| The longest running theme of Kitpou's life
was the Tribal Laws of the Children of Light. It is a compilation and translation
of the similar rules of conduct for aboriginal peoples. The Children of
Light is a reference to the Algonquian culture to which he laid claim as
his own. The book went through many modifications but the core remains
the same. The laws.
THE TRIBAL LAWS OF THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT
1 - Sons belong to fathers, for fathers were
once sons; daughters belong to mothers, for mothers were once daughters.
A son raised by a mother shall never be a warrior, and a daughter raised
by a father shall have difficulty in the search for gentleness. The pride
of the father is the glint of the son in the sweat of his son in a worthy
effort. The pride of a mother is in the gentleness of her daughter. Mother
is the love of the lodge and father is the law. When mother becomes love
and law, then father becomes useless in the eyes of his children. When
father becomes law and love, then mother becomes useless in the eyes of
her children. Each must have their place.
2. Honour your father and child shall honour
you.
3. Condemn not a man by the hue of his flesh,
the lilt of his voice, or the curvature of his face, for it is within him
and unseen, that which can love you.
4. For seven (7) sets of four (4) seasons,
place your hands on the shoulders of your son, standing before you naked
remaining quiet for a time, and know this is your link in the descendency
of man; then tell him that you love him. As a child this is here and gone
but when as a man he will ask himself did my father love me, and the wind
will tell him it was so.
5. Look into the eyes of your child and see
the miracle of the Great Spirit.
6. He who knows not the love of a child cannot
know the love of the Great Spirit.
7. When you think you are a great man, and
above your tribesmen, go into the forest, stand before a mighty pine, then
tell that pine how great a man you are.
8. When you become a wolf in the lodge of your
loved ones, go into the forest, find tranquility there, rest awhile then
come home again, a man.
9. Beware of the man who smiles too soon, for
does not the wolf smile just before he bites?
10. Father in your youth, have time for you
son, and in your age your son will have time for you.
11. In the profusion of the forest, examine
the small weed and note there the work of the Great Spirit.
12. Sing loud in the forest, and be not ashamed
of your voice, for the Great Spirit loves the song of the raven, and did
He not give him this?
13. Hurt not any child, for they are the possessions
of the Great Spirit, and remain so until maturity.
14. Make sure others are not hungry when you
have sufficient, for loneliness will drive you mad.
15. Remember, hate destroys the hater, and
the hated watches him die.
16. Mend the tribe you have defeated in war,
and they shall no longer be your enemies.
17. If a stranger enters your lodge, feed first
his dog, and by this he will know you are of a kind heart.
18. Gratitude comes from the heart, and the
heart cannot speak.
19. Knock not on the lodge of another, for
you might frighten the children.
20. Make sure the smell of your people is a
good smell to your nostrils.
21. When you take of the trees of the forest,
thank the Great Spirit, for they were made by him, and given to you as
to your need.
22. If you find fear in your heart, go into
the mountains or a high place, stand high on the peak, watch the storm
come from the horizon, see the lightening, and hear the great thunder,
then know that all this power is small in comparison to the power of the
Great Spirit, with which he has protected you.
23. The Shaman Chief shall kill no game, for
his duty is to preserve all life of the tribe and pertaining to the tribe.
24. If the Dog-soldier be commanded by the
chief to take the life of another, the chief is responsible and may only
do so in defense of the tribe, or the chieftainship.
25. When you walk on to the land of a strange
tribe, remove your moccasins in honour of this tribe, for their land is
their great love and the possession of their God.
26. If you wish to feel the hand of the Great
Spirit, stand naked in the sun.
27. Clothe yourself for warmth and not for
shame.
28. If you a man standing naked in the sun
know that it is perfect, for it is the will of the Great Spirit, and any
evil therein is in the eye of the beholder.
29. Love is mans’ greatest possession, for
even the beast of the forest will return it when loaned.
30. Despise not the infirmity of your brothers’
mind or body or any condition of life, for they may become in time your
own lot.
31. When sickness or infirmity or the reversal
of fortune affects us, the sincerity of friendship is found.
32. The path of the Great Spirit is as wide
to the tribesmen as it is to the chiefs.
33. To discover truth, the mind must be sedate.
Seek council at your council rock.
