“[Black Hawk] has fought for his countrymen, the squaws and papooses, against white men, who came year after year, to cheat them and take away their lands.”

A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt. He said, ‘I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart.

Nothing can be sold but such things as can be carried away

No white American ever thinks that any other race is wholly civilized until he wears the white man’s clothes, eats the white man’s food, speaks the white man’s language, and professes the white man’s religion.

Nobody asks to be a hero, it just sometimes turns out that way.

The white men speak bad of the Indian, and look at him spitefully. But the Indian does not tell lies; Indians do not steal.

What, do y’all think you’re heroes?’ I didn’t know what to say at the time, but if he asked me again, I’d say no. I’d say there’s no way in hell. Nobody asks to be a hero. It just sometimes turns out that way.

If you treat a sick child as an adult and a sick adult as a child, it usually works out pretty well.

I got my best foot forward onto greener grass, cause there ain’t no future living in the past.

My reason teaches me that land cannot be sold. The Great Spirit gave it to his children to live upon. So long as they occupy and cultivate it, they have a right to the soil.

When I get home and people ask me,’Hey, Hoot, why do you do it, man? What are you? Some kind of war junkie?

The white men despise the Indians, and drive them from their homes. But the Indians are not deceitful.

Think about the amount of crap the US has done! Between slavery and the genocide of the Native Americans – if any of that had been filmed like [Adolf] Hitler, we’d never live it down.

We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native language.

Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place.

Second, this epic tale allows the audience to actually listen to the Native Americans and receive their wisdom.

I’ve always been interested in the history of the West, our country and particularly as it relates to the Native Americans – the original Americans.