nature and animals quotes

After all, there are leaders of indigenous nations, raised speaking a grammar of animacy, who willingly surrender their homelands to the use of mining or timber companies. Perhaps these words can be medicine for them both, so that every time we speak of the living world we breathe out respect and inhale kinship, turning the very atmosphere into a medium of relatedness. Is there a possessive case? I think the story ends with the priest asking the woman to pray for him. Moments of escape and discovery with these complex coloring pages galleries inspired by Nature. Beauty is the first present nature gives to women and the first it takes away. The tribal peoples who were present at the conquest could have taught all those who came a language and philosophy of your people.

In honor of the language that was taken from his great-grandfather, I want to give that language back to my grandson, so he will never be alone in the world and live surrounded by kin. And then – by what pronouns do I call Spirit Helpers such as Wolf, Bear, Eagle, Deer, Magpie, Tree Spirit? Every interaction became an act of learning. I also struggled with changing the way we refer to nature and animals. I have learned much from them and feel very akin to them. If we can see animals as Ki and Kin, as individuals with their own lives to live, perhaps we can also see that eating them is an affront to their rights too. I also love how you compare human death rites with animals. I cannot remember the title. In so doing, they also honor the gods and spirits of their ancestors. The language we speak is an affront to the ears of the colonist in every way, because it is a language that challenges the fundamental tenets of Western thinking—that humans alone are possessed of rights and all the rest of the living world exists for human use.

Nearby was also a marker for William Blake, someone who would probably sympathize greatly with Ms. Kimmerer’s essay and thoughts. “It’s hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.” – Adlai E. Stevenson, 52. Nature cannot lie. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.” – Viggo Mortensen, 40. He refers to the sun, the forest, everything–as “persons”, which makes the Russian explorers laugh (but they get it after a while–Kurosawa is good at showing empathetic moments.) Words do matter, and they can ripple out to make waves in the “real” world.

In Malay language, there is no distinction of he and she. “I could say ‘ki’ about this shrub,” Renee says, “but what about the wind?”, “Yes,” I tell her, “in my language, the wind is understood as animate.”, As we stand beneath the stoutly branched oak, the students debate how to use the words. Thank you for a timely, beautifully argued appeal! As someone who knows so little about the environment, this article was a very endearing read. The abstraction of “dreaming up pronouns” does seem fruitless during a time in our nation’s history when the language of disrespect is the currency of political discourse. She has collected their assignment, a written reflection on a cemetery walk last week, as baseline data. Just as the white settlers did not respect the native cosmology, so is it with many refugees and immigrants that come to our country for economic benefit. Peace. A lot is riding on it. Two of the elders tried to explain to me.

“In the end, we don’t know what horses can do. During this period he lived on Walden Pond. He was.” Grammar, especially our use of pronouns, is the way we chart relationships in language and, as it happens, how we relate to each other and to the natural world. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or what it 'means' to be human. Nature Quotes That Are… The Most Famous Nature Quotes. Again, this is beautiful, and beautifully written. “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” –  Anatole France, 45. 3572 likes. I greet the silent boulder people with the same respect as I do the talkative chickadees. Born in Argentina and living more than 30 years in Israel, came as a child when my parents decided this will be the best place for us, every single day in my life goes by with thoughts about this issues. I don’t think that we need words that distance us from nature; we need words that heal that relationship, that invite us into an inclusive worldview of personhood for all beings. I was fortunate enough to hear Robin Kimmerer speak at the University of Oregon on this very topic. In the Animals page, you will find many categories, for the main animal species. She has collected their assignment, a written reflection on a cemetery walk last week, as baseline data. The Oromo have lived with nature for years and years. No stream or gas drives anything until it is confined. Knowing this, the water protectors at Standing Rock were joined by thousands of non-native allies, who also speak with the voice of resistance, who speak for the living world, for the grammar of animacy.

I wonder if another possible solution would be to expand the singular use of ‘they’ from being a way of designating a gender-neutral singular person to being a species-neutral animate singular and plural. Animals & Nature Welcome To Animals & Nature. So the English (and other language) debate on whether GOD is He or She is impossible to arise. I agree with you that the English language holds a great deal of power, and that it has shaped the mindset of people responsible for colonialism, racism, environmental destruction, and in general the culture of domination. Thank you for this lovely article. For every conflict, common ground. But I wonder if it was always that way. They fall.” – Heath Ledger, 30.

