Eike Reinhardt: In the North American prairies
people followed the buffalo for hundreds of years.
It gave them food and material for their clothes, their tents, their weapons and tools.
It required great courage
to face this colossal beast of muscles and horns.
The buffalo are gone.
But the people who hunted the buffalo
still live there.
The Indians of the plains.
We had the great fortune to meet these people on their reserves,
sit with the Elders at the campfire
and participate in their rituals.
Daniel Goetz: And the people there tell the following story:
One night a young boy comes running excitedly into the tepee of his grandfather.
"Grandpa, grandpa – I dreamed something!
I dreamed that in my chest two wolves are fighting each other.
The one wolf was bad, it was spiteful ...
... and cowardly.
The other wolf was good.
It was peaceful, hopeful, and wise."
The old man smiled: "These two wolves are fighting in the chest of every human being."
"And grandpa ...", the boy looked at the older man with wide eyes.
"Which wolf will prevail inside of me?"
The old man says: "The wolf that you feed."
ER: As the little boy hears this from his grandfather.
he is relieved. He knows now that he himself can influence
which wolf will gain the upper hand inside him.
The First Nations People say: "What you give you get."
DG: We are interested in what First Nations People say.
We are interested in what we can learn today
from indigenous cultures.
And, of course, we are often asked: "OK – what can you learn from them?"
That's a good second question.
And we would love to talk about that all day.
But first, another question is more important.
Namely: How can we learn from indigenous people?
To put it differently:
What is the right attitude we need to be able to learn from indigenous cultures?
We are convinced: Many concepts are exchangeable.
Evaluations are variable.
One's own experience, however, is inviolable.
ER: We believe that one’s own experience
is the best basis for new insights.
We would like to take you on our own hero's journey
to the Sun Dance of the Piapot First Nation in Canada.
The Sun Dance is the supreme ritual of the Plains Indians.
There, we fasted four days,
did not have anything to drink for 2.5 days
and then sacrificed our own flesh on the fourth day.
It begins on Thursday with a ritual walk.
The Walk of Life.
The tribal Elders
lead the community to the holy places
where the Sun Dance is held.
There, you make your commitment.
The commitment is an obligation with yourself.
The commitment is made between yourself – and the Creator.
In the Christian tradition we speak of the Creator, too.
And what is remarkable:
No one controls from the outside if you keep or don't keep your commitment.
No one keeps track, if you
secretly eat or drink
or otherwise betray your own promise.
You are your own "police".
DG: The second day, the Friday,
is devoted to the construction of the great Sun Dance lodge.
The lodge is rebuilt every year.
In the center, it is supported by the Tree of Life.
The Tree of Life represents and establishes a link between Mother Earth ...
and the Creator.
We were asked not to take pictures – which we respected, of course.
ER: On Saturday, the Sun Dancers have two options:
Either sitting on a mountain side in meditation for 16 hours
from sunrise to sunset – motionless.
Or dancing in the Sun Dance lodge without stopping
to the monotonous sound of the drums.
The big day is the Sunday.
It is on that day that the Sun Dancer sacrifices his own flesh.
For this, the skin is cut open at the chest.
Two small sticks are then pushed under the skin of the chest.
These sticks are attached to cords that lead to the Tree of Life.
Tied in such a way, the Sun Dancer dances around the Tree of Life four times.
Then he throws himself backwards
so that the little sticks are torn out of the skin.
Thus, he is symbolically reborn.
DG: What you give – you get. We experienced personally
what a difference your own attitude can make:
For one of us, the Sun Dance was almost a near death experience.
Sacrificing yourself for the tribe.
For the other, it was a proud act
of an unyielding tribal warrior.
ER: And as we were standing at the Tree of Life, exhausted and happy,
one of the Elders came to us and said:
"You are warriors now. And when you are back home, tell your people.
Tell them how much we love Mother Earth."
DG: And we are here tonight to fulfill our commitment.
ER: Hai-hai.
DG: And this also clearly shows: The Sun Dance
is not about having an adrenaline rush.
It is not a simple test of courage
or a new sort of extreme sports.
And certainly not a folk circus.
Sacrificing yourself can contribute to the welfare of the community,
as is the belief of First Nations People.
In fact, in our own world, this idea is not unheard of either.
Believers fast before sacred holidays.
Monks traditionally live in deprivation.
Jesus sacrificed himself for the salvation of his followers.
Sacrificing yourself requires courage.
It requires you to pull the badge of victimhood off your forehead.
It requires you to face your own fear.
Our fear tries to prevent us
from becoming a victim. And that's a good thing.
But courage is not the absence of fear,
it rather means overcoming your fear.
We observed a First Nation man who was trembling with excitement at the Sun Dance.
The tears ran down his face.
And yet – he made this sacrifice
and overcame his fear.
ER: A ceremony like the Sun Dance always takes place in the community.
First Nations People say: "We are always connected.
We all belong to a larger oneness."
During a ceremony the Elder will say:
The energy of the ceremony comes from everyone together.
He himself is primarily the mediator of the worlds.
