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About the Selection Native Americans known as the Ute were originally comprised of seven smaller nations. They lived in the region of Utah-to which they gave their name, Colorado, and New Mexico. They were moved to the Uintah and Ouray reservations in the 1860s by order of Abraham Lincoln. This poem, created by an anonymous author, reflects the Utes' close relationship to the environment.
The World
World Literature Reading
Reader's Dictionary humility: a humble feeling; lack of pride regeneration: the activity of spiritual or
physical renewal
Guided Reading As you read this selection, pay attention to the lessons the Utes hoped to learn from Earth. Then answer the questions that follow.
Ute Prayer Anonymous
Earth teach me stillness as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach me suffering as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring as the mother who secures her young.
Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands all alone.
Earth teach me limitation as the ant which crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom as the Eagle which soars in 'the Sky.
Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth teach me regen.eration as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness as dry fields weep with rain.
Source: Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, editors. Earth Prayers From Around the World: 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.
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Name __________________ Date ____ Class ____ _
World Literature Reading continued
Literary Response and Analysis
1. Explaining What kind of lesson do the Utes hope to learn from the ant?
2. Analyzing Why do you think the Utes thought trees were courageous?
3. Drawing Conclusions What does the rain represent in this poem? How can you infer this from the language of the poem?
4. Interpreting What is the poet's tone toward Earth? How do you think this attitude affected the way the Utes lived?
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