Waunspe
wacekiya.*
Let us learn on our own.
And let us prod ourselves
to actively do so.
True learning has to be “hands on”,
Often painful.
We’ve got to get dirty.
But it’s worth it
For all of life …
For dynamic homeostatic symbioses.
Camarón que se duerme
se lo lleva la corriente.
The shrimp that falls asleep
is carried by the current.
****************************
(There were many Wise words
Spoken by the peoples
Of Generations Indigenous Ways
In Yellow Bear Canyon
On a fatigued but powerful
Thursday, June 27, 2019.
We pray a prayer of Hope
For real action;
That we heed,
We follow through …
On these wise words.)
“Soft power is necessary.”
Science educators/
Key organizers of Generations Indigenous Ways
(Pine Ridge Reservation),
Helene & Waylon Gaddie would say.
“POWER sustains life-forms and life systems.
Life is matter ordered through inputs of quality energy.”
The big hurdle though …
For sustainable life systems
Is the second law of thermodynamics.
Order in one system creates chaos in another
And there was always a tendency towards chaos.
Therefore,
Power does sustain life.
But life is always connected
And too much power in any life-form or system
Causes chaos.
And chaos is the antithesis of life
Or the opposite of life,
Especially quality life … For all!
And this destructive chaos is rampant here …
Especially on Turtle Island.
Yes, Turtle Island has become the occupied center
Of life-system-destructive,
Relatively non-regulated “growth”
And a “fetish”-like focus
On non-sustainable measures from Wall Street & GNP-economists …
Via neoliberal capitalism …
Especially during this (hopefully) brief Trumpian era. …
But it was Western Europe
Which kicked capitalism in gear
And ripped out the heart and soul
Of the social fabric
Of Turtle Island, South America, India, Egypt, and much of the Middle East and Africa … .
WE ARE ALL ARTIFICIAL & GLOBALIZED (AND PART OF THIS GLOBAL CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM) WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT
¡Y escúchame!
First listen to this example
Of one little aspect of European expansionism
And industrialization
And artificialization!!!
(I’ll return shortly to this “listening” matter
Later In this “”poem/ prayer”.
But for now
Listen to this one little point!!!)
Nitrogen in much of the biomass,
In the protein (plant & animal)
In the ATP
In the DNA,
Embodied in domesticated animals,
In the Mississippi watershed,
In the dead zones of this Anthropocene
On this current Eaarth
(Eaarth spelled with a double “a”
To mean “Earth in the Anthropocene”).
Artificial nitrogen molecules,
Fossil energy-/material-tainted …
Ammonia, urea, nitrates are injected
Through agrilogistics
Into artificial & natural living systems
Initially by the ubiquitous Haber-Bosch industrial process
Using fossil materials & energy
Which was developed in Germany
In the early 1900s.
(By the way,
Science is a human process.
And though it often yearns to be objective, pure, moral, and ethical,
All things are relative,
And relative to being totally objective
Science continues to be subjective–
And like the life it seeks to better–
Somewhat messy.)
AND THE BEAUTIFUL LEGUME-COVERED PRAIRES?
Back to nitrogen and artificialization …
On much of the “native” prairies
And ecosystems of South Dakota
Grazed by bison and cattle,
Ecological imperialism provided sweet clover,
And other exotic, invasive legumes
Which fix considerable nitrogen for all of the “natural” organic molecules …
(And other systems mentioned previously.*)
Globalization means that we are indeed all globalized, industrialized, artificialized.
…………..
AND NOW WHAT? TREAD LIGHTLY (BUT STEADFASTLY) WITH SOFT POWER.
(AND FIGHT HARD … ADVOCATE RELENTLESSLY FOR ALL OTHERS TO JOIN US IN REALIZING A SMALL ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT)
So what is the solution
To this conundrum,
This riddle …
That life needs power
But Power creates chaos???
SOFT power! SHARED power!
Don’t capture, do not enslave, don’t colonize, do not occupy.
Don’t rip the heart & soul out of culture and Nature.
Eliminate genocide and artificial extinction.
And do this through “Positively Ethical Applied Community Ecology”,
Through PEACE,
Through utilization of soft power.
Attempt to tear down all walls;
Destroy armaments, arms;
Abolish militaries.
Use resources for living …
Sabiamente/knowledgeably/wisely/prudently,
Simply,
Smally,
Slowly, …
And, yes, steadfastly!! …
But sharingly, (caringly), …
Sustainably.
MORE THOUGHTS ON ” THE WAY”
How do we get there from here?
Here on this chaotic Eaarth
The Eaarth of the overly artificial,
Of the Anthropocene.
(It does seem virtually impossible
To transition from a War-on-Earth mindset.
Nevertheless, …
Morally & ethically …
We have to keep trying
To change!)
Exude respect!!!
Don’t slime into the swamp of Trumpian/Jacksonian bullying,
Trumpian abuse,
Trumpian arrogance and ignorance of ecology. …
Avoid this vacuum of moral and ethical values.
Start by communicating softly and effectively
Use the Lakota lingua,
A language void of harsh, cursing words.
Don’t hit & hurt with words, limbs, arms or armaments
No matter what language you speak.
