Sunday, May 27, 2007

A Culture of Giving

It's Memorial Day weekend, which means we spend a lot of time at Native American pow-wows.

We enjoy the drumming, the dancing, and the relaxed atmosphere. This year, I was reminded of something I'd noticed in previous years. One of the families there had lost a member, and as a way of celebrating the life of their loved one, they gave everyone at the pow-wow a small gift. They also donated half a dozen of the canvas tents used by the pow-wow to the fairgrounds hosting the event.

Whatever else you might say about Native Americans, they have a firmly ingrained culture of giving. They give to celebrate, to mourn, and as a matter of course.

That's something I need to be better at (although, if my students are reading this, that doesn't translate to giving A's in classes).

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