- What is your favorite quote from this section of Tending Sweetgrass?
“If what we aspire to is justice for all, then let it be justice for all of Creation”. This quote is written on page 147 in the chapter Allegiance to Gratitude. This particular quote was impactful for me because it reminded me how we do not always look at the natural world as a part of us. Often, we view plants and animals as simple resources that can be used to fuel us as we further our expansion. Maybe it is because our modern lives are too busy for
us to dedicate any time to preserving nature. Maybe it is because we see ourselves as above the rest of “Creation” simply because of our advanced minds. Regardless, the natural world is something that we have continuously exploited for our own gain, when it should be treated as equally as people. - Kimmerer discusses maple sap and how much is required to make just a little syrup
and how much labor is involved not only for the people collecting and making it, but for the trees themselves to produce the sap. Think of an activity in your life that
represents an amount of time that is unusually abbreviated. What shortcuts/conveniences do you rely on to live your daily life as you do? What would
happen to your schedule if you could not count on these conveniences?
I believe that social media and online messaging is a crucial part in shortening modern communication. Nowadays, we do not need a person’s phone number or email to get in contact with them. All we have to do is look up a person’s name on a social media platform such as Instagram or Facebook and we can get a direct line to communicate with them. This has proven to be a huge convenience in our daily lives. First of all, we do not have to fear about never talking to an old friend or relative again because of a lack of contact
information. Along with that, social media platforms have made the messaging process across phone brands much easier, with sites like Instagram offering video calls and read receipts between different phone types. However, this type of communication can make interactions feel a lot less personal than real life. Online disputes happen all the time in our modern era because people are able to say whatever comes to mind and then hide behind a computer screen afterwards. This is a huge contrast to how life used to be before the internet, when the things you said truly had consequences. In my life, I know social media plays a huge role in the people I keep in contact with. Without the internet, I most likely would not have as many people to talk to or hear from on a daily basis. While this would make it difficult to keep in contact with old friends, I also think it would free up a lot of my time. - Kimmerer describes how Haudenosaunee children attending a school near her
home recite a Thanksgiving Address every day. Imagine a public-school day in a
typical public school in your area.
a. What might it be like if the children followed a practice similar to the one
Kimmerer describes in the school that the Haudenosaunee children attend? Is this
a realistic suggestion? Why or why not?
I feel like forcing kids to recite a Thanksgiving Address at school, not knowing
whether or not these practices are also instilled at home, will not have any major effects on the average student. Most public-school students are either barely awake for the morning announcements or disinterested in school entirely, which would make this practice simply another routine for them. Besides, with the history of the United States government and Native American communities, I do not believe a suggestion like this would even be considered.
b. Compare this to other common schoolroom practices, like reciting the “Pledge of
Allegiance.” In what ways is might this be similar? In what ways different?
In recent years, the Pledge of Allegiance has become a practice that most
Americans do not take seriously. Even in high school, many students do not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance just because of what it represents to them. It is often a reminder to people of the corrupt actions the federal government has taken against people of minorities in the country’s past. I believe, while many students may look at this practice differently, tons of others will find a reason to reject it. c. What does this bring up for you about the changes you are willing to work for in order to live in the type of culture in which you hope to live? I hope for a society that is able to unite, not just as a nation, but as a species. Practices like the Pledge of Allegiance primarily focus on uniting the country, when our real goal should be to unite the world. We divide ourselves into groups based on culture, language, and race, and we reject anyone who is not like us. Even nature is rejected and kicked to the curb as if it is an infinite resource that we can go back to whenever we need it. Maybe practices like reciting the Thanksgiving Address are not the solution, but they are one step closer to uniting the world for the ultimate goal of preserving all life.
Category: 220 Reflections
What is your favorite quote from this section and why is this so memorable to you?
One quote that stood out to me was from the chapter titled Learning the Grammar of Animacy: “Science polishes the gift of seeing; Indigenous traditions work with the gifts of listening and language”. This was memorable for me because it made me see science and tradition as two sides to the same coin. Scientific methods can allow us to better understand the natural world, but without certain traditions and customs, we will not be able to truly connect with the land that we are fighting so hard to learn more about. It is just like our senses of sight and hearing. We can still interpret the world around us with one of those senses missing, but we will never get full picture until we explore both paths.
