My father was a Navajo Medicine Man. This is what he taught me? | Allen Manning | TEDxLutherCollege 

I loved the way you explained the Navajo people through stories about them! Very nice; I’m grateful!

What a kind man. He was raised in kindness. Thank you.

AllenManning, you made me laugh a lot this morning and you also made me cry because your parents (especially your father the medicine man) reminded me A LOT of my grandpa, a medicine man from castle butte who past away recently. I cried because it reminds me so much of how he carried himself, his sense of humor, and through any kind of hardship he was always smiling and always told me, "son, no matter what, family always comes first, don't use drugs or else you'll lose your way and forget what's important," and always reminded me (before he left) that he always loved us. I us d to go with him on his prayers to help him set out his arrowheads and blankets, and other stuff I don't think I can mention on here because of how sacred those prayers are. My grandpa I like to say I was raised by him because I was always herding sheep and helping to fix his vehicles. I always thought (foolishly) that I knew a lot more than him because I was going to school for mechanical engineering, it now realize that he was BEYOND me in years in what he knew and in his wisdom. So you are right about our elders not being simple minded or clueless. I always feel my grandpa at the side of my shoulder reminding me why I need to take care of my family, and why I need to keep walking straight for the sake of my family and remember to have fun through it all. I didn't realize until a few months ago the huge task and responsibility it is to try and take my grandpas place and the glue to the family. Allen Manning, I just want to say, I know you are white, but you TRULY CARRY yourself like a very proud Dine, and In the way you carry yourself I can see the respect you have for those that raised you and taught you. Thanks for reminding me of my grandpa and grandma and reminding me through subtle stories what it means to be proud, Dine, and above all, human.

One word covers all of what he said in this talk. "Respect" Beautiful story. Thank you

I love that he had the opportunity to share his story with countless people.

I've always been fascinated with the indigenous people's language. What a blessing Allen Manning received! He was able to experience few precious years with a beautiful people, ( parents ) outside of his own. His perseverance for the language paid off! How selfless of him to share his gift, his story. Thank you Allen Manning!!

Beautiful sir. I am indigenous and have learned a few things from other nations. I learned this from the Dineh: You truly walk in beauty when you honor your elders and ancestors (parents now and parents gone on).Honoring them means to live out the good that they taught you. The story of the two beetles teach that..Thank you for walking in beauty.

What a beautiful talk...In simplicity we find love for human kind.

You tell them A Navajo family was once kind to me. What a great spirit to have. Beautiful

Wonderful, you kept your word and spoke to white people about your Dine parents and the kindness they showed you. They would be proud of you. I loved the talk you are a good man.

When someone acts to you in a way you don't like, don't respond to that person in the same way he treated you, because, before long you'll be disliking yourself

He was blessed to live with that family.

I'm Dineh and was thoroughly impressed with the way he spoke Navajo !!

You are so right! Those of us who have some of the blood have no teaching from traditional people. I was fortunate with my father. He was Choctaw and German and other nations. But he taught me many things. Now at least here we have many of you to help. I thank you so much for your knowledge! Please continue to help us see these truths! Also the sense of humor is fantastic!

Indeed! The "flickering box" induces an alpha state in those watching. This is a very suggestable state of consciousness. A very acute observation from Grandfather.

Excellent presentation and you fulfilled a wise request.

Indigenous people should be save at all cost and put into leadership of this land

What a beautiful story, humanity has lost touch with the basic values of simply being a kind & caring human. I'm a 60 yr young women who adopted a little boy who is now four. My husband & I are Mexican he is as white as can be with eyes as blue as the sky. He is fluent in spanish & English, we keep him away from gadgets & tv. He plants veggies with us & when he wants fresh orange juice he picks his oranges with pride. He's learning he MUST respect his elders, animals, nature & life. It is up to the elders to teach nourish & water these most precious petals. This story touched me deep in my heart. To all who watched this bless your hearts. As Love

I admire the native people for their humility. At least, that has been my observation. I have encountered no exceptions to this rule.

