Yesterday, after sleeping quite late, I had enough time to wander into the communal area, snag some coffee, and cozy up to the council fire. Everyone started moving to the main camp road, and Rick was off, giving another walking stick, so I went walking too. People were walking (and some driving) the 20 miles to the site of the desecration. When Rick tried to find me and didn’t, he thought “crazy woman of mine, she’s probably walking, and ran a long way to catch up. Crazy man of mine. Lots and lots of photos here, and this is the walk to, not the full walk. (Click da images for full size.) In the 2nd photo, over to the left, you can see Joan Baez still hanging, and she went on the walk. In the 7th photo, the elder in the gray T-shirt leading is the elder of the Tonoho O’odham runners, who ran 1500 miles to join us.
I want to take some time to address someone who was being very idiotic, ignorant, and disrespectful in a thread over at Pharyngula. This person wanted to know if there were photos of the sacred sites before they were bulldozed, because there wasn’t any evidence they were actually there, and this was probably just a story people made up. All the land in these photos alone, and much more, is history. These are history books, so to speak. I have given photos, so to that person, I say, can you read the history that is there? Just because you cannot read that history does not mean it doesn’t exist. All history is not contained inside the texts that colonialists wrote. Little history is there at all. This is a land where many, many massacres took place. Hundreds upon hundreds of dead. There were no formal, white-type cemeteries set up and built, that is not the way Indigenous people did things. No temples, no cathedrals. That is not the way of this land, of these people. Back then, with massacres happening so often, many ancestors were barely buried, maybe three feet down. Not all of these sites are specifically known, but many are, because of the history carried forward through generations. To that person in the thread, I would ask what did you think you would see? Because nothing they saw would constitute proof in their mind, because they carry no learning, and no understanding. To understand, you need to break yourself out of that colonial box that has commandeered minds all over the land, all over this earth. It’s a greedy, uncaring, disrespectful way of thinking and living, and it is time for all people to break the chains of colonialism. Teach your children the necessity of respect, for all life, for our earth, rather than colonial thinking. This can end, if people care enough.
Someone else in that thread spoke of disliking seeing people in traditional dress, because it made them look like stereotypical Indians. If that sort of idiocy pops up in your head, please, shut up. Ask yourself, do I know an Indian? Do I know anything about their way of life, their culture, their language, or traditions? If you don’t, please, don’t spill ignorance. Ask, learn. We are people who live in this world, who also have thousands of years of culture and tradition with them. In that, we are no different from any other people, except perhaps, in our refusal to lose our traditions.
When we reached the site of the desecration, it was time again to shut down all recorders and cameras. The actual site which was bulldozed is not pictured, it’s up on a hill past the tipis in the last photo. After the Chief spoke, many elders spoke. One of the elders was speaking, and turned about and asked “is there a baby here, a young one? Bring them up” Several people got up and took their very young children to the center of the circle. The elder held one baby girl, and said to everyone there “remember this – today, you are standing in this girl’s past. She will remember this, and she will tell the story of this day, this time, all you standing here. She will tell this story, and her children, and grandchildren will tell this story. We stand in the children’s past, and we must stand strong and right, we are the history of their future.”
I think this is extremely important. It does not matter if you have children, I don’t, but every single one of us, we are all standing in the children’s past. All over the world. We must stand up, we must rise for what is right. We must make our voices strong, we must make a history that is strong and right for all the children to build on, to provide them with a strong and true foundation. This provides the continuing foundation for the next seven generations, and the seven to come after that. All of us adults, we are living history at this moment, and our actions, our words, they will continue on, echoing far into the future. Never think, “oh, there is nothing I can do.” Yes, there is much you can do, right where you are, no matter in the world. Be strong. Stand. Add your voice. Refuse to stay in a colonialist box. Raise your children and grandchildren with a mind to the past and the future, be a bridge. Start a garden, even better, start a community garden. Pull people in, remind them, we are meant to be a community, we are not meant to be isolated and alone. When we are good, we are great, but it must be remembered that that goodness starts with community, with care. Caring for our neighbours, caring for our elders, caring for our young people. Care for the earth, the air, the water, where ever you live. Be a protector, refuse to passively accept the lies, disregard, and disrespect of corporations who do nothing but destroy. We have this strength. We have this power. We have this voice.
