Understanding Place

When reading this article, it made me think about a connection between the theft of land and the theft which occurs during a burglary. I feel as though the connection between people and the environment is a hard concept for some to grasp, but when you think about an intruder, it’s a pretty similar experience. Williams expresses, “Those of us who live here know the heartbreak of loss…It’s not just the loss of a playground or a place of recreation…it’s the fundamental loss of natural systems, free-flowing rivers, rock art pecked and painted in the stone by hands of the Ancient Ones a thousand years ago (Williams 6).” The same way an intruder comes into your home and disturbs your environment is the same way in which politics has destroyed William’s and her people’s homes. Situations like this are not uncommon, for centuries, Native Americans have taken time to cultivate and preserve their land, just to have it stolen from them whenever politically convenient. I have lived in the same town my entire life and I genuinely love my town and the people in it are amazing. If I was forcibly uprooted from my home, I could only imagine the pain it would cause. The affects which land theft has on the permanent residents is profound, yet insignificant to the goals of politicians. Although recycling and bag laws has become a lifestyle for some people, I feel as though society’s efforts are being counteracted by political agendas. Williams brings up a valid point that “we will not have to preserve or protect land because we will have learned what it means to be good stewards, to see the larger community as an embrace of all species (18).” This statement supports Kingsolver’s idea that the wilderness around is a necessity and I have to agree with her. Kingsolver made an ironic statement that I never really thought in-depth about until now. She brings up how “we seem to succumb so easily to the prevailing human tendency to pave such places over, build subdivisions upon them, and name them The Willows, or Peregrine’s Roost, or Elk Meadows, after whatever it was that got killed there ( Kingsolver 16).” The fact that companies will tear down the homes of people/animals and then try to make up for it by naming after that location, as though this can repair the situation. Although I am not familiar with living off of the environment firsthand, I can say that I do feel as though I am connected to my history and the earth in some way. I have a very ethnically diverse family, to the point that I am unsure of my complete ethnicity, which is why I chose this specific image. I still have a lot to learn about my familial background, but I’m hoping to gain the same level of knowledge which my cousin has when it comes to our family’s history. Growing up, my older cousin was intrigued by our family history so much that he has been doing research for decades. Whenever I went to his house, he would have pictures of our ancestors hung around the house and loved telling stories about them. He would pull out family photo albums and tell my family and I stories about our family’s history and where each person came from. I feel that having such a large, close-knit family is beneficial to me keeping track of my history. Williams explains how “…both the elders and children alike had deep ties to the land through story…the stories they told animated the country…. (William 4).” This quote reminds me of my family because telling stories is how we tend to spend our time together. I believe that the process of storytelling in my family revolves around some form of reminiscing which is why there’s a nostalgic feeling in the air whenever we come together. The land around us has been here for years, although we may not know specifics, we are aware of the connection which our ancestors had to their land. The land provided for them the same way it provides for us, and yet we are taking its benefits for granted. Without understanding the give and take that is needed, there will always be that imbalance between humans and nature.