The people who best understand the natural world — because their survival depends upon it — are aboriginal groups living close to the land, as the American Indian once did. A sampling of quotes from Native Americans illustrates their belief in one god whom nature revealed.
Edward S. Curtis, the photographer renowned for his 20-volume magnum opus completed in 1930, “The North American Indian,” included text with his photographs that described folk stories, religious rites, tribal histories and songs. In 1994, Running Press published a very small book (3 1/4 by 2 1/2 inches) called “Native American Wisdom,” with some of Curtis’ photos and text that quotes “statements of cultural value, beliefs, and attitudes from a number of Native Americans who lived and experienced tribal life in the years between the Civil War and 1930.”
“Walk tall as the trees, live strong as the mountains, be gentle as the spring …