34. In all your reason, employ your mind in
the search of truth.
35. The true worship of the Great Spirit is
an important and reverent necessity to success.
36. Know that to be a leader and a chief, you
must be the servant of the least of your people.
37. Know that the Great Spirit is the light
beyond the Sun, who created the sun, the water and the earth, then with
these things created by man and all living things in the image of His will.
38. The eldest of the lodge is chief of the
lodge, and though he becomes feeble, you in time will also, so give him
a reason for living.
39. If your fathers’ bones lie in the land,
you are of the land, for his spirit lies with the spirits of this land,
and beyond the black door there is no hate.
40. If your village stinks, sickness will visit
your people.
41. Make no dung or water within four lengths
of a man to a river, lake or brook.
42. If a man be crippled or maimed, it is the
will of the Great Spirit. Never condemn the will of the Great Spirit.
43. Feed the stranger who appears at your
lodge, for he is also a child of the Great Spirit.
44. Beware of the man who has no love for his
dog, particularly if his dog has no love for him.
45. Know that flesh on flesh is a very small
part of love and that it is the completion, and not the beginning of courtship.
46. Take for yourself one mate and you will
have peace in your lodge.
47. The child of elk and deer is owned by neither.
48. The man who touches a deer and lets it
live is truly a hunter, but he who kills for the like of killing has a
lack of heart and few friends.
49. If you wish to hunt for the sake of killing,
hunt a man, he is your equal and can shoot back the arrow.
50. Tend the wounds of your brother, for the
Great Spirit made both of you in the same manner.
51. If it be necessary to punish a child, do
so in such a way as to improve his strength or his mind, but lay not your
hand on him, for you may damage the possession of your God, his gift of
life to you.
52. Know the success of a man by the weight
of his child and the smile upon his child’s face.
53. Blame no child how it came to be, for the
gift of life is from the Great Spirit.
54. When the nose of your son reaches your
first rib, take him into the forest, let him place the arrow in your bow,
then kill together a deer. From the fore-shoulders to the rear, remove
one hand span by two arm lengths of leather, then from the underside, remove
a strip the width of your thumb long enough to circle his waist. Put this
on him, then place the warm hide between his legs and lace it through the
belt front and back. He will then know the reason for killing. Waist not
the remainder of the deer.
55. Hold your head high my son, for it is your
father you honour. If you cannot honour your father, you will never hold
your head up high.
56. Humility is one of the most amiable virtues
one can possess.
57. The child who is solemnly fed and never
injured in games of hunt or injured from childish play, will become like
a beast of prey who destroys without pity for the search of knowledge of
suffering.
58. Flattery is made to deceive and betray.
It should be avoided as a rabid wolf.
59. Unhappiness is brought to those who are
deaf to the calls of duty and honour.
60. If you have only trees to view, you have
many possessions.
61. They who have much given to them will have
much to answer for.
62. Fear not the plans of men, for those of
the Great Spirit were complete before the making of men.
63. It should not be expected that those who
in early life have been dark and deceitful, should afterwards become fair
and ingenious.
64. They who have laboured to make us wise
and good are the persons whom we ought to love and respect, and to whom
we ought to be grateful.
65. From the character of those with whom you
associate, your own will be estimated.
66. It is the Great Spirit who breathes the
wind upon the earth with the breath of spring, who covers it with splendor
and beauty, and holds the secret of life.
67. When the trees get their leaves, the brooks
again sing after the long winter and the land becomes green again, it is
the time for giving.
68. The truest gift in substance your child
can give you is two sticks tied together. The gift is not the two sticks,
it is the tying.
69. To enjoy your own land, look back on it
from another.
70. The ruin of a tribe is generally preceded
by a universal degeneracy of manners and contempt for the Great Spirit.
71. We are frequently benefited by what we
have dreaded.
72. It is no great virtue to live lovingly
with good natured and meek persons.
73. It deserves our best skills to inquire
into those rules by which we may guide our judgement.
74. If we lay no restraint upon our lust, no
control upon our appetites and passions, they will hurry us to guilt and
misery.
75. To promote iniquity in others is the same
as being the actors of it ourselves.
76. Be not afraid of the wicked. They are under
the control of providence.
77. Consciousness of guilt may justly affright
us.
78. Convey unto others no intelligence which
you would be ashamed to claim.
