Mitakuye Oyasin

Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ (All Are Related) is a phrase from the Lakota language. It reflects the world view of interconnectedness held by the Lakota people of North America.[1] This concept and phrase is expressed in many Yankton Sioux prayers,[2] as well as by ceremonial people in other Lakota communities.[3][4]

The phrase translates in English as "all my relatives," "we are all related," or "all my relations." It is a prayer of oneness and harmony with all forms of life: other people, animals, birds, insects, trees and plants, and even rocks, rivers, mountains and valleys.[2]

From work in the 1940s, American scholar Joseph Epes Brown wrote a study of Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ and its relevance in the Sioux ideology of "underlying connection" and "oneness." He noted how the phrase has been misappropriated and misused as a slogan and salutation by peoples from outside the Lakota cultures.[4]

Francis White Bird asserts that only Lakota can use this phrase because it applies only to Lakota culture.[5]

Regardless it has become a sign of recognition by all peoples of native ancestry, especially those who are alienated from tribal tradition.

References
  1. François, Damien (2007). The Self-destruction of the West: critical cultural anthropology. Publibook. p. 28. ISBN 2-7483-3797-2.
  2. Maroukis, Thomas Constantine (2005). Peyote and the Yankton Sioux: The Life and Times of Sam Necklace. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 160. ISBN 0-8061-3649-9.
  3. "US: Indigenous Lakota women face harsh winter wrath under climate change". November 2, 2010.
  4. Lupton, Mary Jane (2004). James Welch: A Critical Companion. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 23–24. ISBN 0-313-32725-4.
  5. White Bird, Francis. "Levels of Lakota language". Lakota Country Times. Lakota Country Times. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
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