Our Duty to Mother Earth

Across all ethnicities, cultures and communities, one thing connects us all to each other, and that is the Earth. Whether you find yourself as part of a monotheistic religion, polytheistic religion or just no religion at all, the Earth plays a pivotal role in how all of us perceive our existence, here with the living and beyond.

No one understands that more than Indigenous peoples, especially in the United States where Native Americans were the original caretakers of the land. Kelly Stewart, an American Indian Studies professor at Long Beach State and member of both the Luiseño tribe and the Gabrielino-Tongva tribe was taught from an early age to treat the Earth like her relative.

Her elders instilled in her the belief that “We are of the Earth. We are not above her.”

Stewart says she was taught that, as humans, we are just one tiny element in the grand scheme of life, but society has made us believe that Man is above the Earth and all other living things.

However, according to Stewart, several Creation myths in the Southern Californian tribal communities tell the story of how out of all the living entities, Man was the last created. The Earth, water, plants and animals all came before Man because “we were the last thought, and the Creator wanted us to take care of all these other things,” she said.

Photo by Acsah Lemma.

While that protective instinct has always been rooted in Indigenous-American cultures, it is not only the duty of Indigenous peoples to preserve and honor the Earth, according to Stewart. Gratitude to the land we inhabit, food we eat and water we drink is a habit that Thomas James Reed, an American Indian Studies professor at CSULB, believes all humans should have.

A member of the Oneida Nation in Wisconsin, Reed says that whenever the tribes come together for different ceremonies and traditional meetings, the beginning component is always the Thanksgiving address that is spoken in the traditional language of the peoples in attendance.

In the address, the speaker will “give thanks for basically everything that's living, everything that's around us.” The speaker will thank the Earth, the moon, the sun, water, the animals and everything that sustains and provides them with life. Reed says that this sense of gratitude is a core part of the Oneida people and a core part of their political, religious and identity beliefs. Especially when eating meat, Reed says he tries to have a lot of gratitude because “that animal’s life lives on inside me.”

Photo by Acsah Lemma.

In the Oneida Nation specifically, members are split into three clans: the Turtle clan, the Wolf clan and the Bear clan. Each has their own sacred duty. As a member of the Turtle clan, Reed’s duty is to “preserve and take care of Mother Earth,” he said.

Not only does he follow that, Reed also emphasizes that having a connection to the land and living things around you is a way to honor the Earth as well.

He achieves this in many ways, one of those being carrying around traditional Oneida-grown plants with him which he says helps him maintain his connection with the land.

One of those plants is tobacco, which he holds in his left hand since it’s the hand closest to the heart whenever he wants to make requests of the Creator.

Another plant that Reed carries on his person is Oneida-grown white sage which he says has spiritual and medicinal properties. While there are many ways to use it, such as keeping it in your pocket, another way to release its properties is through a method called smudging, according to Reed. Smudging is a sacred ritual involving the burning of sage to cleanse the body and mind of negativity and restore balance and harmony.

“... you smudge your hands to do good things, you smudge your head to think good thoughts,” he said. Reed explained that some people will smudge the distance from their head to their heart because “...that 18 inches is the longest journey a human being will make in their lifetime, connecting their head to their heart.”

Sage helps with that journey and connects the pathways between the two, according to Reed. While traditional Indigenous practices such as smudging might not appeal to all people, Stewart says that protecting and honoring the Earth boils down to two important things: conservation and sustainability.

“We shouldn’t be taking more from the Earth than we need to sustain ourselves,” she said. In other words, Stewart explains it’s as simple as this, “You’re hungry? Will an apple sustain you? Take one, don’t take five.”

She emphasizes that it’s important to sit with yourself daily and ponder what you have taken from the Earth, whether it be water, food, or more, and what have you given back. “...you can't just take and take and take because eventually things are depleted, you have to give back to

it too,” she said.

Photo by Acsah Lemma.

A way that Stewart gives back is gardening. In her apartment balcony, Stewart maintains a flourishing home garden. One of the plants she grows is deer grass which is used in traditional Indigenous basket weaving. Another plant she cultivates is white sage which is used in the smudging practices.

In addition to sustainability and conservation, both Reed and Stewart echo that it is crucial to see the Earth as a living entity and that everything on it, whether it is the plants, animals or water, is connected to each other.

While some may see it as sustainable to preserve animal life and avoid eating meat, both Reed and Stewart believe that every living thing has a purpose, and if that purpose was to provide life for others through death, then that is honorable.

“I think that death can be a heavy thing, but I think it also gives meaning to things as well,” Reed said. “It recognizes that life is sacred, life has value no matter who you are, or where you're from. And for me, I see life as a gift across all cultures.”

Reed says that it's important to recognize throughout all our efforts that “Everything we're doing, it's not just for ourselves, not just for our families, not just for this generation, but you're doing it in a way to make the world a better place for seven generations to come.”

Stewart shares similar sentiments saying that in this troubling time, she feels more protective of the Earth not just as an Indigenous person, but as a great-aunt to her five-year old niece Abby.

“I want there to be an Earth when Abby is here,” she said.

An important lesson that Stewart feels every inhabitant of the Earth should internalize is that “we’re only here for a finite amount of time... but, as long as we care for it, nature and the Earth are here forever.”