The
first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes from
within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their
oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize
that at the center of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this
center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real
peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The
second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the
third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you
should understand that there can never be peace between nations until
there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.
Black Elk in The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux (1953).
(Art by Freddie E. Williams.)
Black Elk in The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux (1953).
(Art by Freddie E. Williams.)