God bless you sir...you kept your word... Your Navajo family will rejoice in their Happy Hunting Ground.

Beautiful talk. Bless that man for sharing.

i bought an isolated little house on a mountainside in new york state; one day i saw the spirit of a deer in the yard; i told this to the Native American woman who ran the laundromat - she said, "That's wonderful, you are protected."

Very touched by ur Navajo parents and their raising you. Pleased to hear their life story. Thanks for trusting them and living with them.

My Dad was a policeman in his early 20's. He was disgusted with how corrupt the department was (this is early 1950's) so he left after 2 years and became a firefighter. My Dad was brave and spoke his truth. He changed my life by making a comment to me in my early teens after I was brainwashed by "the flickering box" to think natives are savages. My Dad told me that all the native people he arrested were gentle. Many years later and in my work as a RN in mental health , I noticed the same gentle spirit. I took every opportunity to get to know my patients, their family, culture, and traditions. The world would be a better place if natives were respected. I pray to be reincarnated to a world that doesn't know what money is...a world where i live and THRIVE in my tribe. The bible says the meek will inherit the Earth. Who do you think the meek are? I DEDICATE THIS COMMENT TO MY DEARLY DEPARTED DAD WHOM I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE AGAIN! I thank him for helping me be even more open and observant and speak my truth. We are "white" and I stick up for natives when i hear any rascism.

Ah’he’hee for sharing your beautiful experiences with your Navajo family. Great job with speaking Navajo as well! - your Navajo neighbor from Many Farms

Okay. I just got to the end of this talk...and I'm in tears. The fulfillment of a promise is always a moment of pride. Well done son.

I read the caption and rolled my eyes and took a deep breath and began watching. IMMEDIATELY, my jaw dropped. He spoke my language SOOO well, especially considering he’s a bili’gaa’naa. My defenses were all the way down after that.... so now, Im gonna finish watching (I just wanted2post my comment real quick😬☺️).

I loved every minute of your presentation. You have probably *touched* many, in their heart/souls. ... please continue with more PRESENTATIONAL videos. Thankyou. sincerely, Tree

This talk brought tears to my eyes. What if all is us humans could learn to be wise as your family and appreciative like you?? Wouldn't it be a Paradise?

Beautiful! This is very respectful and very kind! Thank you for sharing your story! Big hug Shasta

God bless You Sir , You are a Lovely Person 🙏 .

It took you awhile to come through. You made me miss my grandparents. Sometimes they were harsh but only to make one strong. They always address you as son, daughter or child, never by name. When one calls you by name was an insult. Always Introduce yourself with a clan to acknowledge your lineage who hav come before you. Some Navajos learned or began their healing teaching as soon as they began to walk, others later in life. Nicely done. Appreciate your wisdom.

Yeah, "the flickering box" I remember the first time I really looked at others watching the tv. It is kinda frightening to see the trance required of looking at "the flickering box", but still grateful for youtube!

OMG....he said Lukachukai...the right way!!...

Thank you for sharing this Speech on RU-vid.

I am part Cherokee indian, and my heart grieves at how easily we here in the US disrespect others and walk in hatred! Thank you for sharing these lovely stories of family life with tenderhearted people who lived their kindness out daily! We could learn so much from them!

Navajo sounds beautiful to my Maori ears. It is restful, peaceful and makes me feel welcome.

That was beautiful! Thank you for sharing your heritage with us. My children are all 1/2 Navajo, but their father did not grow up on a reservation close to his relatives. He did not know the language or much of the culture. I wanted to share this culture with his children. I loved that you incorporated the language in your talk! It is a beautiful language. My oldest son did indeed take the Navajo language as a college student. I am proud that he chose to do that! His great grandmother was the only person who still knew the language, but she rarely spoke.

What a beautiful talk. The speaker’s spirit reflects the beauty of the family who embraced him.

This actually made me cry. Thank you for sharing.

