In honor of Indigenous People's Day, here is a poem written by Joseph Bruchac who is a respected elder among the Nulhegan Abenaki People. This poem is from his book No Borders.
WALKING
We need to walk
to know sacred places.
Healthy feet feel the heartbeat
of our Mother Earth,
Sitting Bull said long ago.
Walt Whitman knew that, too.
When we go by wheel
we roll over the land
as if it were nothing
but miles left behind.
When we go by air
we cut off our vision
and even our spirits
may take so long
to catch up to our bodies
that our eyes will be empty
of all but flight.
We need to walk
to remember the songs,
not only our own
but those of the birds,
those kept in the arms
of the hills and the wind.
We need to walk
to know sacred places
those around us
and those within.