Gratitude
The Thanksgiving Address
“Words Before All Else”
Through the lineage of my learning, the Thanksgiving Address was passed down to me by my teacher Chris Chisholm, who received it from Jon Young, who learned it from Jake Swamp, sub-Chief of the Wolf Clan of the Mohawk Tribe. This address comes to us from the Haudenosaunee, the Iroquois People or Six Nations, of which the Mohawk belong. It has ancient roots dating back over 1000 years to the formation of the Great Law of Peace and the Iroquois Confederacy of Nations, by a man called the Peacemaker – Skennenrahawi. This confederate model was used by the founding fathers of the U.S. to create its democratic government, but many things were changed from the Iroquois’ model and the Principles of Peace that the Iroquois enjoyed for over 1000 years were undermined.
The Thanksgiving Address is based on the belief that Creation, the World and All in it, from past, present and future, cannot be taken for granted. A spiritual communication of thankfulness and acknowledgement of all living things must be given to align the minds and hearts of the people with Nature. This formed a guiding principle in all my studies and merged into my daily life. I want to not only honor my family, friends, mentors, teachers, students, ancestors, animal and plant allies, but to share with you some of the schools and resources that have helped me. Blessings on your own journey with Nature and your unique path to “Becoming Wild”.
For your own copy of the Thanksgiving Address click Here
Chris Chisholm – Wolf College
Tom Brown Jr. – Tracker School
Jon Young – Wilderness Awareness School and 8 Shields
Wes Gietz – Windwalker
Frank and Karen Sherwood – Earthwalk Northwest
Anna Jefferson and Clarissa Young of the Lummi Nation- Northwest Indian College
Joel Harden – Professional Tracking Services
Paul Beryl – The Hermit’s Grove
Thank you WeoMedia for the above photo