A Poem by Tecumseh
“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing,
for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death,
so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”~ Chief Tecumseh
Listen to Poem
(Poem by Tecumseh, read by Dr. Joel Ying, 3-12-18)
About Chief Tecumseh
Chief Tecumseh (1768 – 1813) was a Native American warrior and leader of the Shawnee. With courage and conviction, he fought to unify the tribes. A strong speaker and eloquent orator, his poem continues to speak to us today with its timeless wisdom.
Resources
- The poem appears in the 2012 movie, Act of Valor.
- Tecumseh: A Life by John Sugden
- A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh by Allan W. Eckert