Sung Wakan Speaks. . .

Once again, one of our Tribal Elders must take Mr. Bush "to school". . .

--ryan


Dear President Bush:
My name is Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota
Nation.  I am also known as "Sung Wakan" (Horse Man).  My position
with my People is the 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White
Buffalo Calf Bundle.  As a Keeper of this Bundle, which is around
2000 years old, it has been recorded in petroglyphs and oral stories
that the horse nation was around our people long before the
Spaniards brought the other relative of the horse nation to this
land. These ancient horses were much smaller in size and not so much
in numbers, to a point of extinction.  With this ancient Bundle
existed a horse ceremony acknowledging the horse nation in respect
to their wise and gentle spirit, as they offered a gift of healing
for our own human spirit.  

My work has involved many efforts in bringing awareness to the
importance to all life upon Mother Earth, along with Mother Earth
herself in concern of the environment, for all life to live in
Peace.  I have been raised with the understanding that all forms
life has it's meaning of importance and should not be taken for
granted.  To ignore and not try to learn these precious rights of
all living beings to live in Peace with us as humans of power and
decisions, will sooner or later affect our own children.  This can
either be in our future generation's health of body mind and
spirit.  Our children need to look at life as being sacred.

The Horse Nation is an important spirit being.  The Nation deserves
the protection and awareness of what we humans can offer.  They have
saved, assisted and given of themselves for all humans throughout
history.  Whether it was riding in battles, traveling, through
friendship and most recently discovered by therapists, they can give
healing to our troubled spirits.   The Native Nations always
understood this gift with our horse dance ceremony.

This awareness of the horse's gifts to humans has transformed into a
strong respect.  This awareness has been gathering People across the
country to protect this fine spirit from a very negative attack on
their health and existence, by unconscious disrespectful humans for
the name of greed.  No matter what uncomfortable conditions, as
horse can feel their environment of impending trauma, these horses
trust humans and are being lead to slaughter.  This is not a way of
respecting life that our children need to learn, as we adults having
positions of role models and leaders in our communities.  This
energy, as we understand these actions to be, will indeed backfire,
if people do not educate themselves of the importance in the
different spiritual roles of all life forms.   Some animal nations
indeed give themselves for food; they actually know their purpose in
the human's food chain, as long as this is understood with respect. 
We should understand the Horse Nation has earned the right to live
in Peace for what they have contributed to all our lives throughout
history.

    * Despite the passage of the Wild-Free Roaming Wild Horses and
Burros Act of 1971 which as enacted to protect the wild horse from
slaughter, hundreds perhaps thousands continue to be slaughtered
each year in one of the two remaining horse slaughterhouses which
are both located in Texas.  The BLM has aggressively worked to
remove too many wild horses from their range resulting in ongoing
sales to the slaughterhouses.

    * Slaughter is not an answer for population control or an excuse
for rewarding those who would abuse these magnificent animals.
In a Sacred Hoop of life, where there is no ending and no beginning!
Thank you for your attention to this effort.

Mitakuye Oyasin (All My Relations),

Chief Arvol Looking Horse,
19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe
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