Stumpy's got attitude

An attitude of gratitude

Stumpy and I are visiting elders and delivering turkey dinners to shut-ins in our community, today.

As is usual, on a holiday, I am unable to get a line out of dirtville to call my family to tell them how much I love them and how grateful I am to be a part of such a wonderful and giving family. To my Son, my Mom and Dad, my four sisters, my brother (and their spouses), my legion of nephews and two nieces, my aunt, and my cousins,

"Ig'wien."

I am grateful

A prayer for the people

"All My Relations" written and sung by Ulali

Pura F (Tuscarora), Soni (Mayan, Apache, Yaqui), and Jennifer (Tuscarora.)



To our elders

who teach us of our creation

and of our past

so that we may preserve Mother Earth

for ancestors yet to come.

We are the land.

This is dedicated to our relatives before us,

thousands of years ago
And to the 150 million who were exterminated

across the Western Hemisphere

in the first four hundred year's time, starting in 1492

To those who have kept their homelands
And to the nations extinct due to mass slaughter,

slavery, deportation and disease unknown to them
And to the ones who are subjected to the same treatment today

To the ones who survived the relocations
And those who died along the way

To those who carried on traditions

and live strong among their people
To those who left their communities by force or by choice

and through generations no longer know who they are

To those who search and never find
To those who turn away the so-called "non-accepted"
To those who bring us together
And to those living outside, keeping touch, the voice for many

To those that make it back to live and fight the struggles of their people
To those that give up
And those who do not care

To those who abuse themselves and others
And those who revive again

To those who are physically, mentally, or spiritually incapable, by accident or by birth

To those who seek strength in our spirituality and way of life
And those who exploit it
– even our own

To those who fall for the lies and join the dividing lines that keep us fighting amongst each other

To the outsiders who step in
– good or bad
And those of us who don't know better

To the leaders and prisoners of war, politics, crime, race and religion
– innocent or guilty

To the young
The old
The living
And the dead

To our brothers and sisters in all living things across Mother Earth

and her beauty we've destroyed

and denied the honour that the Creator has given each individual:
The truth that lies in our hearts

All my relations