There were ceremonies, but I’m not going to speak about them in any detail. The ancestors were honoured. Then we started the walk back to the second site, where there would be more ceremonies, and that will be part 2, tomorrow. I’m a bit shaky today, and back home, because there was a whirlwind in camp yesterday, and I had a tent pole frame slam into my thoracic vertebra at around 40 miles an hour. So, more tomorrow, and I’ll probably think of everything I forgot and meant to write today, yeah? I’m sure I will. :D Oh, for anyone sending supplies out – please, no more plastic utensils or styrofoam cups. Right now, the plastic utensils are being washed, because around a hundred thousand of them are being going through in a week, and while many have been sent off for recycling, we don’t want to be part of the problem in using these things. The major need right now is for wood, and I know that’s something which can’t be sent through the mail. So money is probably best, if you can part with a dollar or two, or blankets and quilts for winter. Thoughts are now on planning for the winter, which is descending quickly. We’ll be taking wood out over the next couple of weeks. For those of you who have things to send, this is where:
SHIP TO:
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
attn: Johnelle Leingang
North Standing Rock Ave
Fort Yates, North Dakota, 58538
© C. Ford, all rights reserved.
Beautiful. I love the MLK Jr. quote. I’m sure he is with you in spirit.
I’ve known people who have said, “If you’re an atheist, how can you talk about being spiritual? I thought atheists only believed in materialism — that the material universe is all there is. You can’t claim to be a spiritual atheist — that’s a contradiction in terms.”
I can now refer such a critic to your writings. You absolutely show how it’s possible to disbelieve in the supernatural, but still seek the spiritual. The two things are not the same at all — they are, in fact, utterly different. I’m assuming most of the people on this thread are materialists in the same that we all believe nothing exists that is not part of the universe — but that is no reason why we should not also seek to be spiritual at the same time.
Brucegee1962:
Yes. The Lakota/Dakota/Nakota, and many other nations believe there is spirit in all things, even one blade of grass. This belief means you must absolutely respect all life; you must be thankful for the gifts given every day -- air, water, energy from the sun, food, shelter. People have lost their spiritual connection to our earth, and because of that, we have lost that necessary respect. That is not something people need to disdain, or get silly about. This is something all people should be able to understand, that this loss is harming not only us, but all life, and the source of our life, our earth.
Believing there is a spirit in all things does not mean you need to worship everything, or anything. It does mean you need respect. You should be aware of the cost when you decide to build, or plow up native plants in favour of trying to imitate a golf course. You should be aware of the cost in attempts to eradicate a beautiful flower, an edible one, and a good medicine, too -- dandelions. There needs to be a mindfulness, and when you pay attention and respect all life, no matter how small, you begin to learn. When you learn, you also learn new respect and love for all the life on our earth, and how necessary it all is, because we are all connected, every thing, every life.
To add a bit, sustainability is not in any way a new concept. This is the basis of how Indigenous people have lived, all over the world. When you have respect, sustainability is built in.
The battlefield at Gettysburg just looks like fields. Wanna see some world-class hand-wringing? Put an oil pipeline through those.
“remember this – today, you are standing in this girl’s past. She will remember this, and she will tell the story of this day, this time, all you standing here. She will tell this story, and her children, and grandchildren will tell this story. We stand in the children’s past, and we must stand strong and right, we are the history of their future.”
That’s the good stuff right there.
Marcus:
Yeah, no kidding! That wouldn’t happen, because that site is respected, deeply, and rightly so. The whole earth should be treated in that manner, with respect.
Caine #3
My Hungarian peasant and English peasant ancestors had this built-in, too.
Even in “urban” situations; re-use, recycle was normal until very recently.
Whenthehell did take over our lives?
That’s people power in action! May you succeed in stopping the rape of the land.
I can’t say this enough. Thank you. Thank you Caine, for being there, for sharing with us, and for doing so in such an eloquent, moving, and powerful way.
The concept of spirit and spirituality as you describe is also quite similar to the Shinto practice in Japan. Shinto is a bit more focussed on ancestors, but it has a very strong animism, where everything (and in Shinto, even what we would consider non-living: rocks and dirt, mountains, etc.) has a spirit. This is another belief system that english sucks for translating, because spirit and spirituality comes along with so much western baggage.
I envy you the exposure you are getting to such wisdom of the people, and I am hopeful, especially for the children who are the future.
Sounds very painful. Hope that no permanent injury came of it.
The elder said a powerful thing. I saved in a separate file lest I forget.
chigau @ 7
A certain Mr King Camp Gillette was a 19th/20th century proponent of disposable steel products. Others took on in the 20th century.
