Most people don't know the names of these relatives; in fact, they hardly ever see them. Names are the way we humans build relationships, not only with each other but with the living world. I'm trying to imagine what it would be like going through life not knowing the names of the plants and animals around you. Given who I am and what I do, I can't know what that's like, but I think it would be a little scary and disorienting--like being lost in a foreign city where you can't read the streets signs. Philosophers call this state of isolation and disconnection "species loneliness"--a deep, unnamed sadness stemming from estrangement from the rest of Creation, from the loss of relationship. As our human dominance of the world has grown, we have become more isolated, more lonely when we can no longer call out to our neighbors. It's no wonder that naming was the first job the Creator gave Nanabozho.
In The Footsteps Of Nanabozho: Becoming Indigenous To Place
Braiding Sweetgrass
Robin Wall Kimmerer
No comments:
Post a Comment