AMERICAN [ Native American, introductory poem ] I am the master of Sequoyah, Spirit friend of American Nations Eternal Logos of wisdom's sages, infinity cosmic universal ages I am the author of peace and love but my right hand holds the thunder Those who deceive and oppress my people My white horse soon will trample under. . .               We all bow to Big Chief               Great Spirit of Oglala Sioux sky               Who makes his rain fall on the evil and good               And hears the oppressed when they cry               We believe in helping a stranger in need               And believe in brotherhood               The avarice way of the savage light hand               We've never really quite understood               We all bow to Big Chief               Our Father of American nations               Never killing or planting more than we need               We have reverence for all his creations               For 12,000 years we hunted in peace               Gathered food and planted his seed               We seldom knew more than minor warfare               And never heard of such insatiable greed               We all bow to Big Chief               Great God of the natural flow               We like to share all things in common               And offer half when supplies are low               They called us sub-human and savage               For refusing to buy and sell land               And repaid our kindness with evil               When we offered them a helping hand               There's a drum beat sounding in the distance               The Trail Of Tears continues to grow               As they rape the home of our children's future               And ignore the true path that we know               Misery and destruction follow their feet               The Law Of Peace they have not known               And as sure as mighty rivers flow to the sea               They will reap what they have sown               "Vengeance is mine" says Big Chief               And though our tears flow down like rain               We know that someday we will prevail               And be one with the eagle again               Now whether our lot be good or bad               And no matter which way the wind blows               We all bow to Big Chief               'Cause we know his will is what goes * Native American Rights Fund    Native American Resources *FootNote:  Dedicated to Tatanka-Iyotanka [Chief Sitting Bull; Hunkpapa Sioux], perhaps the very greatest political leader to ever arise in the Americas.  It is typical of him to note that in old age and enduring criticism for stooping to take part in Buffalo Bill's traveling wild west show, Tatanka Iyotake took his excess earnings from this and spread it among the poor white children he encountered in the various towns the show passed through---the same white children whose relatives had so unbelievably mistreated and utterly decimated the Sioux and other Native Americans, violating treaty after treaty after treaty, over and over and over again.             Copyright © 2003 by Richard Aberdeen Copyright © 2005 by Freedom Tracks Music No part of this material may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher and signed by the author.  Inquiries: Freedom Tracks Music ~ Records, 292 Trails Circle, Nashville, TN 37214 or requested via eMail.  Essays entitled Revolution and Revolution -- Side B are open copyright and may be reproduced or utilized as often as one likes.