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Winter ReflectionsWeekly Reflection #8
Reflect on The Sweet Breathing of Plants. This is an intensely powerful book. The women writing these stories gave me inspiration, hope, pain, and fabulous insight. These women bare their souls. For that I am truly grateful. When I was about 6 years old I was walking through the woods on my parent's farm with my best friend (Lily, my snow-white Labrador) when I saw Her. Her being the largest bigleaf maple I had even seen (I still have not seen one larger). I had an instant kinship with Her. I called her Big Mama. When I walked under Her massive arms, I would say hello, and my cheeks would tighten and tingle. As I grew up I tried to tell myself that it was a silly, childish thing to have such adoration for a tree. I tried to disconnect myself for the spirit that called me – I did not want to believe. I look back at that period in time, and I see how lost I was. From the moment I saw her I could say I loved Her. I dare not visit now – I do not think that I could bear the sorrow I would feel if Big Mama were gone. It makes my heart ache just to think about it. I have to mention Jean Achterberg ("Fate of the Wise Women"). What a powerful and telling story about people. I was appalled, yet, at the same time, not surprised at what she told. I am saddened about all of the powerful knowledge and wisdom that was lost during those hundreds of years of false persecution. Weekly Reflection #7
1. Respond to Keeping It Living, Part III. This was the best part of the book; it really summed up all the important principles, as any good conclusion should do. As a note to myself (and others') I want to acknowledge: It is important to recognize the practices and principles of the past, by not making them history, but to incorporate some aspects into daily life. We must take lessons from the people that have lived here for thousands of years, and place those lessons in the highest regard – particularly the lesson of "keeping it living" (335). 2. Describe you Personal Presentation. Identity: Meanings Made: How My Personal Garden Vision Reflects These:
Weekly Reflection #6
I want to thank the entire class for being so kind and supportive while I have been ill and recovering this quarter. I appreciate people grabbing extra copies of handouts, letting me copy notes, filling me in on lectures, and making me feel connected. Thank you. With the work done at Roosevelt, the theme of my personal garden being “Welcome,” and my supportive classmates I've been thinking so much about community. With not having any family close, I see many members of my community as family. My neighbor's children our my kids, my daughter's aunts and uncles are my closest friends, and my elder neighbor's are my folks and my daughter's grandparents. It is difficult being without kin, but my community does a beautiful job of supporting and nurturing those who are without relatives. For their kindness and my gratefulness I hope for my garden to flourish. I wanted to put down my thoughts about a discussion that happened a couple weeks back, the subject was loggers. I did not participate in the discussion at the time because I was so weak from being ill and I was at a loss for words after hearing some of the generalizations. I am not a logger, nor do I know any of my family being professional loggers, but I do know what it is like to cut a tree down. I can only think of a few years growing up where my father and I did not need to sacrifice a tree for firewood (for heating and cooking). It was hard, dangerous, dirty, and necessary work. I was appalled by the accusations that people were making about how loggers have no compassion or morals. There were such blanket statements made that night. It is those kinds of statements that make classifications of people, which lead to ostracizing and prejudice. I did not like the terms set up with the "we versus them" attitude, I was thankful for Marja's intervention and cautionous words, and other balancing words from people in class. Passing such judgment can never lead to better things – it never can lead to healing.
Weekly Reflections #5
There are several key points that Ames is trying to make within this chapter about the "evolutionary process known as intensification, or, in other words, producing more food" (67). He would like us to understand the equation "intensification = more food" needs to be looked at from both sides (99). He also puts great emphasis throughout the chapter on the various strategies used or could have been used by First Peoples' that cannot be determined through current archeology. Finally, Ames uses models that show the "general process" and "possible Northwest Coast strategies" to really delve into his "intensification = more food" equation, but he also uses these models to show other facets of First Peoples' culture (86,87). Towards the end of the chapter Ames compares the models to current archaeological information, and also compares and contrasts the First Peoples' of the Northwest Coast to other Indigenous People. "Intensification of the Food Production of the Northwest Coast and Elsewhere" raises some pertinent questions and ideas about the First Peoples' of the Northwest Coast. Ames has broadened my understanding and meaning of intensification. I had often looked at it just form the archaeologist standpoint, rather than that of evolutionary ecologists. I was seeing intensification "in terms of units of land, " instead of measuring it by "time, space, or labor" (75). Which makes so much sense, especially looking at First Peoples' of the Northwest Coast. (It is very important to recognized when I have fallen into a Westernized mode of thinking and standards. I need to open my thinking to larger cultural ideas, and not allow myself to be trapped in Western fallacy). There is so much to learn for the past and present Indigenous People of the Northwest. Through this reading I could better understand the knowledge I already possessed about the natural and cultural systems of the First Peoples' of the Northwest Coast. This chapter does not directly apply to the Decorative Areas, except that it gives me a greater understanding of First Peoples'. This applies to the whole of the Longhouse Gardens – this was an interesting read, however I do not see how to employ this knowledge into the garden, except maybe in print. It is difficult to articulate and condense such a complex topic; I am not sure that it would be appropriate to do so.
