I

Great Spirit - I am near to death
And you are calling me; I know it now -
Give me power with my broken breath
And the dampness on my brow
To speak the truth

I am no more
Let me give up my life
To the force by which I came to be.
Let the light shine
Which has made me who I am.

Hoka hey
Let my warriors and friends mourn my death
Let the tribes humble themselves before your spirit.

The earth is the rock on which I was born
Has fed and nurtured me.
The forests and the grassland
The deer and the buffalo
Let them speak to the skies and tell you I was worthy.

I fear not death
For it is as it should be.
Those who live by the truth
Feel the waters of life running through them
See the eagle and the grasshopper
Know that all is of your word.

I sought your guidance
In the great silences
Heard the murmuring of trees
Though no words were spoken
Listened to the chatter of mice and birds
And heard only your love
Like a distant cry and still I had strength to pray.

Today is a good day to die

You taught me that the earth belongs to all men
We walk as brothers with wives and children
And are fed by your abundance

Why send these men
To take our land?
This land belongs to all our children.

II

By God I tell you.
These men are savages
They do not know the love of God
Or the sacrifices our savior made
To save our souls.

We do God's work
If they do not reform their heathen ways
Then we must take the sword in hand
And free them, from devil worship
And the paths to hell.

Rise up from sloth.
This land was made for you and me
Seize what is rightfully yours
Take up the path of righteousness
In God's name.

III

The eagle and the mountain lion live not in fear.
The bison takes his wound then turns his head
And dies and gives us life. We honor him
For he becomes us and we him.
His skin becomes our shelter,
His bones our tools, his flesh
Our being for this is how you made the world.

IV

It is written here in these words
And on this parchment
Between these lines
And our word
Is the word of the Great Father
And we have signed
Here and here and
Here.

V

I will return in stone.
The spirit of my people will rise again
Out of the land like the skylarks
In the deepest blue of the sky
Their songs descending on the earth.
The deer in the forest will prick their ears
The trout in the streams will wonder
At clear water and all life will
Bend their will to the spirit of the earth.
Men were not born to live in fear.

VI

Go forth and multiply
God willed that we inherit the earth
And all that is in it.
It is written.

VII

In seven generations when all the colors of mankind
Gather under the Sacred Tree of Life
And earth becomes One Circle again
The beauty of child's breath
will fill the world.

Though pain afflicts my body now
My soul is in my hand
And I have no fear
Let me rest now
Hoka hey