At the end of a ceremony you traditionally thank everyone,
with whom you have a connection.
You say: "To all my relations."
Or, in the language of the Cree First Nations: "Kahkiyaw niwahkomak"
DG: Our world often appears confusing and restless to us.
We are looking for guidance and meaning.
And we experience the world as very individualistic.
Therefore, we strive for individual development.
We often think of ourselves as the center of the universe ...
enclosed in a vacuum.
ER: "To all my relations", however,
positions you in the community.
In the First Nations view, personal development is always connected
to the development of the community.
The Mohawk Elder Monture Angus says:
"When our women and our men come to understand their place and role
in the community that they are responsible to,
then our nations become fully revived."
Perhaps, you can compare this to the situation in an orchestra.
Each musician has his or her own place, too.
DG: What you give you get. What does that mean anyhow?
It is often misunderstood.
In the sense of "You give and you take."
But it is not about giving and taking at all.
It is not like: "Sometimes you win – sometimes you lose."
Also not like: "I give what I want – and I take what I need."
It is not like that.
It is no "accounting of favors and courtesy."
It's not: "I am doing something good for you ...
and in return I receive something good from you."
For example: "I am doing a good job.
My boss has to reward me for that!"
It is not meant like that either.
Rather: What do I stand up for?
What do I value?
One’s values can only grow and prosper
if they are nourished and protected – like a baby.
Thus, you deposit into your own account,
when you follow your own values.
This way you become the hero of your own story.
There is a significant difference between
being a victim – and sacrificing yourself.
The hero sacrifices himself – and thus becomes a hero!
Now, what does "What you give you get" mean?
Most likely: "What I give – I experience!"
ER: But isn’t that tedious and exhausting?
Yes! It sometimes is.
And all the same ! I'll do it!
Heroes are not always wise or rational.
But they listen to their inner voice – and follow it.
With fighting spirit, if need be.
Do you remember the story of the Jamaican bobsled team
that wanted to travel to the Winter Olympics?
Indeed – some do.
How crazy do you have to be in order to pursue such an idea?
How much mockery did these athletes have to endure, initially?
How many pitying looks?
And all the same! They did it!
And in the end they were more successful
than most had believed before.
And with that, they have given hope and courage to many.
DG: And sometimes, the greatest competence a hero can possess
is perseverance.
When we were meditating for 16 hours sitting on the hill
or dancing in the Sun Dance lodge,
keeping up was essential for us.
You could say: Stop whining – keep moving!
Grin and bear it.
Do not complain – just do it!
Julius Erving, a basketball star of the American NBA, says:
"Being a professional means for me, doing the things you love to do
even on those days when you don't feel like doing them."
Stop whining – keep moving.
ER: The First Nations ask: "What is your medicine?"
What do they mean by that?
The question is not asking for a pill or an herb.
Much rather, it asks:
How can you contribute with your talents to the welfare of the community?
Often, this is expressed in a spiritual name.
The First Nations start their homework early
in finding their personal mission in life.
For that, they do meditation runs or vision quests,
in which they retreat
to the solitude of nature.
A talent is, therefore, not a purely private property,
with which one can boast.
So following the call of the heart means
using your talent to the benefit of the community.
“Passion!” This word already contains heroism.
For what do I burn? For what am I willing to sacrifice myself?
Or even better:
How can I feed the good wolf inside me?
DG: But what does that mean for us?
How can we feed the good wolf?
Some people say: "Sacrificing yourself – that doesn't sound like a very good idea!"
In German, "Opfer" can refer to two different things.
The "victim" – a person that a suffering is forced on to.
And the "sacrifice" – the offering someone is willing to give.
It is based on the word "sacred".
To sacrifice – referring to an almost holy act.
In that sense we want it to be understood.
And sometimes, someone comes to us and says: "OK, now I can understand it."
"But how can I become a hero?"
For this person we have five tips at hand.
First: "What I give, I experience."
Choose a person to whom you give all your positive energy for a while.
and notice how that person grows with your support.
And then notice how you yourself grow.
ER: Secondly: Spiritual Name.
What is your spiritual name?
Or put differently: What is your mission in life?
For what are you willing to sacrifice yourself?
On what occasions in your life have you already done this?
DG: Thirdly: "And all the same!"
Is there a project wherein you experience resistance,
and where you can now become a hero and say, "And all the same – I do it!"
and then do it?
Fourthly: "Stop whining – keep moving!"
Do you have a personal project that is important to you
but that stretches like a chewing gum?
Then it is the time now to put all your perseverance into it
and say: „Stop whining – keep moving!“
DG: Fifthly: "Pull the badge of victimhood off your forehead!"
Where are you fed up with the pity of others ...
or even your own self-pity?
Where can you become a proud warrior
and wipe off the pity?
ER: And if you have done all this – or even just one of these things
look in the mirror and try to say that you are no hero.
We are convinced that you won’t be able to say that.
DG: : And if you like, place your hand on the chest of the good wolf in order to strengthen him.
Have much joy and happiness in doing so.
ER: To all our relations. Hai-hai.
(Applause)