Everyday Gratitude: Honoring Our Place in the Natural World

An Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address

Everyday bounty

Gratitude is founded on the deep knowing that our very existence relies on the gifts of other beings.

~ Robin Wall Kimmerer

Friends—

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I hope this finds you well. We all know this time of year is full, and sometimes, fraught—for all sorts of reasons. For this, I offer you a meditation on gratitude.

---

Gratitude

I’ve been thinking about gratitude—not just as one grand gesture during the year, but as daily practice. Not just for our family, friends, and health, but for our planet, for the gifts of other beings. So much of our societal emphasis is (mis)placed on the material plane and on more—of everything. We whirl about, directing our precious life moments to doing and striving towards seemingly-endless material goals. In the process, we often disconnect from the beating world outside our doors, shortchanging both ourselves and the natural world. The losses are real:

For so many of us, the comforts and ease of modern living have largely disconnected us from the rhythms of the natural world. While our comforts are, well, comfortable, our concurrent losses are incalculable. We’ve lost connection with our own deep intuition, forgotten how to heal ourselves, placed our somatic knowledge on the shelf. We miss out on the lessons offered by trees communicating with each other, the healing extended by natural hot springs and cold waters, the gifts of awe granted by expansive horizons. In the process, we’ve forgotten how to be. To be a woman, to be love, to be of this world. We refrain from fully expressing ourselves. Refrain from being free, dancing under the moonlight, saying what we actually mean. And we suffer as a result.

from: Re-Learning How To Be: Lessons From The Natural World.

We miss the everyday moments that are the stories of life—the stories not just of our lives, but those of our more-than-human friends. We overlook the everyday gifts they offer, the way trees breathe us oxygen, how microbes deliver nutrients to our foods, how salmon transport nutrients and carbon from the ocean to the high alpine forests that sustain us.

What if we were to adopt a different perspective?

I’m taken by Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen or Words Before all Else—the Thanksgiving Address offered by the Haudenosaunee (or Six Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora). Rather than serve as an annual offering of thanks, this prayer is routinely used to open and close major gatherings and meetings and sometimes used at the beginning or end of the day. In other words, it’s a way to honor the everyday gifts bestowed by other beings. Let us take note. It goes like this:

Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen: Words Before all Else

Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address¹

The People

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.

Now our minds are one.

The Earth Mother

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Waters

We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms- waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.

Now our minds are one.

The Fish

We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Plants

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.

Now our minds are one.

The Food Plants

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and send them a greeting of thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Medicine Herbs

Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.

Now our minds are one.

The Animals

We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.

Now our minds are one.

The Trees

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life.

Now our minds are one.

The Birds

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds-from the smallest to the largest-we send our joyful greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Four Winds

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.

Now our minds are one.

Closing Words

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

Now our minds are one.

---

For you as my reader, with gratitude.

xo Wendy

1. American Yawp Reader. Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address.