We use instead a special grammar for humans: we distinguish them with the use of he or she, a grammar of personhood for both living and dead Homo sapiens. The priest tries again, saying that the dog wouldn’t be in Purgatory. Moving. “Some people talk to animals. Many people now request to be referred to as they/them/theirs, or even “ze” (pronounced “zee”). It misses so much of what I feel in nature, in love, in true living. “If you spend all day on horseback, and you hop off, you walk around like you still have a horse between your legs. Maxime Lagacé started collecting quotes in 2004 after he lost his girlfriend in a car accident. He rightly cautioned that “our language holds no responsibility to heal the society that sought to exterminate it.” With deep respect for his response, I thought also of how the teachings of our traditional wisdom might one day be needed as medicine for a broken world. Although our technology is constantly progressing, it’s beneficial to take a step back and appreciate the nature around us. “A horse loves freedom, and the weariest old workhorse will roll on the ground or break into a lumbering gallop when he is turned loose into the open.” — Gerald Rafferty, 12. Most pet owners refer to their cats and dogs as he or she. And they shape each other. Words do build worlds.

That’s why horses get blinders in horse racing: You look at the horse next to you, and you lose a step.” – Jimmy Iovine, 41. “An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” – Martin Buber, 46. Thank you for magnificent info I used to be searching for this info for my mission. But when I thought of that tree as ki, as a being, I suddenly saw how preposterous that was. “You never know how a horse will pull until you hook him to a heavy load.” – Bear Bryant, 60. like ourselves. The change in pronouns did work a kind of magic though it remains to be seen whether I will succeed in my intention to use ki instead of it. “Looking at the dead branches on the ground, I found myself thinking a lot about firewood,” she says. In this post- Bruce Jenner world gender has been redefined. But I think this student is wrong. My heritage is European and not Indian, so I may try using the vocabulary of St. Francis. What a huge relief and inspiration to hear I love it! Once I became aware of the extensive universe of life in and near the rhizosphere I immediately adopted an approach to agriculture and gardening that abandoned tillage. It reminds me of how the imperial settlers marginalized, and systematically tried to exterminate my culture and traditions- the Oromo.

The writer doesn’t only has scientific knowledge but she also has an indigenous knowledge. I am extremely curious to know which children’s books have incorporated these pronouns into their text, as mentioned in the article. Not as objects to objectify and commercialize. However, gender of animacy is simply one of many tools that we can use to open up language and our relationship with the natural world, and this is the topic of my recent book “Language Making Nature.”. Quotes The big five animals of Africa are African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Leopard, Lion, and Rhinoceros. The change in pronouns did work a kind of magic though it remains to be seen whether I will succeed in my intention to use ki instead of it. Neither is her husband, she says – he was a good man and she’s sure he went straight to heaven. Re: As we talk beneath the oaks, one of the students emphatically disagrees: “Just because I say it doesn’t mean I disrespect nature. The river as plaintiff speaks for the ecological unit of life that is part of it.”. Really? The engraved names on overgrown headstones are upholstered in moss and crows congregate in the bare branches of an old beech, which is also carved with names. Our ancestors spoke through the trees to messengers when calamities were above to befall the land. There is a lot to think about here for me, and for many of us. Volunteer at the food bank, plant a tree. Some people, such as myself, claim this group of neighbors needs even more attention. I needs to spend some time studying much more or figuring out more. When I was a child living in a village, my mother taught me to seek permission from the guardians of the trees, and even anthills, when we passed through groves, shrubs and bushes in the dark. Using tillage and pulverizing the soil to create a specific germination or growing condition can be a sign of one of two things: simple ignorance of (or about) the life beneath our feet, or, arrogance of high order motivated by avarice.

Check out the stunning horse quotes listed below! As a plant scientist, sometimes I am collecting data. 1. Names, names, names: the stones seem to say, “I am. “When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.” –  William Shakespeare, 22. The ground is also littered, in this unkempt portion of the cemetery, with fallen branches. As someone who writes regularly about the relationship between humans and creatures (mainly through the lens of bird hunting), I’m fascinated by the potential impact on prose as well as concept. Aldo Leopold Quotes One student puts it this way: “This is a warm-hearted and generous idea, but it will never work. “It kind of knocks humans off the pedestal of being the only ones with souls.” Indeed, Christian missionaries were the spearhead of language suppression in indigenous cultures and were among the prime architects of the Indian-boarding-school movement. As mentioned previously, horses have been an integral part of our society for over 6000 years. The world is a better place due such passionate lovers of nature who can love the lichen on a tomb and the birds on a bough, A beautifully written eye opener. And thank you, Orion, for featuring this piece. The kin of the soil are as mandatory for healthy life and salubrious food as is the oxygen we breathe. Required fields are marked *. The river, for example, is the living symbol of all the life it sustains or nourishes — fish, aquatic insects, water ouzels, otter, fisher, deer, elk, bear, and all other animals, including man, who are dependent on it or who enjoy it for its sight, its sound, or its life. Not many listen though. I grew up in a marvelous old cemetery and I loved to read tombstones to try to learn about the people who rested there. Most people don’t want to think of nature as being as good as them.” One student writes in a scrawl that carries his impatience in every half-formed letter: “If changing the world is what you’re after, do something real.

