“Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty and responsibility to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give our greetings and our thanks to one another as people.
NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.”
So begins the “Thanksgiving Address” (Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) that is the central prayer for the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or the Six Nations. The Haudenosaunee begin and end every social and religious meeting with this ancient message of peace and appreciation of Mother Earth and her inhabitants. They also pray it daily at sunrise, thanking the natural world and all life-sustaining forces. By this, they also cultivate the deep understanding that what we humans do to one part of the web of life, we do to ourselves.
If you’re observing the Thanksgiving holiday today—and even if you’re not—I invite you to reflect on this prayer. Read the full text, with illustrations, starting here. The video below presents Haudenosaunee elders reflecting on the prayer’s significance.
(My thanks to the Haudenosaunee, via Grateful Living and the Onondaga Historical Association.)
The Gentle Nudge
NO Poetry Pick-Me-Up today due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US
Thank you for your precious poetic work in the world, Phyllis!