"Years ago, my uncle, Clyde Wesley Plenty Chief, was very ill and came near death. When he recovered, he told me his strength was regained by the many, many prayers that were said for him.
He said he had a vision during his illness. In that vision, he could see far above the Dakotas and Montana. Spread out over the land were multicolored quilts that represented the people who had prayed for him. They weren’t just Sahnish (Arikara) people, but people of different religions and colors. Their prayers were heard as one people, he said.
That is what this country is: diverse in religions, races and cultural ways. It is our strength, if we let it be.
These thoughts about diversity and differences brought to mind the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, coming Monday. I realized I don’t hear much about this growing group in our community. With only a little research, I found a Thursday report by the Census Bureau that says the Hispanic population has grown to more than 45 million people. That’s 15 percent of the total population the U.S. and is the largest minority population in the nation.
This group probably will triple by 2050, reports say. "
Get the Story:Dorreen Yellow Bird: Colorful quilt covers area (The Grand Forks Herald 5/3)
pwpwd More Dorreen Yellow Bird:
Yellow Bird: Pollution a threat to North Dakota (4/30)
Yellow Bird: Program graduates Indian nurses at UND (4/21)
Yellow Bird: Recovering from brain aneurysm surgery (4/17)
Yellow Bird: A fight for oil on the reservation (03/31)
Yellow Bird: Excitement in North Dakota's weather (3/26)
Yellow Bird: Thoughts on Sen. Obama and race (3/24)
Yellow Bird: Pray for rain in western North Dakota (3/19)
Yellow Bird: Grandchildren are the greatest gift (3/17)
Yellow Bird: UND powwow survives budget woes (3/10)
Yellow Bird: Stereotypes and Hillary Clinton (3/5)
Yellow Bird: Celebrating 125 years of UND history (3/3)
Yellow Bird: High hopes for Indian health bill (2/28)
Yellow Bird: More Plains foods that are good for you (2/25)
Yellow Bird: Chokecherries, the wonder fruit (2/20)
Yellow Bird: Sadness on a trip to Standing Rock (2/18)
Yellow Bird: It's time for a change in music (2/11)
Yellow Bird: 'Sioux' drives Indian students away (2/7)
Yellow Bird: Another cold January in North Dakota (1/30)
Yellow Bird: Tribal casinos should be alcohol free (1/28)
Yellow Bird: Race and gender in presidential race (1/23)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama is my choice for 2008 (1/16)
Yellow Bird: Artman right on off-reservation gaming (1/9)
Yellow Bird: Barack Obama's big win in Iowa (1/7)