That camp is amazing. There are now more people there than live in my entire county, which is about 200 square miles.
I like that they are talking together, sometimes disagreeing on some things, but all agreeing on the important things and striving to work together. I wish more people would do that…
May you heal quickly! That sounds very painful.
Chigau:
Yes, yes. One of my great-grandmas was an immigrant from Croatia. Always heard from her: don’t be wasteful! Everything that could be re-used was, or saved until needed. Brown paper bags were used for note and drawing paper after being emptied of groceries. String, saved. Rubber bands, saved. And everything else, too. Don’t be wasteful extended to food, it was expected to use every bit of it possible. If you weren’t going to cook or eat the rind of fruits, you could use them to make a cordial, or pickle them, or sugar them and make candy. And so on. I don’t need to tell you, but yes, this was a common attitude only a few generations ago.
Then, it was the age of convenience, the space age! Oooh, everything was gonna get all convenient and disposable, and look where that’s got us.
On part of the walk, where we stopped for a while and listened to people, I noticed what I thought was an odd piece of leather on the ground. After the talking was done, and it was time to move on, I reached down and picked it up. A very old piece of styrofoam, tanned, creased, and a bit cracked, but far from decomposed. That sort of thing has to stop, it’s plain old bad for everyone and everything. Convenience is good, but I think too many people are unhealthily addicted to it.
And thank you, I’m okay. Swollen, bruised, and a bit spacey, but okay. I just need to rest up a while.
Caine et al.
I had grandparents and a great-grandparent that lived through the depression, WWI and WWII. Their attitude about waste was no surprise. So was their attachment to small vegetable gardens.
Caine #12
Have some soup, then.
It’s a bit heavy on the cauliflower, but, y’know, it’s that time of the year.
Caine, I hope you are feeling better soon.
That thing, that spirituality. Have people ever been outside? You go out,you breathe, you listen and you can feel it. There’s no magic needed. It’s simply the magic of being alive.
The local motto here is “better have and not need than need and not have”, which means that you should keep things and use them.
I know it’s not always easy or feasible. But you can try in small ways. Still, while individuals can help, it’s a task for society as a large.
Hope you recover from the back injury, Caine, that sounds (at its mildest) unpleasant. :(
Old Latvian paganism and folklore has that same sort of spirituality, or animism might be better, that even the smallest creatures can have a value. And can be communicated with. Not worshiped, no -- but respected and helped and taken care of.*
As for the sustainability, yes, it’s only been recent years when a kind of wastefulness has become more prominent in society. Less so in rural areas, where people are still conscious of keeping packaging to a minimum, or using biodegradable (and usually less expensive and more accessible) materials. But in cities, yes, wastefulness has increased visibly, even during the time I’ve been living here. Out in the country, there’s a shed full of empty jars because you just never know, and I know the entire family collects most (not all :P) jars ever used at home in the city, and brings them out to the jarspace. Plastic and glass bottles, plastic bottles, cardboard boxes -- all get the same treatment. Old clothing (if it can’t be worn, it can be rags, or insulation in the barn, or…). Car parts. Scrap metal. And yes, applies to food, too -- excess harvest: marinated or dried or preserved; excess food at mealtime: dogfood or chickenfood or pigfood; rinds and skins: chickens or compost.
I like it, because it all happens without any excess effort or thought: it’s just how it is.
And then what Giliell said:
Pretty much. Like a sense of wonder about not only how the world works, but also that it (arguably?) works at all. (I mean, then you realize how humanity has fucked up, but still…)
* The more formalized aspects to take on deities and deity-like beings (like a mother for everything -- forests, the wind, the sea, etc., as well as the wandering god (sometimes the deity governing fortune-as-in-luck) who was most often a peasant dispensing advice and showing people the absurdity of their lack of thought; the negative character of the devil was more stupid and easily fooled than actually evil).
Giliell @ 15
The spirituality can be quite subtle. It isn’t always that clear and strong feeling, rather it may just be that you want to be in parks, forests, grasslands, wetlands or by the water. Maybe it’s obscured by other thrills and urges. This is my own experience. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced strong religious feelings/faith, either, I did believe in god until I was 11, but it was never emotionally a big thing.
When it comes to recycling in recent times, seen from here, Germany was a pioneer. Way back in the early 90s, we only had paper and mixed waste bins and some recycling centers were founded (for old furniture etc.), you already had the law that required shops to take back packaging material and we were wondering “While this can work with (stereotype alert) the pedantic Germans, would it work with us?”
