"I have many dreams. If I could change any thing in the world, Columbus would have never found America."

The sacred beauty of Native American ways -- experiencing a oneness with the Great Spirit, Creator and Mother Earth; deep relationship to the elements; storytelling; celebration and healing through ritual and ceremony -- has been continually dishonored and dismissed.

While most teenage girls are just forming a concept of themselves, finding their own identity while trying to be accepted and fit in, Native American girls have the added challenge of living in a world that barely recognizes their existence, and frequently rejects their culture. This affects the very core of their beings, as expressed in a poem by Rachel G. Fry, age 15, from Omak, Washington:

REALIZATION

There is a woman in the desert,
Searching through the sand,
Looking with a sad heart,
For her people and her land.
And the woman knows, and she is sad.

And as she digs and studies,
She finds nothing but a trace,
Of what once walked this desert,
Of what they call(ed) her race.
And the woman knows, and she is sad.

Her family is gone,
all killed out of greed,
no one knows what to do,
to make the murderers take heed.
And the woman knows, and she is sad.

The woman cried in her heart,
But now she is numb,
And all she does now,
Is wonder why they have come.
And the woman knows, and she is sad.

There is nothing they can do,
To make the others halt,
Their number is too large,
Their ignorance is a fault.
And the woman knows, and she is sad.

The woman knows,
It is time for change,
It is death or submission,
This knowledge fills her with rage.
And the woman knows, and she is sad.

* * *

Too many girls, like Rachel, feel helpless living in a nation that not only has historically taken from the Indian people, but also one that often perpetuates a derogatory stereotype.

The writing I received from Native American teenage girls indicates that they frequently feel that they must fight to not buy into old negative images and reject themselves. They find self-destructive behavior is, unfortunately, all-too-common amongst their people, illustrated in the high rate of alcoholism, unemployment, and the fact that many do not go far from their reservations, where education and jobs are not readily available, thus remaining uneducated and impoverished.

Adrienne Thomas, a 15-year-old Ft. Totten Devils Lake Sioux, has some strong concerns:

"...It really bothers me when I see prejudice. I don't see why people watch the Indians and look at them as if we are bad people. I think people should treat everyone equally, no matter what color they are. Everyone needs to respect one another and respect them for who they are.

I wish there would come a day where people don't judge others by color. I wish the white people who are prejudice against Indians would not look at them and think they are all low, such as alcoholics and thieves. But I know it is not only the Indian race that is treated this way. This is what has been on my mind for a very long time, and I pray one day prejudice will end, and peace will come throughout the world."

* * *

"I pray every night to the Creator to help me through, and I ask elders to go into the sweat lodge to pray for me. The sweat lodge is the place to go when you want to pray and talk to the Creator, to ask for things or to purify your body, and seek good vision. It is a traditional way of life to talk to the man up above and ask to go on the good path not the bad. He helps me to take care of myself and know that I do have something out there to reach and work for."

Tanya Wynette Jo Falls Down, age 18 Crow Indian, Lodge Grass, Montana.

* * *

18-year-old Angel Arnold, from the Pomo-Wailaki-Concow tribe, is another girl who desires to be heard and is speaking out "loud brave and clear."

As an active leader in both her home and school communities, she writes:

"I feel very strong about my messages and the main purpose of them is to reach other youth and encourage them to bring back the culture loud brave and clear to our future leaders of our next generation to come... I've done so much, with so little for so long, Now I can do almost anything -- With nothing at all..."

* * *

"...I cannot justify complaining about any- thing I am not willing to change. Besides, I want to be able to help my people. I grew up in a white-dominated community, and I know first hand the pressure applied to Native Americans not to succeed. I've learned that unless we can rely on ourselves and our future generations, we will never succeed.

I hope that through my work other Native Americans will see that we can succeed."

Tammy Sue Lowe, age 17, Cherokee Indian from Anderson, Missouri

While many of the Native American girls wrote of the importance of taking action, making sure history does not repeat itself, some choose to remain passive, retreating with their anger and resentment. And still others, like Tammy, may realize the necessity that for one's own soul fulfillment, for one's own inner peace, they must follow the Great Spirit's path by showing mercy and forgiveness.

An excerpt from: THE TRAIL WHERE WE DIED.

...Then I saw the Great Spirit,
as before him I stood.
He calmed my soul and made me smile
for He was the symbol of good.
He told me that I must change my ways
or I would never live
in the land where His children play
and no love would me, He give.
When I woke I understood
everything he had meant.
The only way to see Him
would be to share the love He had sent.
The unconditional love he showed
was not only for one race,
it was intended for everyone
who walked upon the earth's face.
To everyone He showed mercy
to everyone He showed love
to everyone He gave a second chance
as He ruled from up above.
So if I did not show mercy
if I did not show love
if I did not give a second chance
He would deny me it from above.
Now my heart is softened
as I try to forget and forgive.
The Great Spirit has directed my path
and with Him I will eternally live.