Relationships Within the Community

Indigenous Worldview (Interview With the Elders):

“Amongst the Indians of the Northern Plains, within the social structure of the tribe, it was the children and the unborn to whom priority was given.  So when they made decisions, they also took into consideration their unborn children from four to seven generations into the future and how these decisions would impact the future for them.

 

If you can think in terms of a series of concentric circles, each one larger than the one before, the indigenous people place the Creator in the middle first.  (Creator always resides in the middle of every activity they negotiate or undertake.)  There, too, are all of the unborn children, who come from the Creator as gifts to all parents to be raised in a responsible manner.

 

The second circle included all of the women who were pregnant.  They were treated with the utmost respect and care and every effort was made to make sure that their needs were looked after and that the child was being cared for in a very safe environment.  As a result, there were certain things that the mother had to do.  She was encouraged to eat only healthy foods and to refrain from using certain other foods and medicines.  She was not to attend funerals either.  Mothers to be were given the highest priority within the community.

 

The next circle included the very young children.  The children were catered to from prenatal until they were old enough to look after themselves. The following circle would be composed of the elders, both male and female.  They would be looked after and were respected because of the wisdom and the knowledge that they carried.  Their needs as well were met first.  They were among the first to be fed, along with the children.  If goods were distributed, such as meat, horses, blankets, medicine, they were given to the elders first.  Respecting the elders also meant respecting the natural laws of Creation and respecting the Earth Mother, Unchi Maka.

 

Women comprised the next circle.  It was they who were responsible for raising the children and looking after the education of the children.  They asked for the services of certain elders so that each child would be trained in a certain discipline, depending upon what the elders saw in each.  If a child was gifted and possessed certain qualities, as seen through the eyes of the elders, having the elders provide the proper education developed those gifts.  So the woman’s responsibility was to nurture the children and also comfort the men.

 

The outer circle included the men – the hunters and warriors.  They were to provide food for the people and also security and wellbeing for all.  They protected everyone.  They were to insure that all that was necessary to happen within each of the concentric circles would occur because of the support that they gave to the people.

 

So, these circles were symbolic of which groups were given the highest priority.  The men were on the outside willing to sacrifice themselves and give themselves up to benefit the inner circles.