Live Your Life: Chief Tecumseh

Chief Tecumseh //
Live your life that the fear of death
can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion.
Respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours.

Love your life,
perfect your life,
beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and
its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day
when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute
when meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.

Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning
give thanks to the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks,
the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing,
for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are
filled with the fear of death,
so that when their time comes,
they weep and pray for a little more time
to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song and
die like a hero going home.

Chief Tecumseh (c. 1768–1813) was a Shawnee leader and warrior, widely regarded as one of the most influential Native American figures in early American history. He is best known for uniting Indigenous tribes in a confederacy to resist U.S. expansion. He fought in the War of 1812 and is remembered for his courage and vision of unity.

This timeless piece is a powerful reflection on living with courage, dignity, and purpose. It urges us to rise above fear, respect others, and lead a life of meaning and grace. Simple yet profound, it feels less like a poem and more like a guiding philosophy for how to live well.

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