To the Elders of The Mighty Kiowa....please share this story with our young Kiowa warriors......
Following the return of the Tomahawk to it's rightful place among The Mighty Kiowa, the tribe lived in peace and grew in prominence. With the emphasis that Chief Strong Eagle placed on family and tribe, word quickly spread to the other tribes about the goodness of the Kiowa tribe. Impressed by the stories they heard of the Kiowa's way of life, neighboring tribes began to send their young chiefs to visit The Mighty Kiowa to learn their ways.
On one such occasion, Chief Strong Eagle received a message from the Chief of a neighboring tribe, hand-delivered by one of their scouts. The message read: "Chief Strong Eagle, we have heard many good things about The Mighty Kiowa. It is said that your wisdom is unmatched among Chiefs, and that the path of your people follows the Great Spirit such that the respect of your people for one another and the land in which they live is great. Chief Strong Eagle! Grant us a pow wow around your fire so that we may learn more of the ways of your tribe to teach to our people!" Chief Strong Eagle consented to meet and sent word to the neighboring Chief.
On the evening of their meeting, the neighboring Chief arrived at the camp of The Mighty Kiowa, accompanied by the elders of his tribe and several of his younger chiefs. On their horses were bundles of firewood, which they used to build a great fire in the Kiowa's tribal circle. As Chief Strong Eagle approached the great fire, the visiting Chief extended his hand in friendship and said "Chief Strong Eagle, we are honored to sit in your circle. We have brought fuel for your fire as a token of our respect for you. As the fire of your heart burns for your people and land, so too shall this fire burn brightly to show us the wisdom of your ways!" Then, Chief Strong Eagle spoke: "Chief, I am honored and humbled by your words and your gift of fire. For many years, The Mighty Kiowa sought to do the will of The Great Spirit, who teaches us to respect the land and all that is in it, and to love and respect our families and friends." With that, one of the Kiowa elders brought a ceremonial box to Chief Strong Eagle, and opened it for him. Chief Strong Eagle removed a rolled animal skin, and carefully unrolled it. On the skin were painted words. Chief Bald Eagle held the skin up for all to see, and said "The wisdom of many generations of The Mighty Kiowa are written on this animal skin! Though the words are few, they carry great wisdom and meaning. Many moons ago, I dreamed of a great white dove that brought the gift of a great Tomahawk to our tribe as a reminder that the strength of our families was also the strength of our tribe. It was then that I realized that the words on this animal skin tell us to live in peace with The Great Spirit and one another. Our elders called these words The Aims, so that we would always remember that it is these words that we must aim for each day:
1. To be clean in body and pure in heart
2. To be friends forever with my dad/mom/son/daughter.
3. To love the sacred circle of my family.
4. To listen while others speak.
5. To love my neighbor as myself.
6. To respect the traditions and beliefs of all people.
7. To seek and preserve the beauty of Our Creator's work in forest, field, and stream.
Then Chief Strong Eagle said to the visiting Chief: "Tell these things to your people. As you have seen and heard about our tribe, these words have great power. Teach them to your people and live by them so that your people may also find joy, happiness, and peace!" The visiting Chief thanked Chief Strong Eagle for sharing their wisdom, and soon left to return to camp of his tribe.
Many other Chiefs came to pow wow with Chief Strong Eagle to learn the ways of The Mighty Kiowa. Wise as ever, Chief Strong Eagle realized that there was an opportunity to spread peace among all people by sharing The Aims, and honoring those who followed The Aims. The season was now changing to fall, and with the change of seasons came cooler weather and the beauty of the changing leaves. Chief Strong Eagle knew that it would soon be time to celebrate the Cornfest, during which the Kiowa would celebrate the bounty of the Great Spirit, and decided that he would honor those who taught and followed the Aims.....
