"Sustainability
is both a goal and a way of thinking"
Tatanka Yotanka (Sitting
Bull), Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux (1831-1890)
Here are some great quotes on the connection between humans
and land from the First Nation people of America. They thought very differently
about sustainability, compared to modern western industrial society. They had much wisdom on human-land relations. Indeed, we can learn from the past for the future!
"The
Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is
our Father, but the Earth is our Mother. She nourishes us, that which we put
into the ground she returns to us." Big Thunder (Bedagi) Wabanaki
Algonquin
"Treat the
earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by
your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it
from our Children."
Ancient
American Indian proverb
"The American
Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of forests, plains, pueblos, or
mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent
also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the
wild sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo belonged."
Luther Standing Bear Oglala Sioux 1868-1937
"When we
Indians kill meat, we eat it all up. When we dig roots, we make little holes.
When we build houses, we make little holes. When we burn grass for
grasshoppers, we don't ruin things. We shake down acorns and pine nuts. We
don't chop down the trees. We only use dead wood. But the white people plow up
the ground, pull down the trees, kill everything. ... the White people pay no
attention. ...How can the spirit of the earth like the White man? ...
everywhere the White man has touched it, it is sore."Wintu Woman, 19th
Century
"We must
protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be
born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such
as the birds, animals, fish and trees." Qwatsinas (Hereditary Chief
Edward Moody), Nuxalk Nation
Treat the earth well.
It was not given to you by your parents,
it was loaned to you by your children.
We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors,
we borrow it from our Children.
~ Ancient Indian Proverb ~
Humankind has not woven the web of life.
We are but one thread within it.
Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
All things are bound together.
All things connect.~ Chief Seattle, 1854 ~
When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
~ Cree Prophecy ~
I do not think the measure of a civilization
is how tall its buildings of concrete are,
But rather how well its people have learned to relate
to their environment and fellow man.~ Sun Bear of the Chippewa Tribe ~
Earth, Teach Me
Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.
- An Ute Prayer
Quanah of the Comanche
Considering these quotes and the relationship such indigenous group had/havewith the land it is interesting to look at the efforts being made around the world in the
21st Century to arrest and and even reverse much of the damage done to our
environment through uncontrolled economic development over the past 100-200
years. The concept of sustainable development is fundamental to the work of a
geographer as we balance the issues of environmental, social, cultural and
economic sustainability of life on Earth.
The Industrial
Revolution and the related technological advances have greatly intensified
human impacts on the environment – little regard for their ecological
limits in the pursuit of material wealth, consumption and economic development.
We need to pursue sustainable development
At any level of
development, human impact on the environment is a function of population size,
per capita consumption and the environmental damage caused by the technology
used to produce what is consumed.
Ecologically
Sustainable Development (ESD) represents one of the greatest challenges facing
Australia's governments, industry, business and community in the coming years.
While there is no universally accepted definition of ESD, in 1990 the
Commonwealth Government suggested the following definition for ESD in
Australia:
'using, conserving and enhancing the
community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends,
are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can
be increased'.
Put more simply,
ESD is development which aims to meet the needs of Australians today, while
conserving our ecosystems for the benefit of future generations. To do this, we
need to develop ways of using those environmental resources which form the
basis of our economy in a way which maintains and, where possible, improves
their range, variety and quality. At the same time we need to utilise those
resources to develop industry and generate employment.
The Guiding Principles of ESD in Australia are:
- decision making processes should
effectively integrate both long and short-term economic, environmental,
social and equity considerations
- where there are threats of serious or
irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty
should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent
environmental degradation
- the global dimension of environmental
impacts of actions and policies should be recognised and considered
- the need to develop a strong, growing
and diversified economy which can enhance the capacity for environmental
protection should be recognised
- the need to maintain and enhance
international competitiveness in an environmentally sound manner should be
recognised
- cost effective and flexible policy
instruments should be adopted, such as improved valuation, pricing and
incentive mechanisms
- decisions and actions should provide for
broad community involvement on issues which affect them.
Sustainable
development is the development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The following list of guiding principles for sustainability comes from the Australian Curriculum: Geography Shape Paper. They are the principles to guide the teaching of sustainable development in the geography curriculum.
* Quadruple
Bottom Line (QBL) of Sustainable development
1.
Environmental
2.
Social
3.
Cultural (including governance)
4.
Economic.
Just
like many of the indigenous cultures, Geography sees sustainability broader
than the physical environment as an isolated ‘thing’. It is the interdependency
of the QBL that we see as the necessary approach to sustainable
development.
Some
videos to watch on Sustainable development
"The
Spirits Warn You Twice,
The Third Time You Stand Alone"
From the
1927 Grand Council of American Indians
