People should regard their words as seeds. They should sow them, and then allow them to grow in silence. Our elders taught us that the earth is always talking to us, but we should keep silent in order to hear her. There are many voices besides ours. Many opposing opinions. “Be still and know and hear God.” Our Father in heaven chose to be silent for 400 years.

We Indians know about silence. We are not afraid of it. In fact, for us, silence is more powerful than words. Our elders were trained in the ways of silence, and they handed over this knowledge to us. Observe, listen, and then act, they would tell us. That was the manner of living. With you, it is just the opposite. You learn by talking. You reward the children that talk the most at school. In your parties, you all try to talk at the same time. In your work, you are always having meetings in which everybody interrupts everybody and all talk 5, 10 or 100 times. And you call that ‘problem solving’.

When you are in a room and there is silence, you get nervous. You must fill the space with sounds. So you talk compulsorily, even before you know what you are going to say. White people love to hear themselves talk. They don’t even allow the other person to finish a sentence. They frequently insert their thought before the other finishes.  For us Indians, this looks like bad manners or even stupidity. If you start talking, I’m not going to interrupt you. I will lend my ears and truly LISTEN.

Maybe I’ll stop listening if I don’t like what you are saying, but I won’t interrupt you. When you finish speaking, I’ll make up my mind about what you said, but I will not tell you I don’t agree unless it is important. Otherwise, I’ll just keep QUIET and I’ll go away. You have told me all I need to know. There is no more to be said. But this is not enough for the majority of white people.” Ella Deloria

Indians give easily with the understanding that others will give to you. Unlike giving to get, one gives to maintain balance and to show care. The level of giving can raise your status in the tribe. Giving freely from the heart, like gifting a exceptionally beautiful pair of moccasins for another, or bringing food to a family in need, inviting those who have less to share a meal, gifting your best and most prized horses for important ceremonial times. We gladly offer up what we most value as a way to show our respect and love for one another. The value of generosity is revealed in Ella’s culture. To be quiet is to be generous. Sweet Silence