Native Ways

6 Nations

HAUDENOSAUNEE

People of the Longhouse

Kahniakehake (People of the Flint) Mohawk (Keepers of the Eastern Door)

Gayogoho:no (People of the Great Swamp) Cayuga (Those of the Great Pipe)

Onyota’a:ka (People of the Standing Stone) Oneida

Onoda’gega (People of the Hills) Onondaga (Keepers of the Fire and Wampum)

Onodowahgah (People of the Great Hill) Seneca (Keepers of the Western Door)

Ska-ru-ren (Those of the Indian Hemp) Tuscarora

Mohawk Prayer

Great Spirit,
Give us hearts to understand;
Never to take from creation’s beauty more than we give;
Never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed;
Never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth’s beauty;
Never to take from her what we cannot use.

Give us hearts to understand
That to destroy earth’s music is to create confusion;
That to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty;
That to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench;
That as we care for her she will care for us.

We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security.
We have exploited simply for our own ends.
We have distorted our knowledge.
We have abused our power.

Great Spirit, whose dry lands thirst,
help us to find the way to refresh your lands.

Great Spirit, whose waters are choked with debris and pollution,
help us to find the way to cleanse your waters.

Great Spirit, whose beautiful earth grows ugly with mis-use,
help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork.

Great Spirit, whose creatures are being destroyed,
help us to find a way to replenish them.

Great Spirit, whose gifts to us are being lost
in selfishness and corruption,
help us to find the way to restore our humanity.

7 Ojibway Teachings

7 Teachings are traditional values that guide the Anishinaabe (Ojibway) people toward Mino-Bimaadiziwin (Good Life). These teachings form the foundation of a Respectful and Balanced Way of Life.