Last month, I addressed how Friends of the Fox River (FOTFR) is reacting to the current crisis. It is challenging to remain calm with daily news reports of military actions escalating in the US and around the world and possibly in a nearby city. In addition, we live in economic turbulence and uncertainty resulting from continued disregard for science in decision making, and the loss of experience in leadership positions.

In that article, I suggested we rely on our collective strength and take comfort in a unified community voice. Professionally, I stand by that, but personally, I still feel somewhat helpless and hopeless. Then I heard some ancient voices.

Needing Something More

Like many of us, I am both a teacher and a learner. I thrive on learning more and deeper from my colleagues especially.  Old as I am, I enjoy growing professionally and personally. In our FOTFR community, I think that’s common.

Daily, I wander in the natural environment where I receive nature’s gifts:  bird calls, flower scents, a hummingbird’s acrobatic feats. Nature helps, but in these turbulent times, I have been needing more grounding. How about you?

Finding Missing Pieces

I have searched for more in North American cultures different from my own and have long been intrigued by the brilliant ways of indigenous cultures of North America/Turtle Island. My children and I have medicine bags; I have used “medicine cards” with students and in project planning, practiced some ceremonies, and enjoyed the writing of Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweet Grass and Serviceberry).

Working to embrace Native American Culture, I‘ve attended some “Listening Stick” programs at Elgin Community College (see below). Recently, I participated in a course called “Re’Human” that has filled in some missing pieces for me.

What is it to be Human?

The course focused on enhancing our productivity by managing the natural environment. Not to create more bushels per acre, but to create a healthy ecosystem. I commonly preach that nature knows best after hundreds of millions of years of practice  and that the Earth does not need our help. However, after  so much environmental damage in  a very short 300 years repair is certainly in order. “Re’Human” is a look at how indigenous people have successfully used regenerative systems for thousands of years. The course provides the examples and challenges students to plant seeds with projects that will regenerate our relationships with the Earth. Personally, the course has taught me philosophical lessons and validated many beliefs. What is it to be a human? The course emphasizes that human are caretakers and are equal – not superior to – to all other creations, those that share the soil, air, and water.

Fire

These lessons resonated for me with the FOTFR motto of building a watershed community of caretakers. This mindset makes watershed protection a basic consideration in our decision making.

It is our responsibility to include not just impacts on ourselves, but how our decisions impact the whole health of the watershed. For instance, Native people hold fire as sacred and have been using it as a management tool for over a thousand years. 

Only recently have ecologists incorporated prescribed burns throughout our watershed. And now with increases in wildfire damage, fire is being used more widely in the west.

Giving Economy

Another beautiful concept presented in the course is the “giving economy.” Simply, this is the concept of community ownership: Each member contributing their efforts and sharing harvests without expectation of reciprocal action. We can harvest fresh food items and even preserve some for later sharing. But what to do when we have more food than we can consume? We can store it in our neighbors’ stomachs. Investing in others has mutual benefits.

Restoring Humanity

Hearing and reflecting upon such ways solicit my astonishment about how greedy we have become toward other humans and especially all other inhabitants of our planet. We have degraded the Earth and have lost much humanity in the process. Shame is not the suggested outcome; inspiration is the desired product. Human cultures have thrived here for thousands of years. We, as the current inhabitants, can do better. This reminds me of our phrase, Together we keep on fixin’ the Fox.

It’s Our Fox River Day

Coming soon is the largest watershed-wide celebration: It’s Our Fox River Day. It is an opportunity to come together as a collection of communities to recognize our common resource. We can individually and collectively promote our watershed’s regeneration.

I encourage you to plant your own seeds of nourishment and healing by participating in a IOFRD event. Giving without expecting personal return. Caring for all inhabitants of the watershed. These practices can restore our humanity for each other and all creatures.

Register
Visit the IOFRD tab at FOTFR.org to register your own event or join an existing event depicted on the interactive map. Events like this one are being added nearly every day.