Chief Dan George Quotes

The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle. But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing, he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild’s fondness?

If the legends fall silent, who will teach the children of our ways?

Love is something we must have. We must have it because our spirits feed upon it.

If the very old will remember, the very young will listen.

The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, they speak to me. The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea, speaks to me. The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower, speaks to me. The strength of the fire, the taste of the salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me. And my heart soars.

The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower, speaks to me.

We have taken so much from your culture, I wish you had taken something from ours…For there were some beautiful and good things within it. Perhaps now that the time has come, We are fearful that what you take will be lost…. I shall grab the instruments of the white man’s success: His education, his skills, and society.

First we had the land and they had the Bibles, now we have the Bibles and they have the land

Oh God! Like the thunderbird of old I shall rise again out of the sea; I shall grab the instruments of the white man’s success – his education, his skills, and with these new tools I shall build my race into the proudest segment of your society.

Where no one intrudes, many can live in harmony.

Of all the teachings we receive, this one is most important: Nothing belongs to you of what there is, of what you take, you must share.

Love is something you and I must have. We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it. We must have it because without it we become weak and faint. Without love our self-esteem weakens. Without it our courage fails. Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world.