Seven Generations
"The red nation shall rise again and it shall be a blessing for a sick world; a world filled with broken promises, selfishness and separations; a world longing for light again. I see a time of seven generations when all the colors of mankind will gather under the sacred tree of life and the whole earth will become one circle again." -– Tȟašúŋke Witkó (Crazy Horse), Oglala Lakota Leader (1840-1877)
In the late 1800s, Oglala Lakota holy man Heȟáka Sápa (Black Elk) had a vision at the age of 9 when he became ill and had a near-death experience. When he awoke and shared his vision, he felt the dream was a prophecy of a great suffering that would be set upon Native people and it wouldn’t be until seven generations later that a sacred duty would be laid upon the people to take a stand for their relatives and the earth again.
In his vision, he saw a “great tree” that symbolized all life on earth. He foresaw war, famine and sickness among his people and their sacred circle would be broken. After seven generations of this darkness, there would be a reuniting for not only for his people, the Lakota, but for all people on earth. This seventh generation will take back what little culture and rights remain and amplify positive change for future generations that don’t yet exist. Today, many elders and Native leaders see a clear rise of the 7th generation in their people today. These people, and those represented in The Red Road Project, are making positive impacts within their communities and for future generations.[1]
Kanaka 'Oiwi
The Indigenous Persons of Ka Pae Aina have similarly deep place-based relationships and responsibilities of being good stewards towards the Earth for future generations:
... a people's collective understanding of their very being is inextricably linked to the places they and their ancestors inhabit, the activities they practice, the ceremonies they conduct, and the intimacies they develop thereon. This is not a novel idea but is shared among many Indigenous peoples the world over. Again, the very term for the earth we walk on -- 'aina' -- reminds us that it also nourishes our bodies. This recognition of the importance of the land- as food, as kin, as a relation- instills in Kanaka 'Oiwi a sense of humility, responsibility, and respect for the natural world. This relationality is at the heart of Kanaka identity and their commitment to defend the land as a kuleana: one's responsibility and privilege to care for, tend to, love, and identify with something. As a land-based ethic, the kuleana that underpins aloha 'aina is a commitment to the well-being of future generations.[2]
Sources
- ↑ https://redroadproject.com/7th-generation/
- ↑ Casumbal-Salazar, Iokepa. "“Where Are Your Sacred Temples?” Notes on the Struggle for Mauna a Wākea". Detours: A Decolonial Guide to Hawai'i, edited by Hokulani K. Aikau and Vernadette Vicuña Gonzalez, New York, USA: Duke University Press, 2019, pp. 200-210. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478007203-025