Walking Buffalo

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In Germany:

I remember the war years. We were led to hate the Germans. Now I think they are good people. 1'd pitch my tent here any time. I'll never hate anybody again. Hating hurts me more than it hurts the other fellow.

To all Indians, he said:

You see, we lost our land and our freedom, but we don't have to lose all our Indian ways and habits. As good Indians, we can make a substantial contribution to Canadian culture. It may not have occurred to many white men that red, black, and yellow peoples might have some good ideas about satisfying the world's needs. I'll never try to justify the foolish fighting and scalping my people did, but in some ways, we had better ways of living. At least we kept our fighting to small wars, whereas the so-called civilized whites go in for big conflicts.

There's a lot of madness in the white man's world. We think whites would be better off to slow down and live closer to the soil and forests and growing things, instead of galloping around like stampeding buffaloes in cutback country. If they would take some of our advice, they might find a contentment which they have not discovered in their mad rush for money and for the pleasures which they think it will buy.

To all white men, he said:

It's strange, but in trying to find solutions to Indian problems, the authorities speak to nearly everybody but Indians. Many of us could offer sound advice on this question. But remember, we're proud of our race, and we want to continue to be Indians.

I was born with a bronze skin and I like it. Some of my friends were born white or black or yellow. They were not consulted. But that's all right. There are yellow roses, white roses, and red roses and the fragrance of one is about as nice as another.

I hope my children will live in a world where people of all colors can sit and work together without having to conform completely to the majority's will . . . You must accept us as Indians who want to be Indians and who are proud to be Indians.

Death claimed our wise brother December 26, 1967, and the entire world mourned. Any fool can be quarrelsome and belligerent. Being half good and half bad takes neither effort nor skill. But being a man of peace requires bravery.

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