Weekly Reflections #4
Winter is always such a surprise. Every year, without fail, I believe I will spend the season resting and rejuvenating, like many of the plants in my yard, but instead I find myself completely drained. By midwinter, I feel tired and restless – I need a change of pace. Sometimes I think that Mother Nature must hear my plight, because by this time I see the buds ripening and the bulbs poking through. It’s that new life emerging that seems to give me the vitality to continue through the damp chill that blankets this area in the winter. What is your relationship with your journal? My relationship with my journal is very intimate, but not in such a way that I would be unwilling to share it with other people. I look at my journal, and see reflections, I see stories, I see knowledge, I see unanswered questions, and I see memories. I enjoy the time I spend journaling – its calming. It is one of those activities that when I initially start I say, “Well I’ll spend half an hour working,” but when I look at the time three hours have passed. What is medicine? Medicine is anything that improves wellbeing. It can range from meditation to amoxicillin. What is a garden? A garden is a space that marries humans and nature; where each party has a say, but to what degree each participates depends on the garden.
Weekly Reflections #3
I was really moved by Naomi Shihab Nye’s story, "Mint Snowball" from The Sweet Breathing of Plants. I feel her loss and disconnect – that’s a huge reason I’m in this class; to reclaim the love and emotional territory that I’ve lost over the years. I have so many unanswerable questions, just like Nye, about regaining that connection. Most importantly – will it ever come back? Growing up I had such a deep connection with the land around me, but since leaving my parents farm I have steadily lost that bond (my folks sold their land years ago, and today it’s a dirt bike track – yeah progress). I am trying to regain my sense of belonging in nature and in family. I am trying to learn to live my life through intent, purpose, and passion. All of the work in this class has been fulfilling those needs and promoting reconnection. However, I need to vent some frustration . . . This has not started out as an easy quarter. I’m constantly trying to play catch up (mainly due to illness), but I need to rest – let my mind, body, and sprit heal – I’m just not allowing the time. Its very detrimental. I hope this weekend allows me at least one day of healing. I also hope that my medicinal plant, Humulus lupulus, will aid in my recovery by helping me rest and release some anxieties. Ahhhhh . . . I must remember to breath.
Weekly Reflections #2
Wow! That is a huge question. My identity in regards to natural and cultural systems is that of student, teacher, mother, healer, seed saver, listener, historian, advisor, patient, caregiver, gardener, naturalist, preservationist, woman, daughter, sister, friend, and member. My identity with the world around me is open and flexible. I have to be willing to listen and hold knowledge, and not pass judgment – just pass information and ideas. I have to maintain lines of connection – it is my duty to preserve, protect, and to share. The Herbalist Way: 3. List two or three new ideas that you've gained through this week's readings that you could apply to your Longhouse Garden project work. 1. Finding more ways/opportunities to share the knowledge of the Decorative Areas and the rest of the garden. Whether that is through signage, pamphlets, webpages, or word of mouth. 2. If Alisa and I put in medicinal and ceremonial plants into the Decorative Areas I would like signage about how they are used by First Peoples'.
Weekly Reflections #1
1. Coastal Douglas-fir zone 2. Coastal Western Hemlock zone 3. Mountian Hemlock zone 4. Alpine Tundra biogeoclimatic zone 2. Discuss your understanding of relationships between natural systems and cultural systems in the Northwest. In the culture of First Peoples' the natural systems and the cultural are so intertwined there in no way to pull them apart. For First Peoples' there is ritual in living and appreciation for the gifts that are provided. In the westernized Northwest culture there is an incredible void between the two systems (generalizing). Tracy Wilson and I were talking in class one day about the disconnect that many people have. We talked about how some people go days, or longer, with out touching a plant or even putting their feet down on a natural surface. I am deeply saddened by that reality. 3. List the plants discussed in both texts that you can identify. Identifiable Plants from Keeping It Living: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) Identifiable Plants from The Natural History of Puget Sound Country: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) 4. List two or three ideas you've gained through the reading and Saturday activities that you could apply to work on a habitat area in the Longhouse Garden. 1. I would like to see the Decorative Areas, especially by the Longhouse entrance, become filled with more ceremonial and medicinal plants used by the First Peoples'. We have, of course, many plants represented throughout the garden, but because of the nature of the Decorative Areas I think it would be appropriate to devote space to such plants as sweet grass, bear grass, and yellow violets. 2. Through reading, listening to others, and by listening to the gardens I have heard them whisper, "community." I want to make the area more inviting to the community, so they know its there for them to learn from, appreciate, and care for. For the campus sign area I would like to see some type of welcome signage and some plants that would draw people down through the gardens to the Longhouse.
Allyson Ruppenthal
categories [ Reflections ]
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