79. How many disappointments have in their
consequences saved a man from ruin and his chieftainship.
80. A well poised mind makes a cheerful countenance.
81. Virtue embalms the memory of good.
82. A Shaman may dispense, but the Great Spirit
alone can bless it.
83. Condemn not a man ‘till you have walked
a mile in his moccasins.
84. In many pursuits we embark with pleasure
and land sorrowfully.
85. Rocks, mountains and caverns are of indispensable
use both to earth and to man.
86. The hive of the village or the lodge is
in the best condition when there is the least buzz in it.
87. The roughness found on our entrance into
the paths of virtue and learning grows smoother as we advance into manhood.
88. The harmlessness of many animals and the
enjoyment which they have of life should plead for them against cruelty.
89. We are often busy to no useful purpose.
90. Genuine charity how liberal it may be will
never impoverish you.
91. However disagreeable, we must resolutely
perform our duty.
93. Health and peace, our valuable possessions,
are obtained at a small price.
94. True happiness is an enemy to pomp and
noise.
95. Few depressions are more distressing than
those which we made upon ourselves in our own ingratitude.
96. Cultivate your own heart and not that of
evil ways.
97. Wars are attended with disgraceful and
devastating effects. It is confessedly the scourge of our angry passions.
98. The blood of all men when spilled together
cannot be defined apart.
99. Encourage no man to do what he believes
to be wrong.
100. It shall not be said that we are charitable
donors when our deeds proceed with selfish motives.
101. Endeavour to become a great chief and
you stand a good chance of becoming a great warrior.
102. Great warriors do not always fight, but
with wisdom are the peacemakers and protectors of the weak.
103. May a young man put his hand in the hand
of an old man and let him live again a day of his youth, and from this
learning, your youth will become more plentiful, but more important, is
to give the old a reason for living.
104. Do one great deed in your life and it
will be easier to die.
105. Death is the unknown door to a better
place.
106. Recompense no man evil for evil. This
will define the leaders of men for the chieftains of the tribe.
107. A kind heart controls our angry passions
and softens our severe judgements.
108. To be faithful among the faithless argues
great grants of principle.
109. Be not fooled, but know that wars are
but regulated robberies.
110. A friend exaggerates a friends virtues;
an enemy enflames his crimes.
111. A witty and humorous tendency more often
produces enemies.
112. Cut not a man with words for the wounds
are slow to heal.
113. Many have been visited with sufferings
who have not profited from them.
114. The experience of want makes us appreciate
the virtues of plenty.
115. When you wish for sun and there is much
rain, remember that without either, you could not live.
116. The wicked are often trapped by the trap
they lay for others.
117. When retiring at the setting of the day
and there is an argument in your lodge, say you are wrong though you believe
to be right and go to bed happy, for no argument is worth your love.
118. It is hard to say what sicknesses are
controllable. They are all under the control of the Great Spirit.
119. Fear not the Shaman for he is guided by
the Great Spirit and his cures are the gifts of the Great Spirits’ forest.
120. A steady mind may receive council but
there is no hold on a changeable humour.
121. Excessive merriment is the path to grief.
122. To practice virtue is a sure way to love
it.
123. One should study to live peaceably with
all men.
124. A great warrior has a soul that can secretly
defy death and consider it natures’ privilege.
125. The man who claims no fear is an idiot
and a liar.
126. To lie is to deceive ones-self.
127. Let not the sternness of virtue affrights
us. It will soon become amiable.
128. True value protects the feeble and humbles
the oppressor.
129. Hurt no child or elder in war for they
are the possessions of the Great Spirit.
130. The dog soldier would lower himself if
he were to harm the old, the young or the defenseless, for he must earn
his position by much bravery and privation.
131. One should recollect that however favourable
we may appear to ourselves, we are vigorously examined by others.
132. Virtue can render youth as well as old
age honour.
133. Rumour often tells false tales.
134. Let gossip not break a treaty between
friends or tribes. Often a jealous tongue will use it to dishonourable
advantages.
135. Weak minds are often ruffled by trifling
things.
136. It is an honourable chieftain that feeds
the hungry, visits the sick, clothes the naked and helpless of his children.
137. It is good to be cheerful without levity.
138. The gaiety of youth should be tempered
with the respect of age.