Of course, reusing is a step above recycling. My grandparents (who saw Great Depression and War as kids/youngsters) were/are a bit mixed about not throwing away stuff, there was a certain frugality, mixed with the attitude of “now we can have nice things at last”. The farm-owning ones in my dad’s side were more reluctant to throw away things than the labourers in my mom’s side. This may have been partly due to storage space and lack thereof.
I hope you get some good rest, Caine.
In my dabbling in eclectic Wicca and witchcraft after I left the Catholic church, one of the only ideas that has stayed with me is that of the immanence of the sacred, that everything in nature contains a divine spark that must be acknowledged and respected. I still feel this way even though I struggle to fit it in with my atheism, but maybe I don’t have to struggle. Sometimes I really miss having a spiritual practice as a way of connecting to the world. This conversation is giving me a lot to think about.
Ice Swimmer:
I’d say it’s that way for most people, especially those who live in large urban areas, if that connection is there at all. I’ve felt that, when living in a large city, but I’ve felt it very strongly, a need to get away from synthetics, to get to the ocean or other wild, to have a quiet time to commune with the earth, the air, the water. People now don’t understand such urges, why there’s a need to do such things, to reforge their connection to the source of their life.
It’s easier when you live rural, but you can build up that connection in cities, too. That’s one reason communal gardens are such a great idea. The sickness lies in losing that connection completely, of cutting yourself off, and losing all mindfulness and care. To atheists, I’d guess I’d emphasise most the need for mindfulness, for awareness, for respect. We share life with everything on this planet. That blade of grass shares life with us. That rock has lived for ages on end, how much history does it hold? The trees sing their songs to the whole world, and they give us endless gifts. The plants and animals that feed us, the small ones who make sure we have food, the pollen gatherers. It’s really about respect.
There’s no need to feel this intense spiritual feeling, this is something you should feel every day, every moment. When you wake, take a moment to regard the light and warmth of the sun, with thanks. When you drink, be aware of the water, the goodness of it, the necessity of it. Be aware of all the other animals you share this world with, be mindful of them, too. When you are waking (aware) and respectful, you find yourself much more in awe of, well, everything, and there is a quiet love and happiness inside yourself. That’s not woo, it’s not idiocy, it’s not believing in anything supernatural at all. It’s believing in life, and the wonders and connectedness of all life, that every action we take will echo forward, and we must know, and care whether that action will echo forth with harm for generations.
It’s like the story I told about the turtles here in Muddy Creek. Well, the turtles of the past, ruthlessly and thoughtlessly killed because people chose to poison the water to kill mosquitoes for one summer. We are sick with colonial thinking, with short term thinking. This is thinking which allows nothing spiritual, in spite of all the people who are religious and have various spiritual beliefs. Those beliefs are empty because they do not center on life, they do not center on our sources of life, and they have no regard or care for those sources, either. They are concerned with vapors beyond this life, and dominion and pillage over this earth. That is sickness, too.
I wish I knew what was the technological level at which humanity moved past sustainability. Was it ancient Rome? Athens?
Even in roman times, there were huge ecologies that were permanently destroyed (mostly pursuing gold/silver/iron) I very seriously doubt that humans could have a technological civilization with mechanized agriculture, a population of 7+bn, air travel, and data networking that was also sustainable. By the 17th century you already had forests depleted of wood, game in Europe largely hunted out, etc.
stellatree@#18:
Sometimes I really miss having a spiritual practice as a way of connecting to the world
That’s what ritual is for! Dance the dance, bang the drum, smell the smoke, drink the wine, it’s a chance to pause and reflect -- if only on how briefly this all matters to each of us.
A. C. Grayling wrote his “Good Book” (which is pretty amazing) as a way for atheists to re-embrace some of the better aspects of religious life. I think that’s a good idea. I sometimes lie out in the yard on my back and watch the galaxy, edge-on, just so I can remind myself how small I am and how little monday’s marketing meeting matters. It focuses my not giving fucks and reminds me of the importance of the moment. To a large degree, I will say I learned this from my dogs, who were wise in ways that dogs are.
Thank you Caine & so sorry about the tent pole. Hope you still get the chance to rest as long as you need & I’ll be back to keep up with the rest of your Walk writings later.
Also to get back to not wasting, complicated things are complicated.
