Dreams of protecting wildlife have to account for the paths in the prairies and woods. We have put more things out of balance than would have been done on their own. I want to learn how to live with my wild brothers and sisters who are the skies, lands and bodies of water; who are also known by and serve as bridges to other worlds and our halfling selves.
Mrs. Teale had shared an article with me from High Country News
about the Tongass, our largest national forest spanning across native
lands. The U.S. has tried to manage these lands without giving the eleven
native tribes a voice in this governance. What is lost in this use of power is
all the intricacies of a lived connection with the land and what is needed to
keep its vitality. Marina Anderson, the tribal administrator for the Kasaan, said,
“Cultural needs — for generations to come — are not quantifiable. “The Forest
Service asked me, ‘How many trees do you guys need left for canoes and totem
poles?’ ” Anderson said. “They understand that we need old growth: tight grain,
beautiful logs, straight-grain logs. What they don’t understand is that we don’t
have a number for them.”
We
have to get down to the weeds, the native and historical, the well-worn and
travelled paths of migration. There’s a lot of weaving here. Anyone that has a
cherished hand knit blanket or article of clothing knows how hard it is to
repair should the turbo spin of the washer or some accident pull it apart. And
so it goes with our country’s traditional paths and ecological interconnections.
thank you for your support.
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