Don't move the corral, just the tree 😃 Indigenous humour nan 😁😁😁👍👍👍👍

May the Great Spirit bless this man and the Navajo Nation! Amen

This was beautiful! 💕 Thank you for sharing you Navajo family story. 🙏🏾

this is beautiful. yes we are losing so much of knowledge and wisdom and earth honouring ways of living of indigenous people all over the world. Thank you Dr. Manning for sharing your story and experience with your Navajo family with us.

This is a lesson for accepting and embracing all the customs, cultures and habits of people who are different from us. That's how we make the rainbow. I'm grateful for this gentle soul who shared his story -- and the Navajo family who gave it to him...time for us to pass it on.

Thank you for speaking Navajo. I want to hear the languages of this land. So beautiful!!!

Thank you for sharing and showing HOW MUCH YOUR FATHER WAS A VERY WISE,KIND ,MAN.....NO ,NO, YOU ARE WRONG WHAT YOU THINK OTHERS THINK OF NATIVES...THEY DONT SAY MUCH...BUT JUST WHAT IS NECESSARY...VERY WISE...I KNOW THIS IN MY HEART...YOU ARE A GENTLEMAN TOO...AND THEY UNDERSTOOD IT TOOK A VILLAGE ...now Yu got me crying...blessings to yu sir🙏🙏✌❤

Your Navajo father was a kind man. Reminds me of my grandparents and their siblings. You do need to experience more, from what you normally know. Thank-you.

Intelligent, well spoken and wise. I am lucky TEDx and Google shared that man's story with me! Thanks!

Amazing, Simple straight talk that connects you emotionally to a people you have never met and didn't even know existed.

Always had been taught by my dad to respect the ingenious groups around our world.They were here before us,and often times teach us things we think we already know,or feel we are better at doing.They are unique in language, culture, spirituality, and meaning of tribe and family. Ingenious tribes have a love for nature and a huge amount of respect for animals not found in many of today's societies.

Wow.. im impressed with your navajo. I know only a handful of anglos who speak navajo so well. Sad to say our young people , childr3n can't even speak the navajo language. I get after my neices and nephews to learn how ro speak the language.. thank you .. very proud of you...

Great job. Glad you got a chance to pay tribute. Beautiful.

I enjoyed every moment of this talk. What a wonderful human being. This was beautiful.

A true meaning of love. A simple life lesson. We are all human beings, care for one another.

Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

Thank you sir for sharing and for honoring you parents so well.

You are a good man. Your talk was very much appreciated. A'Ho

How lovely this was ..Thank You✝️♥️

Thank you for sharing Ahéé shí Díne ❤️❤️❤️

Beautiful - he is such a gentle person - that seems to have come from his Navajo family. He was so open and had an amazing experience. I would love to hear more about his life - with his family and after he left his Navajo family!

We should have more quality talks like this one. ❤

I really loved to listen to him and his awesome experience with the Navajo family !!! Thank you so much for telling us

ooohf, that last shootout to his Navajo family's kindness was powerful.

Well spoken. I do note that there are several English words for rain, however: misting, dewfalls, sprinkles, downpour, shower, drenching, thunderstorm, precipitation, sleet, cloudburst, torrent, hail, precipitation, pouring, deluge, drencher, etc.

Thank you so much for this testimony of this so beautiful and important part of your life.

You are a good son. God has given you a gift a better family thank you for sharing your story I hope they are in a better place...life is not fair sometime

That was so beautiful sir. We can all learn a great lesson from your truth, experience and kind words. We should always be kind to everyone.

The only people who think American is the greatest country on earth have never been anywhere else. Truer words never spoken that!

Beautiful ending note 💕... And at the start when you mentioned that as the generations pass from our indegenous people's, we loose something of our human history, and without learning or understanding, we are loosing our humanity also. From one white Anglo to another... I see what you see also. I wish we all could xx

Greetings Dear Sir. I am listening to your talk in the stillness of the morning. What a beautiful lesson in humanity. I will listen to this lesson many times. Please do more. May your blessings be unlimited.

