Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Greetings to the Natural World
1. The Earth Mother - We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks.
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2. The Waters - We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.
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3. The Fish - Fish give themselves to us as food. So, we send our greetings and thanks.
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4. The Plants - The Plants grow, working many wonders. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. We give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.
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5. The Medicine Herbs - Medicine herbs are always waiting and ready to heal us. We send greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.
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6. The Animals - Animals have many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people.
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7. The Trees - The Earth has many families of Trees. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. We greet and thank the Tree of life.
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8. The Four Winds - We hear the voices of the four winds as they purify the air we breathe. We send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.
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9. The Sun - Each day without fail the sun travels the sky bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. We send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.
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10. Grandmother Moon - We give thanks to the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, governs the movement of the ocean tides. We send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.
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11. The Stars - We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky. When we travel at night, they guide us home. We send greetings and thanks to the Stars.
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12. The Enlightened Teachers - We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. We send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.
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