POKANOKET CONSTITUTION Preamble: We the Members and Tribal Council of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag Federation/Wampanoag Nation/Pokanoket Tribe And Bands, do resolve to re-organize and unite all the people of Pokanoket/Wampanoag blood in the spirit of brotherhood. And to preserve our common Pokanoket/Wampanoag Culture and Heritage in the spirit of self-determination as a sovereign people. We do declare in the name of our Pokanoket/Wampanoag People, who are the surviving remnants of a once great nation, that We were given life by the Great Creator. That the Great Creator has given to us for all time dominion over the lands of our Forefathers, and over the lakes, rivers, and streams that lie and flow upon these lands, and over all plant and animal life that live upon these lands, and all the gifts of Mother Earth that exists on these lands. We declare our belief that the Great Creator has given to us all of this to be held by us in Sacred Trust to Him, to protect and preserve for all time. We do declare in the name of our Pokanoket/Wampanoag People, who are the surviving remnants of a once prosperous people, that the language, culture, customs, traditions, and ways of life of our forebearers should also and always be held as precious gifts of the Great Creator for they grew out of living in harmony with Mother Earth on the lands of our Forefathers, the Creator's first precious gift. During the course of history, it has become evident that governing bodies who govern best are those who listen to the wishes of their members. This is true to a surprising extent regardless of the structure of the governing body (democracy, republic, monarchy, or even totalitarian). As soon as the governing body turns a deaf ear to its members and begins to pursue its own interests rather than the interests of the whole organization, growth and prosperity are replaced by stagnation and decay. History has shown that the highest duties of a governing body are to bring needed order and structure to the organization thereby preventing the organization and its members from falling into ineffective confusion and disarray; to offer guidance to its members while allowing the valuable free expression of ideas within the organiztion. It is to be hoped that the governing body of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag Federation/ Wampanoag Tribe And Bands, in the proper exercise of its powers will always keep close the wisdom of the adage that God most often speaks loudest and best throught the unbridled voice of the people. May We the descendants of a great people nearly exterminated by war and its dark gifts, starvation and disease, remember the value of peace and strive for it among all people. May we seek only to prosper by our own efforts and means and grow within the harmony of all life. May we the descendants of a great people who were undone by deceitful treachery, have the strength to live our lives with an honest heart and the courage to deal with others in the spirit of truth and respect. May we the descendants of a great people who did suffer the agony of enslavement in the aftermath of a devastating conflict, which had no formal end, seek at all times freedom and self determination for all people. May we the descendants of a great people, who do now with courage and hope endeaveor to reorganize oursleves, be blessed by the Great Spirit with the wisdon and strength of great purpose needed to quiet the as yet un-answered cries of our forebearers through peace and love without question as to why so few have heard them. |
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