old3bob Posted March 22 (edited) The seventh generation principle is based on an ancient philosophy of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois), which is recognized as the oldest democracy in the world and believed to be the model of the American Constitution, the foundation document of the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth. The American Indian culture custom and costume is central to their very existence. Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand have similar concepts to the seventh generation principle, in reciting whakapapa or the genealogy of all things and is central to all Maori institutions, connecting people to the past, present and future and the non-human world. So as the American Indians believe, all things are connected, air, water, land, and animals. https://theseventhgeneration.org/maori-tour/ For me the seventh generation principle comes from seventh generations of living on one piece of land, that we have stood here, breathed here, cried here, died here. While I have had a thousand influences in my life from many different cultures and belief systems, it is the land that has taught me. It is the truth of living in place that has taught me the seventh generation principle, because we are simply on a continuum. I belong only to this place. Native Americans never took a stance; we’ve always respected the earth. Anytime we do something that will affect nature, we ask ourselves, how will this affect seven generations? The earth is our mother, the sky is our father, and everything in between is our brothers and sisters. Everybody deserves respect and the right to be listened to. Dale Carson Edited March 22 by old3bob 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
