Traditional ceremonies and spiritual practices. are precious gifts given to Indian people by the Creator. These sacred ways have enabled us as Indian people to survive –miraculously – the onslaught of five centuries of continuous effort by non- Indians and their government to exterminate us by extinguishing all traces of our traditional ways of life. Today, these precious sacred traditions continue to afford American Indian people of all [nations] the strength and vitality we need in the struggle we face everyday; they also offer us our best hope for a stable and vibrant future. These sacred traditions are an enduring and.
