Some have much to say about something which to contrary belief is about nothing….
In the time of our ancestors the world in which they lived bears only a slight resemblance to the one which we collectively live in today… It is not to say that as indigenous people that they were not progressively “modernizing” many aspects of everyday life.
As to our ancestors directly cultivating the land, fields of corn beans and squash apple orchards fish weir’s wolf dogs and so on….. Many trade routes still exist today beneath the asphalt and concrete roads which long ago were beaten down with their bare feet and moccasins….
Not all things have changed through centuries in regards to progressively moving forward in a modern society, we still hunt fish gather, we are always thankful for what we are blessed to have and or receive…
We do still struggle though… we struggle to hold on to our identities within our “worlds” in which we dwell, our relatives once known by our blood relations are now known to us by designations doled out by whether or not our ancestral bands from which we directly descend from were friendly or were foe to the Europeans which came here… Sadly these doled out designations have continued to divide us still today, slowly grinding at our very cores, down to our very own genetic make up….
Our ancestors were not those who took to defining what a relation looked like, but by their actions…. by their valor, their honor, respect, heroism, and value to the community as a whole…. All these things are still true today, there is still a hope amongst all native people to find some sort of respect and honor from those who descend from the ones who drove us apart and to such despair that if we do not continue to hold on to our ancestors values we surely will fade to black…
The hope lies within the peoples… it lies within our genetic make up, our level of spiritually connectedness to our natural world, to our visions, to our ceremonies that we still have or that have been gifted back…
It is not about a designation, it is about a recognition, a recognition of each other, its about an awakening of our spirits it’s about accepting what is still there, that which could not be stripped away or killed…. We are the original peoples of these lands, of turtle island…..
We call ourselves Lunaape, Lenape, Munsee, Unami, Delaware, Mohican, Brotherton……
We recognize each other still… no matter the colors of our skins, colors of our eyes, nor the color of our hair… We recognize each others hearts, each others spirits…. by our words, our thoughts, and our willingness to still be open, loving, caring humans…..
So remember this day and all days forward, whom we are, where we come from, our ties and bonds, new old and ancient…
These words I share have come to me to give to you all, the peoples our relatives and all whom realize the future is in the hands of the people…..
Rest well walk continually in light, and look up while you are laying down your tobacco and your prayers for one another as we choose to rise up as one nation of bands clans and families….
Blessings,
Chief Vinny