I love this, the world needs this not because it is against English as a language, it is the fact. We use it to distance ourselves, to set others outside our circle of moral consideration, creating hierarchies of difference that justify our actions—so we don’t feel. Wikipedia. “One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master.

Wonderful article. By … Pronouns are, as you note, revelatory. “It is the horse’s gift to connect us with Heaven and our own footsteps.” – Ronni Sweet, 2. “Whoever said a horse was dumb, was dumb.” – Will Rogers, 18. Outdoor play and exploration is an important part of childhood. “A man in passion rides a horse that runs away with him.” – Thomas Fuller, 27. Nature Quotes. “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” – ​John Wayne, 38. Because we speak and live with this language every day, our minds have also been colonized by this notion that the nonhuman living world and the world of inanimate objects have equal status. However, it is a bit of work, so I found the following quotes inspiring, funny, and thought-provoking — just what I needed for more motivation. And the proposed new pronouns – ‘ki’ and ‘kin’ – even evoke linguistic associations with existing words, like ‘kindred’ and perhaps even ‘kind’. Let me be clear that I may have only poorly understood.

Thank you! We can acknowledge food plants and animals as fellow beings and through sophisticated practices of reciprocity demonstrate respect for the sacred exchange of life among relatives. Our language hovers at the edge of extinction, an endangered species of knowledge and wisdom dwindling away with the loss of every elder. This isn’t just sustainability, this is regenerative because the natural process is perpetual or at least cyclical. This happened us in Ireland too where we are still trying to erase the shame that was heaped on our beautiful culture by colonisation. Henry David Thoreau's Walden was published in 1854. Leave us a comment down below of your thoughts! As a nurse giving service it a community care clinic, I have lately started working with ultra religious people. Without humans raising their respect for the kin of the soil, we are not likely to survive as a species in this amazing geosphere. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled.

The grammar of animacy is an antidote to arrogance; it reminds us that we are not alone. Yet, they used “it”pronoun coined to favor them to describe nature. I grew up on a farm and we called all of our animals it, but we took great care of them. ‘If pronouns can kindle empathy, I want to shower the world with their sound.’ “A horse is a thing of beauty… none will tire of looking at him as long as he displays himself in his splendor.” – Xenophon, 59. I’ve been saying it for most of my life and so far I have not clearcut a forest. If words can make the world, can these two little sounds call back the grammar of animacy that was scrubbed from the mouths of children at Carlisle?

So it seems “it” is a catch-all in that sense. They address the animal as brother or sister and thank him or her for giving up his/her own life so that the hunter might live. Fascinating. Beyond the renaming of places, I think the most profound act of linguistic imperialism was the replacement of a language of animacy with one of objectification of nature, which renders the beloved land as lifeless object, the forest as board feet of timber. Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? Be wise and begin to treat it as part of you, so that when you return to it, generations after you would offer same. ‘I wonder if English sharpened its verbal ax and lost the companionship of oaks and primroses when it began to keep company with capitalism.’

Nature, in the broadest sense, is the natural, physical, or material world or universe. “Success is like a wild horse. As a person who feels most peaceful and happy when outdoors – especially among trees and by water – I have a strong connection with nature. Composite nouns. When we do this, our photosynthesizing neighbors will blossom, both figuratively and literally. I like the idea of using ki and kin more often.

In my language, Igbo, of Nigerian origin, it is general also to refer to “nonhuman beings” by their true names, not minding pronoun. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites, or women created for men.”. This is a well articulated piece of article. “I’ve always spoken—and thought—as if I was the one who made firewood. I’ve invited them on a mission to experiment with the nature of language and the language of personhood. A horse is at least human, for God’s sake.” – J.D. A title of a piece of writing I wrote in terms of how we relate to the natural world: It is time for a new beginning, a new way of living, time for change-I was delighted at the positive response I received. When I talk to or about my animals (horses, dogs, cats) or other animals I usually use he or she pronouns and seldom use it, unless the gender is unknown, but I am less personal with plants and places. Living beings are referred to as subjects, never as objects, and personhood is extended to all who breathe and some who don’t. This is an important topic that seems to be gaining momentum thanks to writers like Robin and Robert Macfarlane. Why not the trees all around us and the garden plants I spend my summer days with and the water I swim in? HD wallpapers and background images “Wherever man has left his footprints in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we find the hoofprints of a horse beside it.” – ​John Trotwood Moore. Thank you for enhancing my thinking. For example, there are no gender indications for pronouns in Magyar.

