Lucas Spelsberg (09/20): Exploratory Essay: Braiding Sweetgrass

The Native Americans throughout the Great Lakes of the United States are said to have lived by a set of teachings that they referred to as "Original Instructions". Although they were not instructions per se, such as Judaism's commandments, they acted as a way to orient themselves while coming of age. How these instructions apply to each generation of people varies greatly based on the interpretations at the time. The creation myths within the original instructions are perfect examples of stories providing a culture with their form of habitus. If you consider everything around you to have been provided by the combined efforts of many different living things then you would be more likely to cherish and appreciate those things. How these Native American groups of the Great Lakes viewed themselves within their ecosystem was entirely determined by the way that the Original Instructions explained. They integrated themselves into their land as if it was something to be grateful for and treat with love, just as the animals did for the first being to inhabit their land.

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