I know Great Spirit is looking down upon me from above, and will hear what I say.
Sitting BullRead
Therefore, I do not wish to consider any proposition to cede any portion of our tribal holdings to the Great Father.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Sitting Bull expresses a strong refusal to give up tribal land, emphasizing the importance of sovereignty and ownership.
In this quote, Sitting Bull articulates a deep connection to his people's land and rights. The term 'Great Father' refers to the United States government, symbolizing the authority that seeks to take control of Native American lands. By rejecting any proposition to cede tribal holdings, Sitting Bull underscores the values of independence, resistance, and the importance of preserving cultural identity against external pressures.
Themes
LandSovereigntyResistanceTribal RightsIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for indigenous land rights.
More from Sitting Bull
All quotes →I want to tell you that if the Great Spirit had chosen anyone to be the chief of this country, it is myself.
Sitting BullRead
Is it wrong for me to love my own? Is it wicked for me because my skin is red? Because I am Sioux? Because I was born where my father lived? Because I would die for my people and my country?
Sitting BullRead
When I was a boy, the Sioux owned the world. The sun rose and set on their land; they sent ten thousand men to battle. Where are the warriors today? Who slew them? Where are our lands? Who owns them?
Sitting BullRead
I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle.
Sitting BullRead
God made me an Indian, but not a reservation Indian.
Sitting BullRead
Similar quotes
Do not be deluded by the abstract word Freedom. Whose freedom? Not the freedom of one individual in relation to another, but freedom of Capital to crush the worker.
Karl MarxRead
The endless, useless urge to look on life comprehensively, to take a bird's-eye view of ourselves and judge the dimensions of what we have or have not done: this is life as landscape, or life as résumé. But life is incremental, and though a worthwhile life is a gathering together of all that one is, good and bad, successful and not, the paradox is that we can never really see this one thing that all of our increments (and decrements, I suppose) add up to.
Christian WimanRead
The problems of aging present an opportunity to rethink our social and personal lives in order to ensure the dignity and welfare of each individual.
Daisaku IkedaRead
The Vedas teach that the soul is divine, only held in the bondage of matter; perfection will be reached when this bond will burst, and the word they use for it is, therefore, Mukti - freedom, freedom from the bonds of imperfection, freedom from death and misery.
Swami VivekanandaRead
The first question here, then, is not "What is best for my soul?" nor is it even "What is most useful to humanity?" But-transcending both these limited aims-what function must this life fulfill in the great and secret economy of God?
Evelyn UnderhillRead
So let me tell you what I think about gods. I think a real god is not going to be so scared or angry that he tries to keep other people down…A real god doesn’t care about control. A real god already has control of everything that needs controlling. Real gods would want to teach you how to be just like them.
Orson Scott CardRead