Andrea Joy Campbell: “This fan comes from the eagle. The old people call the eagle the keeper of the Earth, the one that watches over the…”

“This fan comes from the eagle. The old people call the eagle the keeper of the Earth, the one that watches over the domain of the Grandfather Spirit. This pipe carries the smoke with the words and the thoughts from the people who use it to the Creator. This flute is used to carry songs of love, forgiveness, and brotherhood. So, Mr. President, I hope that the voices of all the council fires and pipes send our pleas as Senators as we ask for guidance as we try to rid ourselves of violence in this Nation. I would like the great winged brother that he has chosen as our national symbol of freedom and justice to oversee all of his children. Further, I would like the winds to carry the sweetness and harmony and tolerance of the flute to the Grandfather Spirit. Mr. President, traditional Indian people do not believe that death is finite. Indeed, they believe that mortal remains return to Mother Earth from which they came, but the soul, which is the part of you that is timeless, goes on to the next world to be forever in the presence of the Great Spirit in a place that is absent of avarice and greed, devoid of hunger and sickness, barren of anger, jealousy, and hate.”