Silence was meaningful with the Lakota . . .

"Silence was meaningful with the Lakota, and his granting a space of silence before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and regardful of the rule that 'thought comes before speech' . . . Strict observance of this tenet of good behavior was the reason, no doubt, for his being given the false characterization by the white man of being a stoic."

Luther Standing Bear,
Oglala Lakota chief

Photo: Subalpine Fir trees, with Andrews Peak looming in the background, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, January 31, 2015