Connecting with the Earth

Louise Erdrich, in her book, Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country, describes elaborately a majestic elm tree (Old Stalwart) beside her house. She describes the tree as a friend with an incurable disease, and despite all her attempts to save her beautiful friend, she stands helpless beside it as it is doomed to death by the city tree crew.

I found her life-like description here convincing. The connection to the earth for Indigenous peoples is essential to life. I have never personally connected to the earth like this, which makes me sad. Perhaps it would be comforting to find support from the earth.

Erdrich's quote on page 109, "I think the Earth has chosen to praise the sky by growing this tree," seems to be describing the spiritual qualities of the earth. These qualities are also reminiscent of Lynn White's claim that the remedy to the ecological crisis in society today must find its roots mainly in religious form. Perhaps his claims request people to rethink their connection to the earth. Maybe I will name my maple tree in my backyard.

Katie's post reminds me of a news story that I heard on the radio in the wake of the recent climate summit (COP26). A Métis Federation representative who attended the event said that the government must listen to indigenous people when considering climate action. He claims that many times indigenous voices are brushed aside, but he says his people can offer valuable insight into industries like forestry, trapping, hunting and fishing because they have a deep connection with the land. What this Métis leader is saying mirrors what Erdrich is saying in Books and Islands about indigenous connection to the land. Erdrich seems to be suggesting that her life experiences are richer because of her connection with the land. Her connection to nature provides her life with meaning and the land nutures her spirit in a way that helps her to feel fulfilled. I think that we could all learning from this indigenous approach, and certainly our climate would benefit from people who feel a connection to the earth.

Katie, I really enjoyed this post and I think it was very well written and very thought provoking. I recently have become fascinated with of the ideas of sustainable landscaping and sustainable living. I got onto this after reading Braiding sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. In her book Kimmerer shares her own experiences working with plants and her journey of becoming reunited with the earth and her indigenous cultural traditions. Kimmerer discusses the importance of creating a deep connection with the earth and the importance of giving back to mother earth in recognition and gratitude for what she has given us. I got the experience to go out and do some reclamation work in Waterton Lakes National Park with some Indigenous elders, during this experience I was awed by their knowledge of and deep respect for the earth. Throughout the experience the pointed out how the earth was recovering from the fire, in areas that were struggling they would offer prayers and then we would work on reintroducing native plants into that area to help in the regrowth of plant life in the area. It was an amazing experience to see just how much they knew but most of all it was their respect for the earth that astounded me.
If this is a topic that interests you I would highly recommend reading Kimmerer’s book, another book I would recommend is Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Learning from Indigenous Practices for Environmental Sustainability edited by Melissa K. Nelson and Don Shilling.

These are all very thoughtful posts. I think that in the western culture the earth and what it brings are largely ignored. Used as things to take and to enjoy, not thought of so carefully and spiritually as communicated by Erdich in her book. The constant connection to the land and respecting what it does for us, and the beauty it brings is something the western culture certainly needs more of!

I've really ennjoyed the variety of insight in this forum post. After reading the other posts this really provoked me to reflect and ponder the times I feel connected to nature and why that is. All to often I hear people talk about vacations and how geting out into nature grounds them and reconnects them with themself. I feel like western culture might be able to connect to the natural world to a specific capacity. I wonder if this connection we might feel is rather balance in our inner selfs by the removal of external distractors. In other words, Western culture is such a material based culture focused of entertainment and captivation. These materialistic desires and the grabbing of our attention every which way we look can become tiresome. Maybe getting out into the natural world is a form of detox? I think there is great importance of respecting and connecting with our natural world. Where Indigenous might have more of a spiritual and deep rooted connection for the Earth, I see those principles as ground for someone like me. This could look like noticing the beauty in our world, not for what we may take, but for what we might see, and better yet, give back. In this sense I am also talking about something different then being an "environmentalist", but rather living with a sense of responsibility and respect for the world.