139. The most acceptable sacrifice is that
of a humble and contrite heart.
140. We are accountable for whatever we patronize
in others.
141. It is the mark of a vicious disposition
to torture animals to make them smart and agonize for our false pleasure.
142. A guilty man cannot avoid many melancholy
apprehensions.
143. If we injure others we must expect retaliation.
144. The continuous receiver is as bad as a
thief.
145. The Great Spirit is not only the creator
but the ruler and preserver of all life.
146. It requires a kind heart as well as a
just mind to be a great chief.
147. Honest endeavours if persevered in will
finally be successful.
148. Inquire into the cause of the crime of
your warrior before you pass judgement on the crime itself, for the crime
can seldom be cured but the tribesman can.
149. If your warrior steals a loaf of bread,
judge him for the why. If to feed his children, you are responsible as
chief that no child should be hungry, but if it be for gain, only then
is he guilty.
150. When the father of a child be a slave
of your tribe, remember the child is yet the possession of the Great Spirit,
whom at the time of maturity may claim your tribe as his own, this be his
right.
151. If the child of a slave of your tribe
claims your tribe at maturity, then the father is to be given freedom.
If he retains the claim to his fathers’ tribe, then they are both set free.
However, they may be pursued after four days at which time the child is
now a man, and the father did not put his son, the possession of the Great
Spirit into slavery.
152. There be first the child, then the rabbit
warrior, then the claim to tribe at maturity, then the hunter, then the
dog soldier (warrior), then the councillor, then the elder.
153. The bloodline chief becomes in line for
chieftainship being the youngest grandson at the death of the grandfather,
then the father becomes the veto chief and trains him.
154. A child will choose the parents at the
death of his son.
155. Children in their childish battles must
be taught to feed the loser for the following day.
156. Learning is losing an argument.
157. A person without a weakness is not a man.
158. The height of a man is measured by his
wisdom.
159. The unknown is not feared when understood.
160. The true love of natures’ kingdom can
prevent the sting of hoof, claw and tooth.
161. Man being the will of the Great Spirit,
contains the Great Spirit.
162. So it is told, so it shall be.
163. When you hold in one hand water and in
the other earth, then stand in the sun, it is a great revelation to know
you hold the substance of all creation.
164. Assist the needy. It is possible they
might become strong. It is also possible you may become needy.
165. It is good to be a fast runner. It could
save your life.
166. There is no shame in fear. The shame is
letting it be known to others.
167. The best judgement of a man is by the
children that love him.
168. When the cry of the newborn enters your
lodge, consider it singing and it will be not so annoying.
169. The smoking of the long pipe must be always
by more than one, for it is a sign of trust. The only exception is with
prayer to the Great Spirit.
170. Marriage for lust cannot last.
171. If you wish to impart knowledge to a tribe,
teach first the parents, for if you teach the children, you steal from
the parents the respect of the children and in time, you also steal the
children.
172. Beauty is measured by wisdom and capability.
173. The paint of red is worn to show your
brother that you will protect his blood and not to frighten the enemy.
174. The paint of blue represents the Chieftainship.
175. The paint of green represents the medicine
man.
176. The paint of yellow, the dog soldier,
the strength of youth and the sun.
177. The paint of white, the Great Spirit.
178. The paint of black, the black door into
the good of the unknown.
179. Teach the children at an early age that
fire is a great servant but a terrible enemy, for its hunger never dies.
180. It is better to have had friends that
have failed you than to trust no man and have no friends.
181. The greatest gift you can give to a friend
is knowledge.
182. When an animal takes from your lodge food,
know that it is not stealing, for he has no knowledge of such things.
183. Listen well to the aged that you might
be privileged to teach the young.
184. The gift of a weapon is the truest sign
of trust. The axe side of the peace and war pipe.
185. Woman is as the moon to the sun, the reflection
of the strength and warmth of her man.
186. There should never be a distinction or
value placed on a child. They are beyond these things.
187. Pain imparts one great knowledge, that
you are not dead.
188. A child’s smile is a worthy reward for
any deed of goodness.
189. If you dislike a man but you know he is
good for your people, then vote for him for the sake of your people.
190. A gentle word and a gentle hand in a time
of sorrow is a worthy and great gift.
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