This we know … 
The earth does not belong  to man; man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites one family.
Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it.
Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.  – Native American saying

Within the history of our nation, in the memory of our land, we have the ways and the answers to the ecological, social and spiritual crises facing us today. The Native American wisdom that is written in the landscapes, buried like arrowheads in the ground and carried like whispers on the breeze, tells us of our source and our depth. It whispers to us to go deep and connect with Mother Earth.

Since the Spanish first travelled to North America, Native Americans were displaced, abused and judged as ignorant.  But today people around the world are being drawn to their message of balance, ecology and harmony with Mother Earth.  This resurgence in Native American traditions touches on everything from agriculture and medicine to arts and spiritual practices.

“All of our ancestors learned from the environment in which we lived – from the plants, animals and insects,” says Derrick Suwaima Davis.  Davis, an internationally renowned Hoop dancer, represents the Native American story through dance.  He lives on the Hopi Reservation in Southeast Arizona where he practices native dry farming in this arid climate.  Dry farming uses no irrigation for agriculture and relies only on the snow and rains to grow crops.  This practice reflects the respect for ecology deeply ingrained in Hopi beliefs.  “In planting fields, we see the plants as our children,” Davis says.  Today ethnologists, scientists and botanists are beginning to uncover the wisdom in his culture’s achievements.  It is captured in the Hopi pottery, songs, textiles, oral traditions, ceremonial practices and dances that continue to be used.  Davis’ dances combine tradition with his contemporary choreography to express gratitude and acknowledge human interdependence with all of creation.  The hoop he uses in dance symbolizes wholeness and how everything and everyone is important.  “We all rely on air, water, soil, sun,” Davis says.  He urges people to be conscious of the impact of their decisions on others.

The Cherokee nation, originally in the East was moved from sacred lands to reservations during the trek called the “Trail of Tears.”  On the Cherokee reservation at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, tribal Elder, Jerry Wolf, is one who retains the community’s wisdom.  Working at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Wolf shares Cherokee beliefs and practices with visitors.  The guiding tribal belief can be summed up as “the Right Way.”  It means seeking balance physically, mentally and spiritually and embracing harmony.  Walking the “Right Way” with nature means taking only what is needed without excess or waste and using plants for food and medicines.  Wolf continues to perform traditional ceremonies for special events and use ancient practices like burning offerings of sage or tobacco to the seven directions which include the earth, the heavens and the Great Spirit.

A drum beat resounds through the stone walls of the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis as Tony Showa brings people back to the rhythm of their own heart beats.  Showa, a full-blooded Navajo, is a traditional drum maker and drum circle leader.  Drumming combined with prayer expresses kinship with all living things.  “I was taught a long time ago to try to feel the heart beat of everything in the entire world – trees, stars, grass, fish, birds, skies,” Showa says.  The drum beat takes us back to the sound of the hearts of our mothers and ultimately connects us to our true mother, Mother Earth.  Showa makes his drums using a maple wood hoop frame and elk or buffalo hide. He says it resounds with the heart beat of the universe and can help people to heal.  “Drumming releases angst, anxiety and stress,” he says.  “It puts people in a different space and allows them not to think for a little while. It can open up a different path.”

Bio: Debra Moffitt is author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life. A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind/body/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at http://www.awakeintheworld.com.