Place-conscious Practices: Understanding Ecological Consciousness through Lakota Wakan
Cathie English
Language Literature and Interdisciplinary Studies October 11, 2023 DOI: 10.71106/lwwo3921 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Duration | Thirty years |
| Key points | Argues that sustaining a locale economically, culturally, and spiritually requires ecological understanding and consciousness of how human lives affect other species in an ecosystem. The author describes investigating a spiritual connection to the land, termed a "spiritual geography" by Kathleen Norris, and says this led to engagement with Lakota mythology. |
Abstract
For thirty years, I have studied place and what it means to live in a specific locale. I have learned that to sustain a locale economically, culturally, and spiritually, I also needed to work toward understanding an ecological sustainability. I have to understand an ecosystem; I have to become ecologically conscious. Human beings cannot live consciously or conscientiously in a place without understanding the impact our lives have upon other species in a delicate ecosystem. Without fully understanding why, I began by first investigating a spiritual connection to the land, something poet and writer, Kathleen Norris described as a “spiritual geography.” Conceptualizing a spiritual geography led me to Lakota mythology.