North America extends from Alaska to Panama. Among the continents, it is third in size and fourth in population. Both Americas are named for Amerigo Vespucci, the first explorer to realize that the Americas were continents, and not the East Indies.

A few things said by native North Americans:

White Buffalo Woman said, "Every dawn as it comes is a holy event and every day is holy, for the light comes from Wakan-Tanka. And also you must remember that the Two-leggeds and all other peoples who stand upon this earth are sacred and should be treated as such."

Crazy Horse said, "One does not sell the land people walk on."

Eagle Chief said, "In our minds we are two, good and evil. With our eyes we see two things, things that are fair and things that are ugly.... We have the right hand that strikes and makes for evil, and we have the left hand full of kindness, near the heart. One foot may lead us to an evil way, the other foot may lead us to a good. So are all things two, all two."

Big Thunder said, "The Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother. She nourishes us, that which we put into the ground she returns to us."

Black Hawk said, "How smooth must be the language of the whites, when they can make right look like wrong, and wrong like right."

Wintu Woman said, "When we Indians kill meat, we eat it all up. When we dig roots, we make little holes. When we build houses, we make little holes. When we burn grass for grasshoppers, we don't ruin things. We shake down acorns and pine nuts. We don't chop down the trees. We only use dead wood. But the white people plow up the ground, pull down the trees, kill everything. ... the white people pay no attention. ...How can the spirit of the earth like the white man? ... everywhere the white man has touched it, it is sore."

Qwatsinas said, "We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees."

Chief Joseph said, "Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it.......Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade....where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty."

Red Cloud said, "I am poor and naked, but I am the chief of the nation. We do not want riches but we do want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches. We want peace and love."

Sogoyewapha said, "Brother, you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the Book?"

Chief Maquinna said, "Once I was in Victoria, and I saw a very large house. They told me it was a bank and that the white men place their money there to be taken care of, and that by and by they got it back with interest. We are Indians and we have no such bank; but when we have plenty of money or blankets, we give them away to other chiefs and people, and by and by they return them with interest, and our hearts feel good. Our way of giving is our bank."

Crazy Horse said, "A very great vision is needed, and the man who has it must follow it as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky."