As a child I understood how to give; I have forgotten this grace since I became civilized.

Nearness to nature... keeps the spirit sensitive to impressions not commonly felt and in touch with the unseen powers.

More than this, even in those white men who professed religion we found much inconsistency of conduct. They spoke much of spiritual things, while seeking only the material.

The family was not only the social unit, but also the unit of government.

There were no temples or shrines among us save those of nature.

It was our belief that the love of possessions is a weakness to be overcome. . . . Children must early learn the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving. . . . The Indians in their simplicity literally give away all that they have—to relatives, to guests of other tribes or clans, but above all to the poor and the aged, from whom they can hope for no return.

Each soul must meet the morning sun, the new sweet earth and the Great Silence alone.