Speeches

Here you’ll find speeches by three Sioux tribal chiefs testifying at the UN convention.

Chief Thunder Cloud (Lounès)

Friends, relatives, and esteemed guests,

As I stand before you today, I am filled with both gratitude and concern. Gratitude for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you, and concern for the state of our society and the world we inhabit.

In the eyes of many, our society is a marvel of progress and achievement, a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of humankind. And yet, beneath the surface of our modern world lies a deeper truth, one that speaks to the imbalance and disharmony that pervades our existence.

We live in a society that is driven by consumption and competition, where success is measured not by the content of our character but by the size of our bank accounts. We have become disconnected from the land and from each other, our lives increasingly dominated by screens and gadgets that distract us from the beauty and wonder of the world around us.

As a member of the Sioux Nation, I believe that we have much to offer to the wider world. Our culture teaches us to live in harmony with nature, to honor the earth as our mother and the animals as our brothers and sisters. It teaches us the importance of community and kinship, of sharing our resources and supporting each other in times of need.

If we are to build a more just and sustainable society, we must learn from the wisdom of indigenous peoples and incorporate their values into our lives. We must recognize that we are all interconnected, that the well-being of one is inseparable from the well-being of all.

But achieving true harmony will require more than just words; it will require action. It will require us to reevaluate our priorities, to question the relentless pursuit of wealth and power, and to embrace a more holistic and inclusive vision of progress.

Together, we can create a world where every voice is heard, where every life is valued, and where the earth is treated not as a commodity to be exploited but as a sacred trust to be protected for future generations.

Let us work together, hand in hand, to build a society that honors the wisdom of the past and the needs of the present, a society where all can coexist in peace and harmony.

Thank you.

Chief Running Elk (Félix)

Friends, relatives, and honored guests,

Today, I stand before you with a heart heavy with the weight of history, yet brimming with the resilience of our people. We gather on the sacred land of our ancestors, a land that has witnessed the ebb and flow of countless seasons, and the enduring spirit of the Sioux Nation.

As I look upon this assembly, I see the faces of warriors and elders, of mothers and children, all descendants of a proud lineage that stretches back through the ages. But I also see the shadows of our past, shadows cast by the arrival of strangers.

When the first cocasians appeared on the horizon, we extended our hands in friendship, offering the warmth of our hearths and the bounty of our lands. Little did we know that these strangers carried not only goods but also the seeds of discord and destruction.

The arrival of the whites brought with it a wave of change that swept across our homelands like a prairie fire. Our ways of life, rooted deep in the earth and sky, were deemed inferior, primitive even, by those who sought to conquer and subdue.

With each passing season, our lands grew smaller, hemmed in by the fences and boundaries of treaties that were written in words we could not understand and signed with promises that were never meant to be kept. Our people were herded onto reservations like cattle, stripped of our freedom, our dignity, and our very identity.

But through the darkness of those days, the spirit of the Sioux endured. We rose up in defiance, our warriors riding like thunder across the plains, our voices raised in songs of resistance that echoed from the Black Hills to the banks of the Missouri.

Yet, with each victory won on the battlefield, we also tasted the bitterness of defeat. For the might of the Invaders Army was vast, and their hunger for our lands insatiable. The Battle of Little Bighorn stands as a testament to our valor and our determination, but it also serves as a stark reminder of the cost of resistance.

And so, we find ourselves here today, caught between the echoes of the past and the uncertain future that stretches out before us. The wounds inflicted upon our people may run deep, but they have not extinguished the flame of hope that burns within each and every one of us.

As we stand on the threshold of a new dawn, let us remember those who came before us, those who fought and bled so that we might live free. Let us honor their sacrifice by preserving our traditions, by teaching our children the language of our ancestors, and by tending to the sacred fires that still burn within our hearts.

And let us also extend a hand of reconciliation to those who now share this land with us, for the wounds of the past can only be healed through understanding and forgiveness. Together, we can forge a future where the legacy of the Sioux Nation is not one of defeat and despair, but of resilience and renewal.

May the spirits of our ancestors guide us, may the blessings of the earth and sky sustain us, and may the bond that unites us as a people never be broken.

Thank you.

Chief Eagle Feather (Nathan)

Friends, relatives, and honored guests,

Today, under the vast expanse of the sky and the embrace of the earth, I stand before you as a proud member of the Sioux Nation, a people whose roots run deep and whose culture shines brightly like the stars above.

Our culture is more than just a collection of customs and traditions; it is the very essence of who we are as a people. It is woven into the fabric of our daily lives, reflected in the songs we sing, the stories we tell, and the dances that celebrate the rhythms of the natural world.

At the heart of our culture lies a profound reverence for the land and all living beings that inhabit it. From the majestic buffalo that once roamed the plains in great herds to the towering cottonwood trees that stand as sentinels along the riverbanks, we see the hand of the divinities in every blade of grass and every whispering breeze.

Our connection to the land is not just one of sustenance but also one of spiritual renewal. When we walk upon the earth, we are walking in the footsteps of our ancestors, and with each step, we carry forward the wisdom and teachings that have been passed down through the generations.

Central to our culture is the belief in the interconnectedness of all things. We see ourselves not as separate from nature but as an integral part of it, bound together in a web of life that spans the mountains and the valleys, the rivers and the skies.

Our ceremonies, whether they be the sacred Sun Dance or the solemn Pipe Ceremony, serve as reminders of our place in the universe and our responsibilities to each other and to the earth. Through prayer and song, we seek to maintain harmony with the natural world and to honor the spirits that dwell within it.

But perhaps the most enduring aspect of our culture is our sense of community and kinship. In times of celebration, we come together as one, sharing in the joys of music and dance, of laughter and storytelling. And in times of hardship, we stand shoulder to shoulder, drawing strength from each other and from the bonds of kinship that bind us together as a people.

As we look to the future, let us never forget the rich tapestry of our culture, a tapestry woven with the threads of love and resilience, of tradition and innovation. Let us cherish our heritage and pass it on to future generations so that they may walk proudly in the footsteps of their ancestors.

May the spirit of our people continue to thrive, may the songs of our ancestors continue to echo across the plains, and may the fire of our culture burn brightly for all eternity.

Thank you.