Eulogy for the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Written for the United Nations Year of Indigenous Peoples, 1993

Singing of youis singing of the landof the rivers on the landand of those countless dwellings that belong to humanity

Understanding youis understanding lifeand the reasons for reproduction and multiplicationWho knows how many races with unknown nameshave lived on this earth

Taking pity on youis taking pity on ourselvesand on our shared pain and sorrowPeople see us riding horses and eventually disappearingin the center of so-called civilized cities

Touching youis touching the conscience of humanityIt’s touching humanity’s scales of good and evilFor so many centuries, history has proven that the persecutionsuffered by Indigenous peoples has been the cruelest

Blessing youis blessing corn, blessing buckwheat, and blessing potatoesIt’s blessing the oldest grains in the worldBecause of this, there’s no reason not to fully offer the lives and  dreamsgiven by our mothers for the peace, freedom, and justice of  humanity