Human measurement is limited because it cannot measure the universe, which has neither a beginning nor an end. Like the sacred hoop, existence moves in an eternal cycle, ever-flowing, and ever-renewing, without a fixed starting point or final destination. The wisdom of our ancestors teaches us that time is not linear but, like the turning of the seasons and the spiralling flight of the eagle, always returns and always moves forward.
While some seek to place creation within years, debating whether the world began six thousand or 200 thousand years ago, these discussions are like measuring the vast sky with a single feather. The Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka, is beyond such limitations. The rhythm of life, Mother Earth's heartbeat, the winds' breath, and the stars' movement speak of a reality without boundaries.
Long before this present cycle, other cycles came before. Civilizations were built and dissolved, their purposes fulfilled, and their songs carried on the wind. Yet, the essence remains. Like the great tree that sheds leaves in autumn only to bring forth new buds in spring, creation unfolds in endless renewal.
The sacred purpose of all existence is the awakening of spirit, the deepening of understanding, the flowering of wisdom. The circle of life does not break—it returns, enriched and ever-expanding, nourished by the breath of all who came before.
Lala, Deksi, Ate, and Brother Phil -Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ. We are all related.
Šúŋkmanu Hé Miyédo! Čhaŋnúpa Sápa Hé Miyédo!
Ĥeȟáŋ Wičhášta/Delória Tiwašpaye, Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ, and Chickasaw Nations