I also keep some jars, but with the 4 of us in a small flat, anything that’s more than half a dozen gets thrown out (but of course goes to the recycling bin). Same with canning and making preserves: you need time and space. Or just shopping at the local farmers market.
That’S why I say that it’s a social, not an individual problem (though it starts of course with individuals). Imagine what we could do if people were able to work less? 6 hours instead of 8? Not just full employment, but also 2 more hours a day to save resources.
+++
What’s the thing about dandelions? Why would anybody try to eradicate them?
They appear in your lawn without asking for them?
You know, like computer bags appear in your mailbox without asking for them?
…wait, that doesn’t explain the eradication…..
Yes, this must be said: in order to save things for later use, you have to have the space for it.
In order to can things for later consumption, you have to have the time for it.
There is a huge amount of convenience in wastefulness, and I fully blame the stresses of modern life such as trying to work enough of the right kind of job(s) to actually get any food on the table. There’s a lot of less wasteful things I would do if I had a little more time and a little more money. In the meantime, I take refuge in the privilege of Husband’s family owning a property out in the country that helps us just that little bit to be not as wasteful.
Speaking of which, it’s apple season -- anyone need a bushel or several?
The second commenter you mentioned who was bothered by photos of people wearing traditional dress reminds me of a previously mentioned commenter who tsk-tsk’ed over a traditionally garbed dancer wearing NBA socks. It’s all about viewing other people’s cultural expression as a performance for the benefit of oneself.
Now since I’m a bit of ranting and musing about this very individualistic approach to sustainability….
On the kids’ TV program there’s currently a “Climate challenge”: three families (you wouldn’t believe how stereotypical they are: father mother son daughter lovely house with garden. OK, you would) compete against each other in saving CO2 and each weak they’re looking at a different aspect.
I hate those things. While there is some good information and raising awareness, most things are just plain unfeasible and short sighted. Like turning off the fridge to save energy. Because that’s what people can live with in the long run (hello food poisoning!). Of course nobody does that so the fridge gets turned on again and now needs twice as much energy to cool down again than it would have needed running.
Yesterday the topic was food. Yes, animal products produce a lot of CO2, yet I still haven’t seen any data that suggests that less meat consumption actually drives down meat production and doesn’t lead to factory farmed products being shipped off to developing countries where they ruin the local economy. There was the completely uncritical endorsement of soy products and then there was the honey moment:
One family failed to correctly identify the honey as non-vegan and their expert schooled them and it became clear that she’s one of “those people”.
“The bees don’t have enough food and die!” she told the shocked family.
I thought “lady, that’s bears, not beekeepers. Beekeepers take great care of their hives because they want to, you know, keep the bees. Secondly I want to see your personal beehives which you’re running without taking honey as to ensure that pollination keeps happening because you can’t praise fruit and veg while demonising the very people who make fruit and veg happen.”
That’s why I’d always make a really bad candidate for such a show….
Actually, if you ever make it onto a show like that, please let me know, I will watch the eyeballs out of that. Just to hear you go at these people.
As for bees, seriously, there’s this thing that you do for them, before the frost sets in, where you provide them with extra food, these days occasionally laced with antibiotics, to help them survive the winter, because… more bees next year!!!! What does she think, that hives get replaced just like that? Seriously,
Oh, look, another totally safe pipeline
Colonial Pipeline, figures.
Oh look, the pipeline is right by a river, home to endangered species. Golly, it’s just amazing how much thought goes in to where to put these leaky monstrosities.
Wikipedia about Cahaba River:
1 million is more than 20 % of the population of Alabama. 18 endemic species of fish and 13 endemic species of snail. 69 endangered species.
Caine@#31:
it’s just amazing how much thought goes in to where to put these leaky monstrosities.
They are just waiting for the invisible hand of the market to come lay the smack down on them.
The one that’s really scary is the one across the bottom of Lake Superior. It carries all the gasoline and it’s 70 years old and basically unmaintaineable. They say it’s in great shape. And surely they do not ever lie.
I’m not a petroleum engineer and my chemical engineering is rusty, but:
While there may be environmental factors, bigger and smaller, contributing to the longevity of the pipeline such as relative lack of oxygen and constant, low, temperatures and high hydrostatic pressure outside the pipe deep in the bottom, I still wouldn’t trust the pipeline to last forever, especially near the shores.
It would be a hellish if the pipeline broke in the winter when the lake is frozen, because cleaning up immediately would be almost impossible and the gasoline wouldn’t evaporate quickly.