Accused of witchcraft then murdered for land as reflected on by Elder Thomas Many Feathers
When bad actors covet sacred ground, they invent dark lies to disguise their hunger. Reports from coastal Kenya reveal that greedy relatives target elders, accuse them of witchcraft, and leave them murdered for land. Here across the northern plains, our Lakota people recognize this cruel pattern immediately. Colonizers and thieves have long manufactured false accusations against Indigenous caretakers to snatch soil away from families. Therefore, we mourn with those families today because theft dressed as righteousness always poisons the human spirit.
Our ancestors teach us that Unci Maka, our Grandmother Earth, belongs to the Creator. She provides life, breath, and clean water to every living relation. However, greed corrupts the weak mind and turns relatives into bitter predators. When people reduce sacred living dirt to mere real estate, they abandon kinship and lose their spiritual balance entirely. Consequently, vulnerable elders suffer violent attacks simply because they hold family titles and defend ancestral soil.
Elders Murdered for Land and Stolen Kinship
In our ceremonial circles, grandmothers and grandfathers carry the collective memory of the nation. They protect sacred springs, remember ancestral boundaries, and instruct youth in traditional virtue. In contrast, wicked speculators view older relatives as obstacles to quick wealth. They call gentle grandmothers witches so neighbours will look away in fear. Furthermore, this deliberate slander breaks the sacred hoop of the village and invites terrible spiritual disease upon the community.
Likewise, western expansionists stole our sacred Black Hills through treaties signed in deceit and blood. They branded our medicine people as dangerous pagans to justify theft and bloodshed. Greed speaks the same crooked language across oceans and generations. Thus, those murdered for land in Africa share a bitter struggle with native peoples across the Americas. Ultimately, whenever thieves dispossess the vulnerable, they sever their own bond with the holy earth.
Restoring Sacred Reciprocity with Unci Maka
Healing begins when human beings reject manufactured terror and honor their elders once again. Young people must guard their grandparents instead of listening to wealthy manipulators. In addition, communities must expose land theft directly in the village square and demand accountability. We cannot permit fear to divide kinfolk while land grabbers count their coins in secret. Therefore, faithful leaders must confront false charges before violent hands strike again.
Let us send prayers across the vast salt water to the mourning families in Kenya. We remember that Mother Earth watches every footstep and weighs every human heart. Meanwhile, we urge all nations to protect the keepers of tradition and soil. When we honor our elders, we preserve our future and keep the sacred hoop unbroken.
Read the original news coverage on BBC News (World).
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