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Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World
Thanksgiving Address Greetings to the Natural World Author:John Stokes These words of thanksgiving come to us from the Native people known as the Haudenosaunee (also Iroquois or Six Nations ? Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora) of upstate New York and Canada. The Thanksgiving Address has ancient roots, dating back over one thousand years to the formation of the Great Law of Peace by a man ... more »called the Peacemaker, and perhaps before that. Today these words are still spoken at the opening and closing of all ceremonial and governmental gatherings held by the Six Nations. We believe that all people at one time in their history had similar words to acknowledge the works of the Creator. With this in mind, we offer these words in a written form as a way to reacquaint ourselves with this shared vision. Our version of the Thanksgiving Address has been modified for a young, general audience?it has been shortened and many specific references to the culture of the Six Nations have been generalized. We hope this will enhance the accessibility of the words for readers around the world. You are invited?encouraged?to share in these words, that our concentrated attention might help us rediscover our balance, respect, and oneness with Nature. Now our minds are one. John Stokes