13 May Native American Prayers
In this Living Hour post, we are going to share some of our favorite Native American prayers. We’ve chosen prayers and blessings that are short and easy to memorize—thus they can be used as prayers for children as well as adults.
Considering the current state of the world, where we seem to be long on war and short on peace, we are going to start with a Native American prayer of peace that is attributed to the Cheyenne tribe.
Native American Prayer of Peace
Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise,
For as long as the rivers shall flow,
For as long as the sun shall shine,
For as long as the grass shall grow,
Let us know peace.
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Since we are on the subject of peace, next up will be a Native American prayer on being in harmony with God and the world around us—which is a necessary part of bringing greater peace and less violence and war. This prayer is attributed to the Chinook tribe of the Pacific Northwest.
Native American Prayer of Harmony
May all I say and all I think
be in harmony with thee,
God within me,
God beyond me,
maker of the trees.
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As we can see in the above prayer, Native Americans saw God both within themselves and in the natural world. The same can be said of the religion which Jesus taught, as he too taught that “the Kingdom of God is within you” as well as in Nature, as revealed in the gnostic Gospel of Thomas when he says, “Raise the stone, and there you will find me; cleave the wood, and there I am.”
In the next Native American prayer (from the Navajo), we can once again see the manner in which they view our unity with mother Earth.
Native American Prayer of Unity
The mountains, I become a part of it”¦
The herbs, the fir tree, I become a part of it.
The morning mists, the clouds, the gathering waters,
I become a part of it.
The wilderness, the dew drops, the pollen”¦
I become a part of it.
———
It’s always nice to have short blessings to give a friend or loved one when they are leaving you. We shared one well-known Irish blessing in our post on How to Pray Effectively. And now we are going to share two of our favorite Native American blessings. The first one is from the Apache tribe and the 2nd is from the Pueblo. Both are easy to remember and use the next time a dear friend departs and is not expected to return for a long time.
Native American Blessing for When Parting
May the sun bring you new energy by day;
may the moon softly restore you by night;
may the rain wash away your worries,
may the breeze blow new strength into your being,
may you walk gently through the world and
know its beauty all the days of your life.
—–
Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.
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The last Native American prayer we would like to share is from the Navajo people. It’s one that can be repeated often (even daily) in order to be reminded of the beauty in the world and bring beauty into your life.
Native American Prayer of Beauty
As I walk, as I walk
The universe is walking with me
In beauty it walks before me
In beauty it walks behind me
In beauty it walks below me
In beauty it walks above me
Beauty is on every side
As I walk, I walk with Beauty.
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If you are someone who enjoys Native American prayers and admires the religious beliefs of the Native American peoples, we think you will enjoy our mystical and transcendental interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer. You can read it now at: The Lord’s Prayer Explained Line by Line.