I'm proud to belong to one of the original clans
Whose Ancestors occupied all of these lands
Before we were found by some wandering seaman
Who knew just where he was - and we became “Indians”.
Tell me about our history, a tear will glisten
Stories of how life use to be, bring a rueful smile
Drums talk to me of our victories, I will listen
and flutes will find me dreaming all the while
In order to “save” us, they killed us
Our peaceful cultures were “dangerous”
And they thought they could just ravage us
But by fighting back, we became “savages”.
Call us lazy indeed - we're not driven by their greed
To gather materials about them
But my question is, how did we exist,
FOR HUNDREDS OF CENTURIES WITHOUT THEM
copy; 1995, R.C. Thomas (Potawatomi/Chippewa)
