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puzzle over the disconnection of many Euro-Americans to landscapes
of the North American continent. While we can name many in our midst
who love the nature of this place and who are keepers of its story,
far more stay distant from it and continue to expect to change it.
This drive to alter leaves a path of destruction in nature and some
would say in the human heart. After 500 years of settlement, very
little of the land remains unaltered. Conversations in fields of
ecospirituality and ecopsychology ponder "What will it take
to bring us home to this land?"
Thomas Berry (The Great Work, 1999) believes
Euro-Americans must connect with First Peoples to come home to
the North American continent. Such an approach requires making
bridges between cultures, something many are beginning to come
to do. It requires a kind of listening and humility intent upon
learning and respecting different ways of being. This does not
mean we take on another's practice. Too much has been taken. Instead,
we listen respectfully to the approach and story of the other.
We each use these things as a means of finding our own way.
With
reservations close by, emphasis on Native American programs and
strong presence of Native Americans, UND provides potential for
many partnerships between those with ancient and more recent ties
to this land. For Soaring Eagle Prairie, we have attempted to
build bridges and seek teachings at every stage along the path.
After four growing years, I see we are learning from each other
about the land and our place in it. The land has provided a beautiful
context to experience a different relationship for which many
yearn.
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