Let there be no purpose in giving
Save reciprocity.
For to a people whose spirituality
Lies within Life's wholeness
Who share the gifts of the sky and the
Mountains and the seas and the forests
Who exchange abundance in the circle
of animal brethren
Giving is not a matter of pure
Altruism and benevolence
but a mutual responsibility
to make the world
a better place.

Let there be no purpose in receiving
Save reciprocity.
For a society whose belief in humanity
Lies within the interdependence of people
Who hold deeply to the universal good
of community values and
Where children are the generation of
Our people
Giving is seen in the entirety of receiving.

Let the reciprocity of giving lie in a
Deepening of the Circle of Life.
For as with Life where
the root needs to receive in order for
the plant to give fruit
It can be seen that in the honor of giving
as in the honor of receiving
Good is only realized by the contributions
of both.

by Rebecca L. Adamson (Cherokee)
President and Founder, First Nations Development Institute