People yell at him as they drive by
I wonder what they read
That made them so upset
I looked at the sign and all it said was
One word
Peace
In the neighborhood
Peace
One word
Peace
In my own backyard
A man in a foreign land kneels to pray
Wonders where the bombs will fall today
My leaders tell me to fear him you see
But love conquers all
Is what I believe
One word
Peace
-- From "One Word (Peace) by The Subdudes (2005, Behind
the Levee)
Searching for peace? It's been hard to find this past year.
But if you live in the Midwest there is a place where you can catch a
glimpse of peace. One of the few US monuments dedicated to peace is
located in the southwest corner of Minnesota. The Pipestone National
Monument has been a sacred site dedicated to peace for hundreds of
years. Since 1937, it has been a national monument maintained by the
US Park Service (www.nps.gov/pipe).
"Monument" makes one think of big statues or a granite wall of some
sort. But you won't find those at the Pipestone monument, located just
outside the community of the same name. This place is different.
Most of the "monument" is a tall grass prairie -- more than 200 acres
of it. It's a small slice of the prairie which once covered the whole region.
Roughly in the center of the site are small areas which have
been excavated for "pipestone." This is the red tile rock which has
been used by Native American tribes of the northern plains for
generations to make sacred pipes or "Pipes of peace."
You can walk paths past the excavations and out into the prairie.
Signs along the way give the history of pipestone and of the prairie.
In the summer, you are likely to see the pipestone being excavated. At
the nearby visitors center, the red rock is carved into sacred pipes
by Native American artists.
The peace of Pipestone comes partly from its prairie setting. But it
also comes from the history of the place, a "sacred ground," a place
of peace, for many hundreds of years.
It's a small place which celebrates peace in a very low-key way. But
it has the potential to be a big inspiration in the quest for peace in
our neighborhoods, our communities and our countries.
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6 comments:
This is an interesting piece of knowledge. It's nice to know that there is a symbol of peace so close to our home - a monument that can be a source of inspiration. It would be great to incorporate this specific place with a "peace" assignment of some sort. I can envision people going to the Pipestone monument to inspire the feeling of peace - not just to see a piece of history. The poem at the beginning is inspiring as well. It reminds me of a song titled "No Lies, Just Love."
The poem at the beginning is very good and inspiring. Nowadays it is hard to find peace in life with the war in Iraq and our busy lives. Our lives seem to be so much busier than they were 10-20 years ago. It is hard to find peace every day.
I bet the Pipestone National Monument is beautiful and very peaceful. It would be so relaxing, peaceful, and inspiring to visit this monument and walk around the prairie on a warm summer afternoon.
Pipestone and the surrounding towns are so lucky to have a place like this where people can go to feel peace and be inspired. If only there were more places like this throughout the country.
Sarah J.
Perhaps we should consider a peace tour as part of a class. We could visit the Peace Gardens in North Dakota, the Pipestone monument in Minnesota, the Loess Hills in Iowa and maybe a few other places along the way.
Pipestone monument is very beautiful indeed! I feel at peace everytime I walk through there, the waterfalls, the natural face of the old man in the rocks! I have friends who quarry there and make peace pipes. It would be nice for all of the class to see. You feel the peace and feel the beauty when the tour is finished.
B Kirk
It is hard to find peace today.There is just too much drama, hate and war that goes on and it's not only around the world but it is right next door too! I don't understand how people could lose faith and eventually lose peace not only with the world but also in themselves.
~Kristi S.~
This is very interesting to know that we have a monument in Minnesota. At the beginning the poem is awesome to read. It has a lot of meaning to it. The meaning of peace means a lot to me. In the world today it's so hard to find peace. With the war in Iraq we seriously need peace. Especially when the war is going through a lot right now. All in all...this was a good topic to read.
J.Cavanaugh
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