In simple terms, Heritage is what each one of us individually or collectively wish to preserve and pass on to the next generation. If we want to preserve something, then it is our Heritage. This varies depending on the person or group of persons expressing their interest. Each individual possesses a personal Heritage which he or she cherishes, or should cherish. This is something that each individual needs to recognize, appreciate, conserve and share with others. It is left to individuals or families to recognize and pass on this Heritage from one generation to the next. As human beings, there are things, persons and traditions which we consider to be our common Heritage. Since the notion of Heritage rests on varied value systems, and that these value systems are constantly in evolution, it is normal that Heritage is also constantly in evolution. There is much more Heritage out there than most people think. If a person cares enough about something to pass it on to the next generations, then anyone saying to us that there is too much Heritage and not enough money to care for it and therefore we should limit the concept of Heritage to a few really special things, does not understand what Heritage stands for. Most people have multiple Heritages, which is good, I have only one, Ani Yun Wiya.

When children argued over an object, it was taken away from them and they were then encouraged to lie down on Mother Earth and look up at the sky. While observing the sky, the children were reminded that focusing attention on an object and on wanting to possess that object removed them from the harmony and balance of the Great Circle. Then the children were asked to focus their attention on Father Sky and look at the sky and the clouds. To watch the way the clouds moved and look for the images and spirits in them. The focus of the children's attention with possessing something was replaced with the openness of the sky and the movement of all our relations in the Above World, such as the clouds, the wind, the birds. The question, "Should we seek to own the sky" might be asked. Presence of mind was strenghtened in the children as they opened their minds and hearts to the movement and language of the clouds who speak in shapes and pictures. The children might be asked to help with a particular task as a way of replacing wanting thoughts with giving thoughts. This is only one way of many in which to encourage openness, creativity, and humility in the face of all creation

To walk in beauty is to celebrate the Sacred Dance of Life, to join the Circle with an open mind and an open heart, and to move at our own pace with clarity, kindness, and a sense of calm. To walk in beauty is to understand and practice the way of right relationship and to appreciate all of the beauty that exists both within and all around us.

In the traditional Medicine Way, we call upon all our relations for strength, guidance and wisdom. We give thanks to all our relations, to the Great Creator, to each of the Four Directions, to Father Sky, to Mother Earth, and to all the elements. All of these things have life of their own, and all of these things are sacred. Each one has a sacred reason for existing and a purpose to fulfill in the greater scheme of things. All of these are to be respected as a special part of the Greater Circle of Life. And it is the relation of each part to the others that creates a special flow in energy, called "Life."

By honoring "relations" in the way that we live each day, in the way that we think, and act, and breathe, we are honoring that sacred flow of energy called "life." And it is through this flow of energy, through all parts of the Greater Circle of Life that we not only survive, but really live and experience life in its fullest beauty. This is the power of relation.

The Elder or "wise child," reveres the wisdom of the world and maintains a sense of mystery and wonder, never forgetting the importance of the first smile. Becoming an Elder is coming to a place of clarity through thought and action, and through being. This is true "presence of mind." And this is possible through our recognition and "feeling" of where we stand in relation to everything else. Presence of mind occurs through an honoring of all relations, and through an understanding of our own "Medicine" and what we have to share. Everything has purpose in the Greater Circle.

We have always been of one family, and it is good to have life. In a single lifetime, we are given many gifts, not the least of which is Earth under our feet and the breath of life in our chest. We all exist in "community" of one kind or another. Because survival and well-being of the individual is synonymous with that of community, family plays a prominent role in our lives, whether we realize it or not. We are a family in a real sense, because we identify ourselves not by our own accomplishments, but by the nature of our our connections and the energy that we draw from these connections. We listen to the "Spirit" of a relationship and honor it accordingly. Our children are raised in different households over time; not because no one cares enough to keep the child, or because we are lazy and irresponsible, but because it is both an obligation and a pleasure to share in raising and caring for children in the family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and other members of the community are all responsible for the raising of children, and we take this responsibility very seriously. After all, children are the fresh green leaves unfolding on the outermost branches of the tree, and they give the tree and its roots much strength and beauty

At dawn, in the stillness of shadows, dancers, both adorned with Eagle feathers, dance in celebration of the new day, honoring the sacredness of life and connection with all things in Creation. The dancers step lightly on the moist soil, fresh with the dewdrops of an evening's sleep, blessed in the gentle light of Grandnother Moon and the little Star People. The dancers flap their arms eagerly in the quiet awakening somewhere between Mother Earth and Father Sky, honoring the spirit of our brother the Eagle. As they feel their hearts beating, so too, they feel the heartbeat of all Creation pulsing through their veins, the pulsing spirit of their ancestors before them, of those to come, and that of all things in the Greater Circle. As the dancers breathe, Earth breathes slowly, evenly, surely. As they flow like the water of rivers and rainfall with its purifying and healing energies, the life energy of all things flows in constant motion, unbroken, undisrupted in its beauty. As the dancers dance, the wind dances, carrying the sacred message of calmness to each of the rock people, and all of the animals. As the dancers smile the smile of ageless wonder with eyes wide, the Sun rises, bringing warmth and light to all living things. The dancers are grateful with each step they take as a sacred offering, a giving of thanks for all our relations. All things in the Greater Circle of Life dance in harmony and balance, and it is good. And, for all this we have much to be thankful.