“God forbid that I should go to any Heaven in which there are no horses.” – R.B. It can only be prevented. My house is spangled with Post-it notes labeling wiisgaak, gokpenagen, and ishkodenhs. As a high school English teacher, there is so much here to reflect on. First, feel energised and motivated about getting your kids back in nature by checking out the list of gorgeous nature quotes below. Try discussing gender issues with them. The Oxford Children’s Dictionary notoriously dropped the words acorn and buttercup in favor of bandwidth and chatroom, but restored them after public pressure. Delightful. So the moment of one human being moving from life to death, was not crossing a border of any consequence. So I sought the counsel of my elder and language guide, Stewart King, and explained my purpose in seeking a word to instill animacy in English grammar, to heal disrespect. But then in languages that assigns male and female gender (french, hindi)even to inanimate things like table there is no particular intimacy. Australian firefighters are doing God's work. These two roles offer a sharp contrast in ways of thinking, but I am always in awe, and always in relationship. Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic. I delight in listening to my grandson, who like most toddlers watching a butterfly flit across the yard says, “He is flying,” or “She sits on a flower.” Children speak at first with a universal grammar of animacy, until we teach them not to. Inspired by the grammar of animacy in Potawatomi that feels so right and true, I’ve been searching for a new expression that could be slipped into the English language in place of it when we are speaking of living beings. Latin languages and German, for example, genderize, and thus in some sense personalize, all nouns; we anglophiles struggle with the articles and declensions. really inspiring article about how do we look towards nature. Try our Environment section for discussions about this subject or head to Pets if you have a question about animals in the home. I me have a problem with changing the way it is used. We only know that when, over the past thousands of years, we have asked something more of them, at least some of them have readily supplied it.” – Jane Smiley, 14. ‘I am always in awe, and always in relationship. We just said it because everyone knows that you don’t give a name to the thing that you’re going to eat.” We are raising a beautiful Dexter steer; HIS name is Albertus.

2. “The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals. Truly, words matter coherent with the grammar of animacy, I wondered why kids would gladly repeat the same “mistake” of calling the “its” “kis”, but now I realized. your mother?

If you do not know how to handle it, it will throw you off and look for another rider who can handle it well.” – Ajith Kumar, 39. Fascinating account of how language differences change our perceptions–of us and other entities in our world, and beyond. Salinger, 28. I often revert to “he” but it doesn’t feel right. It’s a very difficult language to learn, but what keeps me going is the pulse of animacy in every sentence. Pleae not the correct spelling of Māori. To invite many people into your nation that do not respect your way of life or the natural world will forever be a thorn in your side. Robin Wall Kimmerer is Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). Perhaps this is another pat to wholeness. They have big respect for nature- trees, animals , in general for all living things. This drawing is part of my Deep Thinkers series, in which various animals are juxtaposed with evidence of human thought, in the form of mathematical equations, quotes, definitions, musical scores, etc. The Native Americans learned a hard lesson when they let Europeans immigrate in in mass. And it affects your shoulders. One thing I did disagree with regarding the essay is the idea of being heartless when you do not take in refugees. Like Robin, and Richard Powers: ‘art and storytelling move consciousness’ and in a humble way I wish to contribute to this debate and seek to do this in my work. Perhaps I need to revisit my own way of looking at places. Here are some quotes I found particularly significant: This is why I love teaching, the way we are forced to be accountable. “All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts.The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants and animals, or collectively the land.” The Land Ethic, A Sand County Almanac. We call that kind of firewood kindling, and for me it has kindled a new understanding. Those whom my ancestors called relatives were renamed natural resources. And then I wake to the thought- but we were. Quotes tagged as "animals" Showing 1-30 of 1,408 “Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.

Yet English grammar demands that I refer to my esteemed healer as it, not as a respected teacher, as all plants are understood to be in Potawatomi. One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.” — Dale Taylor. I now facilitate Wild Writing workshops in the community. “I don’t even like old cars. SOME OF THE STUDENTS in the cemetery have read the chapter in my book Braiding Sweetgrass that invokes the grammar of animacy. In comparison, automobiles have only been around for about 130 years. There are words for states of being that have no equivalent in English. I’ve always hated using the pronoun “it” for non-human animals, but never thought to extend the “personhood” further–toward rivers, forests, etc. I share your vision. Readers have reported that the very sound, the phoneme pronounced “kee,” has resonance with other words of similar meaning. When you start using ki and kin, you will feel remorseful that all of your life you took them for granted.”. Astounding article. Now we revisit the same place, but with new ideas about grammar bouncing around in the students’ heads. I think many young people will embrace the change of language! But then in languages that assigns male and female gender (french, hindi)even to inanimate things like table there is no particular intimacy. