there and how wonderful it was to sit with them. It was the only time I ever saw her cry.
It is sad to think of how much was lost due to racism and greed.
I have translated a number of Native American poems, prayers and proverbs over the years and have a Trail of Tears collection.