First Peoples

"For thousands of years, the world has known
Countless peoples living in many different ways
With their own language, art, and songs
Respecting the bounty of nature"

Huron, Cree, Ojibway, Yanomami
Kaiapo, Penan, Nisga'a, Lakota

First Peoples of this world
First of all our voices heard
Mother, Father, ancient kin
Spirit names of countless tribes

Carve and paint, chant and drum
Gift and glory of an olden time
Weave and spin tales of a new day come
Hand in hand, walking free
Children of the land and sea
Dreams and visions dancing in the wind

Iroquois, Carib, Navaho, Inuit, Saami
Miskito, Dene, Kelabit, Haida

"And today, First Peoples enrich the Earth family
Share the wisdom of ages for future generations
Helping to protect our sources of
Beauty, health, and wonder"

Father Sky, Mother Earth, all of our relations' birth
Eagle, bear, turtle, whale, moving in creation's tale
First Peoples of this world, the test of time endured
Brothers, Sisters in the sun, circle life in a spiral run

Carve and paint, chant and drum
Gift and glory of an olden time
Weave and spin tales of a new day come
Hand in hand, walking free
Children of the land and sea
Dreams and visions dancing in the wind

Gitk'san, Ainu, Fulani, Arawak, Arapaho
Maya, Maori, Huichol, Oromo
Shoshone, Hopi, Innu, Embera, Quechua
Lubicon, Salish, Dandami, Munda, Gurindji, Kalinga

Carve and paint, chant and drum
Gift and glory of an olden time
Weave and spin tales of a new day come
Hand in hand, walking free
Children of the land and sea
Dreams and visions dancing in the wind