There are many female gods recognized and honored by the tribes and Nations. Femaleness was highly valued, both respected and feared, and all social institutions reflected this attitude. Even modern sayings, such as the Cheyenne statement that a people is not conquered until the hearts of the women are on the ground, express the Indians understanding that without the power of woman the people will not live, but with it, they will endure and prosper.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the significance and power of women in society, emphasizing their role in the survival and prosperity of a community.
Paula Gunn Allen's quote reflects on the reverence for the feminine divine across various tribes and nations, illustrating how societal structures have historically honored women. It underscores the belief that women hold a central role in the continuity and strength of a people, asserting that their well-being is directly tied to the community's survival and success. The Cheyenne saying cited indicates that the true measure of a people's strength lies in how they treat and value their women.
In practice
This quote could be used in a women's empowerment seminar to highlight the importance of valuing female contributions.
The hoop dancer dances within what encircles him, demonstrating how the people live in motion within the circling spirals of time and space. They are no more limited than water and sky. At green corn dance time, water and sky come together, in Indian time, to make rain.
The Gods give with one hand and take with the other.
Churchill says the Government had to choose between war and shame. They chose shame. They will get war, too.
A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.
Wherever people feel safe — they will be indifferent.
The Yogi conquers the body by the practice of asanas, making the body a fit vehicle for the spirit. The Yogi knows that it is a necessary vehicle for the spirit, for a soul without a body is like a bird deprived of its power to fly.
Of the three official objects of our prison system: vengeance, deterrence, and reformation of the criminal, only one is achieved; and that is the one which is nakedly abominable.
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