Letter from Uvalle Redknife, July 2010

Fellow tribal members, or as I prefer to call you….Family.

     Doesn’t it seem like this year has gone by so fast. I mean just 7 months ago we entered in the year 2010, 7 months…seems more like 7 weeks. Time sure flies. Here in the Northwest where I reside the economy had been hit pretty hard with lay-offs, job losses or employment reduction. Most States as you know were hit pretty hard also. I was also one of the unfortunate ones that suffered during this economic crisis. Times are tough and it’s like a roller coaster, wondering if you’re going to make it to the next month, let alone the week. We received a lot of great support, especially in the form of prayer, from those who care and from those who didn’t even know us. Shuk---Thank you so very much.

     That’s the beauty of what we call the human spirit. Prayer can be very strong if you truly believe in it. During these times it seems that more of us have been doing a lot of that lately. There are so many ways of how one can pray. Some folks pray within a building, some in front of a statue representing creator himself, some pray in their traditional way while others simply like to just sit anywhere outside in seclusion, not a soul around but the trees, sky, and the beauty of nature surrounding them. Praying has been a soul connection to the creator for all Indian people, it is also our connection to this land we live on. We are part of her and we should respect her. The earth gives us everything we need to live on and survive. We don’t really own it. We are simply care takers….. and always will be.

Uvalle RedKnife
War/Peace Chief
redknife@hotmail.com