Elsie Crow Shoe
Elsie's Old Story
Elsie's Message
I learned that to live today we must pray and be humble. I have been told that we must share the knowledge and teachings we have learned with those who ask for our help. We should learn our language and how to respect the older people who are in our lives so they will teach us about our culture.
I learned about our culture from many people. When I was young I attended ceremonies and I would always offer to work and help in the outside tipi. By offering your assistance you can learn and see how things are done. People will always help you and teach you about the right things to do and how to make sure that important things are taken care of.
The old people like to tell stories. The stories teach us about how to behave and why things are done in our ceremonies. There are many lessons in the stories. You should always try to listen to these stories and ask questions about the teachings in them. Go and talk to the Elders about the lessons and always pray and smudge and ask the Creator to help you understand the right way to live.
Always respect people who live in our traditional way. I was taught to never question or debate with a person who lives traditionally. I would never question a person's ways because they have their own teachings and teachers and we must respect all teachings.
