SLAVERY

This was sent to me by my good friend, Warren Petoskey from Gaylord in the United States. Thank you.

When the U.S. government had removed many of our people to what is now Oklahoma there were a lot of tribes located close to each other. The wise of every nation was identified and honored. The Choctaw listened to the Kiowa and the Kiowa listened to the Cherokee. There was a lot of respect even though life was hard and death prevalent.

A U.S. calvary officer approached an old man who was recognized by all the tribes as a wise man. The calvary officer hoped to convince the old man to adopt the ways of the invaders and abandon the ways of his ancestors. The officer spoke of the superiority of their gardens, homes and the machinery they had invented believing if he could sway the Elder he would get the other people to follow him.

The Elder stood for a moment and then said, "It is true that you have far more beautiful gardens than we do with a great variety of plantings and your gardens are much neater than ours. Your homes are much warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. You have machines that I know not of nor do I know how to operate them. But we have noticed that everything you touch you have to dominate. What you don't know is that in making it your slave you become a slave to it. We do not want to be
slaves."