Destruction by Omission

There are 566 Federally recognized Tribes in the United States. I say "Federally recognized" because it is a legal definition and only Tribes given this designation are entitled to recognition and treatment as such by the US Government. What about those Tribes without federal recognition? There are nearly 100 that have received official recognition from 20 states, some have applied for federal recognition. And there are many more who have no recognition at all. All of these Tribes have their own governments, their own communities and cultural practices. Most struggle with issues of poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and health concerns such as diabetes and heart disease.

Michigan has twelve Federally recognized Tribes and three State recognized Tribes. Do you know their names? Do you know where they are located? When was the last time you read anything in the mainstream newspaper or heard a story on the radio or television about any of the Tribes in Michigan? Or anywhere? Maybe you once heard something about a new casino, or the terrible murder of a young boy on the Saginaw Chippewa lands. My bet is your Tribal landscape is barren.

Why is that? Why does mainstream America omit information on the lives and stories of over 600 Indian Nations that are our neighbors, our Sisters and Brothers? I would argue it is the concept of destruction by omission at its finest.

But this blog is not about Tribes or our collective ignorance of them.

We are destroying the Earth. Slowly but surely. We continue to pour chemicals and toxins into the soils and waters. We bomb. We demolish. We frack. We drill. Our numbers grow and grow with no regard for the other Beings we displace with our constant sprawl. The banner that we all fight under reads "Economic Growth!". Build more factories, create more jobs, make more money. But at what cost? Why do so few ask this question?

We live on a living breathing planet called Earth. She exists due to thousands of complex cycles and relationships between the Land, Water, Air, Fire, and all Living Beings that call Earth home. She is an entity all to Herself. Her function is perfection.

How is it that we call ourselves the most intelligent animals (yes, we are animals) and yet we kill for no reason, damage our life sustaining land and water, and act as though we are the only lifeforms that matter?

Destruction by omission.

How many trees can you name? How many birds? How many flowers? How many fish? How many animals? Can you describe the carbon cycle? Can you describe the effects of the moon on the planet? Can you describe the water cycle? Can you read the weather based on the behavior of animals or the position of the leaves in the wind?

Why not?

In all the speeches I have heard on our education system and training children for the future, I have not once heard the topic of Ecology listed as a core requirement. Science and technology has top bill right now, but they are focused on economic growth. Why do we omit Ecology or Limnology or Soil Science or Natural History from the list of desirable courses? How can we expect anyone to care about our Earth when few know anything about Her or how things function? How can we appreciate the impacts of our actions if we don't know a thing about the ecology of life and how all things are related?

We used to know these things because we lived with Nature, we were a responsible member of the community. We respected the cycles of Nature, the Relationships between all living Beings. We took care of the Land and Waters because we respected them. Today, our lives are so isolated from Nature that we have to be taught about these things, and most people could care less about learning it. They have forgotten their part in the great Web of Live. What do we respect today? Good question.

As fast as our population is growing, someday in the not to distant future we will have gobbled up most of the land, pushed out most of the animals so that Nature will only be found in "nature preserves" and zoos. What kind of place will that be, where humans have literally taken over the world? Already it is hard to find any wild place to go to. Some leading biologists are saying there are no wild lands left in the world. That breaks my heart. Because there WERE wild lands when I was young. To think that the children of today will never know what it feels like to surrounded by a healthy wild forest with all its mysteries and magic is unimaginable to me. That most will never feast their eyes on the billions of stars in the night sky or see the Milky Way because we have polluted the night sky with artificial light is a great tragedy. I have seen such a sky but once. In Alaska, 1985. It was breathtaking and I feel blessed to have witnessed the beauty. And I know that I will have to travel a long distance to ever see a sky like that again.

So my vote is to make the study of Ecology and our Earth required for all children everywhere. If we don't, then we will surely destroy this beautiful world we live in. We can stop this but time is running out. Our Spirits are connected to all Living Beings. The more we disconnect from them, the more we disconnect from ourselves.

Oh, and if you want to learn about Tribal life in Michigan, you can look at a few newsletters and newspapers by clicking below. If you want to read some news about Tribes outside of Michigan, then tap here.

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Observer
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Newsletter
Bay Mills News
Grand Traverse Band News
Little River Band Little River Currents
Hannahville Indian Community Tribal Newsletter

No omission here.