Follow the Lakota Way.
Moreover, as Aunt Donette Lone Hill gently stresses
F-words should be “fun”, “fantastic”, “friendly”, “fair”, “faithful”, “fearless”, “flawless”,….
Never go over Grandpa Garland Not Afraid’s red line example for
Displaying strong emphasis …
That is: “Dear one, would you kindly get the hell out of the way.”
Yes!!!
Communicate! Listen!
Empathize!
Try to walk miles in their sandals, moccasins, shoes, boots.
Listen!
Two-year-old little Lyndon “Gaddie”
Cries out loudly
Because his limbs are asleep
From over an hour on uncle paul’s shoulders
(Without a squeak of a complaint).
But his appendages are now driving him crazy.
He’s pleading through his tears
For us to massage his numb and aching legs
Before he’s stuffed into a cramping high-chair.
Listen in some manner
To all which is connected!
All lives have been difficult and tough …
And different from those of others!
Recognize the pain & suffering in all
And help get feelings out in the open,
Out on the table
In order for them to be dealt with in solidarity, …
Collectively
And softly ..
As a whole and holistically empathetic
And communicating community.
Listen!
Steadfastness, hard-headedness, stubbornness is good.
We’ve got to persevere and be principled.
But only up to a point.
So listen!
We also must be pragmatic and compromising.
Husband paul and wife Betsy
(And all you other partners) …
YOU may be right?
But so may he or she.
And the use of hard and abusive words
To stand up for principles and your way,
Are wasteful of life-changing power,
And destroy quality life on both sides;
In both life systems.
Listen.
Camping, roughing it in a cold and hot tent;
Mosquitoes, deer flies, ticks, other critters are not as pleasurable to some as to others.
Listen. Communicate.
Help each other endure the pains,
But even moreso
Help each other to enjoy the pleasures of Nature,
The joyful experience of the raw Mother Earth.
Listen!
Mentors Jeffrey and Austin have wisely articulated …
In the process of learning toward quality life for all
For as long as possible …
We must have a collaborative system.
We should respect schedules and agreed-upon responsibilities.
But collaboration also means flexibility through loving communication.
Listen to the plants, the photosynthesizers.
They are for the most part
The only real producers!
Beneficial, nourishing, healthy medicinal plants.
And to communicate about them we need names …
Lakota names,
Occupier-gringo names,
Universal Latin names.
Listen to the aquatic organisms.
Plenty of pollution-sensitive biota?
Then you’ve got indications of
A healthy water system,
A healthy watershed,
A healthy ecoregion.
Listen to the biodiversity.
You have plenty of plant and insect, and other biota diversity?
Then you probably have a healthy ecosystem,
A healthy Earth,
A healthy oikos.
Listen.
Chemtrails? Contrails? Vapor trails?
Whatever!?!
They are from very artificial, life-draining systems.
(And yes they are often produced by the military, by the government.
“Our” occupying government.
“Our” government.
By “us”!)
Listen! (To history of a culture and its current status.) …
Paleolithic-type hunter gatherers.
Then mostly agriculturists.
Then hunter-gatherers on horses for 200+ years.
And now we are all de facto globalized and agro-industrial dependent.
Listen.
Tipis. Tents. Houses. Fences. Borders. Boundaries.
They are of importance
For shelter, storage, and protection.
Still we must readily share food, fiber, shelter, territory.
We have too many barriers,
Too many walls. …
Do some lying out in the Natural, in Nature.
Let the mosquitos, deer flies, and ticks draw blood.
Become a part of dynamic homeostatic symbioses (Nature).
Listen!
Expansive, powerful, energy draining missile systems.
Big expensive, life-destructive military-government/ bureaurcratic-industrial.
Is it good to have such power?
Could be better utilized for learning;
For ecology across campuses and curricula of all human organizational entities;
For Generations Indigenous Ways all over the world.
Finally … Listen! ¡Escucha!
Nightingale, cook, future mentor
Jamie Milapashne is singing The Song.
She beautifully wraps this poem up with:
“We ALL have to be lovingly connected,
Because we are necessarily connected!”
……………..
AN INDIGENOUS POEM. (REAL POETRY!)
“Earth, Teach Me
Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.”
http://www.sapphyr.net/natam/quotes-nativeamerican.htm
…………………
Waunspe
wacekiya.
Let us learn on our own
And let us prod ourselves
to actively do so.
True learning has to be “hands on”,
Often painful.
We’ve got to get dirty.
But it’s worth it
For all of life …
For dynamic homeostasis symbioses.
Camarón que se duerme
se lo lleva la corriente.
The shrimp that falls asleep
is carried by the current.
……………………
(There were many Wise words
spoken by the peoples
of Generations Indigenous Ways
In Yellow Bear Canyon
On a fatigued but powerful
Thursday, June 27, 2019. …)
I learn most about sustainable social fabric
And sustaining ecological systems
From trips to Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Pine Ridge and other indigenous reservations;
I learn more than from any reading I do,
Or from living elsewhere.)
*****************
*http://white-buffalo-calf-woman.blogspot.com/2014/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melilotus_officinalis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_Imperialism_(book)
pbm [ 7S’s / VV->^^ ]
