We are owned by our possessions, you know. We treat truth as a material object to be improved, passed around, bought and bartered. We seem to want more and more of it, whereas a little truth goes a long way. We can't leave it alone. The Native American notion of truth is totally different, just as the Indians' attitude toward the land is different.
Truth is sacred.
If the chief or council of elders asks you to tell the truth, you tell the truth plain and simple. It isn't worth lying. Not telling the truth would be worse than any crime you could commit. In the old days, it was alright to trick your enemies. Surprise and deceit were the mainstays of war.