In the Native American tradition... a man, if he's a mature adult, nurtures life. He does rituals that will help things grow, he helps raise the kids, and he protects the people. His entire life is toward balance and cooperativeness.… — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share
There are many female gods recognized and honored by the tribes and Nations. Femaleness was highly valued, both respected and feared, and all social institutions reflected this attitude. Even modern sayings, such as the Cheyenne statement that a people is… — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
My mother told me stories all the time... And in all of those stories she told me who I was, who I was supposed… — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
Humor is widely used by Indians to deal with life. Indian gatherings are marked by laughter and jokes, many directed at the horrors of history, at the continuing impact of colonization, and at the biting knowledge that living as an exile in one's own land necessitates. . . . Certainly the time frame we presently inhabit has much that is… — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share
Idealization of a group is a natural consequence of separation from the group; in other words, it is a by-product of alienation. — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
Breath is life, and the intermingling of breaths is the purpose of good living. This is in essence the great principle on which all… — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
The hoop dancer dances within what encircles him, demonstrating how the people live in motion within the circling spirals of time and space. They… — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
Medicine people are truly citizens of two worlds, and those who continue to walk the path of medicine power learn to keep their balance… — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
Hoop Dancer is a rendering of my understanding of the process by which one enters into timelessness -- that place where one is whole. — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
For the American Indian, the ability of all creatures to share in the process of ongoing creation makes all things sacred. — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
Indians think it is important to remember, while Americans believe it is important to forget. — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
The Indians used to be the only inhabitants of the Americas, but times change. Having perceived us as belonging to history, they are free… — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
We are the land. To the best of my understanding, that is the fundamental idea that permeates American Indian life. — Paula Gunn Allen Copy Share Image