Sir thank you for standing up there being brave and sharing your story with us what a wonderful beautiful story. We are all just human.

Beautiful Spirit! 💕

I loved this talk because I’m half indigenous native Alaskan: Inuit & Aleut. My mother died when I was three so I was adopted by a white family. My new great uncle, was Philo T. Farnsworth, who invented the “flickering box” when he was a teenager. His sister, Laura was my new grandmother. She taught me about all things wonderful in this world.

We should all treasure, support ,encourage and for gods sake: leave indigenous peoples alone. Because when the proverbial chit hits the fan? They're the only ones who'll know how to live without all the STUFF we can't seem to live without. Steven King's, " The Stand" comes to mind...

Allen Manning. I love a Dine man and have a Dine daughter. Her Shima was adopted from the Nation and ended up off lands. My search has led me here. Her and older sister were adopted by a family with the last name Manning. Can you please reach out even if not familiar so I may continue. We are a generation off land and want to keep her heritage as she is tribal. Thank you. Julia Morales fromArizona

We have one word for rain, another word for showers, mist, drizzle. A damp day a wet day. Even a murky day. But only one for rain. How true. Down pours and a cloud burst. To name but a few.

Funnily enough the "can you just move that tree a few feet to the left" is a joke I have been using for as long as I can remember.

His adopted family teaches him that even though they were treated with hate, they did not give hate in return, but instead, loved. That takes incredible strength, and shows a wisdom that goes beyond a single generation, or generations. It looks to the future and rises above the different races to embrace all of mankind.

Your Grandfather sounds healing to be around .. like the energy was all good and not toxic

I tuned in because I like TED talks, but am also a L.C. grad 50 years previous to this date. I couldn't believe L.C. was actually sponsoring this talk.

Haha that does sound like a Navajo grandma yelling at you 🙊

I am deeply moved by this talk. Thank you for sharing this precious memory, this precious wisdom.

what a lovely person he looks so peaceful and nice

Thank you for this talk. The best compliment I ever received was from a Taos Pueblo member in 1998. After telling her about something that happened, and what I think it meant spiritually, she said, "Although you are white on the outside, you are us on the inside." She then gave me a turquoise bear pendant to protect me as she knew I lived in Los Angeles at the time. If I am remembering correctly, the bear represented the West, and since I lived to the west, that is why she chose it.

Beautiful memories. Treasure. A treasure from 'real' people to half-awake clone people. From a really lovely gentle man.

Thank you for holding and keeping the Navajo language. Thank you for bringing light to indigenous people. I discovered I'm a Norwegian indigenous person called Sami. My grandparents had been so threatened by the christian ministry that took over their culture, they never told us we came from Sami. Luckily we have discovered for ourselves.

Thank you soooo much for sharing the language & stories. They are a healing balm for our sorry world!

Beautiful talk! Please keep up this essential work!

What a Beautiful family so many wonderful memories!

Thank you for this talk 🍀

Brought tears to my eyes. A wonderful man, raised by wonderful, kind parents. Thank you for sharing your experience with the world. Your parents would be proud of you.

What a sweet story by a kind loving soul.

I had no idea where he was going with this talk. Now that I do, I'm glad I stayed on for the ride. This was beautiful.

He is 💯 right, an indigenous Australian we are I dying breed,

Thank you for sharing your story and honoring your parents' wishes.

So many profound truths here .... so much that we whites could bow down to. Blessings and thank you for sharing the knowledge of the Navaho people.

I love this video, thank you so much for sharing your experience! I've always felt there is so much the Native Americans could teach and unfortunately they weren't given the opportunities that they should have been given. Our world is poorer for having lost their knowledge and way of life! Bless you and bless your family😊💗

Thank you so much. I've dreamt of being with Indigenous people. Now that I'm in the Winter of my life , & hearing your talk, I wish it even more. Blessings dear ONE.

so great to know these people.... it is an honor...