Haudenosaunee Gratitude Meditation
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The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address—known natively as the Ohenten Kariwatekwen (translated as "The Words That Come Before All Else")—is far more than a simple prayer or expression of appreciation. It is a foundational cultural, spiritual, and political text for the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora).
Rather than thanking a single entity for specific gifts, the Address is a comprehensive map of the universe, recognizing every element of creation from the ripples of the water to the stars in the night sky.
This thanksgiving address is not just practiced by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, but is embedded into Indigenous spiritual and cultural practices across the world. What’s beautiful about the world knowing this specific address is that it offers a way of being in relationship to nature and the world that is counter to what modern-day American living supports.
Here are some ways this address and giving gratitude in this way helps us all.
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In Haudenosaunee culture, a core spiritual goal is to bring human beings into alignment with a "Good Mind"—a state of peace, reason, and shared understanding. The Address is spoken at the opening and closing of every major gathering, council meeting, and social ceremony. By thanking the earth, the waters, the plants, the animals, and the celestial bodies together, the community starts its work from a place of absolute unity and shared humility. It ensures that everyone in the room enters the discussion with a calm, grateful, and cooperative spirit.
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Western philosophy often treats nature as a collection of resources to be owned and managed by humans. The Thanksgiving Address turns this hierarchy upside down. It recognizes every part of nature as a living relative with a specific duty or "instructions" to fulfill.
The Waters are thanked for quenching thirst.
The Three Sisters (Corn, Beans, and Squash) are thanked for sustaining physical life.
The Sun, Moon, and Wind are thanked for keeping cycles moving.
By acknowledging that these elements are faithfully carrying out their duties, humans are reminded of their own duty: to act with respect and care, taking only what is needed.
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The Address has been passed down orally for hundreds of years, surviving eras of forced assimilation, boarding schools, and systematic attempts to erase Indigenous languages and cultures. Because it embeds the core tenets of Haudenosaunee law and worldview within its structure, reciting it (whether in English or native languages) is a powerful act of cultural survival, sovereignty, and continuous identity.
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As modern society grapples with climate change and environmental degradation, the Thanksgiving Address is increasingly recognized by ecologists and philosophers as a masterpiece of sustainability. It shifts the human perspective from dominance to reciprocity. It reminds us that humans are not the center of the universe, but rather the most dependent members of it—if the birds or the trees stop fulfilling their duties, humans cannot survive.
"We are all thankful that our Mother, the Earth, continues to support life, as she has done from the very beginning of time." — A foundational sentiment from the opening of the Address.
Quicklinks
Learn more about the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
📺 Watch this video about the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address
📚🎧 Read and/or listen to Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer for adults or young adults (reference to the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address is in the chapter “Allegiance to Gratitude” in both books.