What does reciprocity look like in your culture? Provide specific examples.
In my culture, unless there is a direct connection between the two people making the exchange, trade-offs are usually based on a system of currency. This is mostly
due to the fact that peoples’ ideas of the innate value of a product or service usually vary. Values of products or services are constantly changing, making currency the only item of consistency in society. I believe this difference truly shows how society is disconnected from one another. Outside of family and loved ones, people do not have much concern for one another. Exchanges are not a common thing in society nowadays. Many people simply prioritize gaining more from others than what they give. This is usually done by giving out a product or service with a lower value than the currency taken and using that currency to make an even exchange for themselves. In today’s society, it is not about mutuality, it is about tricking someone into thinking they are making an even exchange, just so you can end up with the higher value item in the end.
This section begins with the following quote, “Sweetgrass is best planted not by
seed, but by putting roots directly in the ground. Thus the plant is passed from hand to earth to hand across years and generations. Its favored habitat is sunny, well watered meadows. It thrives on disturbed edges.” What does this mean to you?
To me, I see planting sweetgrass by putting the roots in the ground as a
representation of the connection between man and nature. I am not an expert on
farming or planting, but I know that there are methods to plant multiple seeds at
once to yield more crops. Planting with the roots by hand seems like a more
intimate way to produce the sweetgrass. It’s not just about maximizing the amount of sweetgrass grown, it’s about forming that connection to the land and to the natural world. I feel like this idea of having a connection to nature has been lost in the modern era and replaced with a love for man-made products. We often take for granted the beautiful world that we live in since our lives are consumed by
technology. I like to compare this to light pollution in big cities. In cities with large
buildings and large populations, the bright lights used to illuminate the city at night often block out light from the stars. But if you find a place in suburban or rural areas to look at the night sky, you can see the stars clear as day, which is something a lot of us take for granted.
Specifically in “The Offering”, Kimmerer discusses how we focus our attention.
What are ways in which you choose to focus your attention and are you happy with these choices?
I tend to focus the majority of my attention on activities that make me happy in the moment, like spending money, instead of focusing on activities that will be
beneficial for the future. I am not happy with these choices, because I know I should have been preparing for my future months ago. Becoming an adult and starting college has taught me a lot about the real world. I realize now that I need to prepare myself for unfortunate circumstances that may occur in the future before they can happen. I have made mistakes in the past because of not prioritizing my future and I hope to correct that soon.
Conducting experiments as a scientist often requires certain traits. Scientific research, which can be described as studying natural occurrences for a pattern, is not for everyone. The people who do pursue this field of work often have one thing in common: curiosity. Prominent figures throughout history, such as Albert Einstein, do not just decide to become scientists one day. Their journeys often start with a child-like curiosity of the world around them. They question everything that happens around them, which can develop a passion to discover the reasons for certain occurrences in nature. As a result, not every scientist’s passions are limited to biological or chemical sciences.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is one scientist that I can personally relate to, is a great example of a scientist who is truly passionate about making new discoveries. Tyson is an astrophysicist who often makes posts on Twitter about scientific inaccuracies in pop culture. For example, Tyson had once attempted to find the mass of the mythical weapon Mjolnir. Mjolnir is a hammer that is wielded by the Norse god Thor in both legend and in Marvel movies. In the Marvel movies, it is stated that Thor’s hammer was “forged in the heart of a dying star”. As a person who deals with the physics of celestial bodies, such as stars, Tyson used formulas that he knew to discover the theoretical weight of the hammer. While I may not have as much knowledge as Tyson on scientific topics, I can relate to Tyson’s curiosity of fictional characters as a man who has often pondered these same questions.
Just like scientists such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, my interests in science do not just stop at one field. I have often found subjects such as physics, chemistry, and even biology, to be rather fascinating, which is mostly why I recently decided to change my major to Biology. I am interested in learning as much about these different fields of science as possible while I am at SIUE, not only to reach my goal of becoming a doctor, but also to finally find the answers to questions that I have had since middle school. I have always been curious about the way the world works, and I know that the science classes I will be taking these next few years, along with CODES, will allow me to test my theories and get a greater understanding on the universe.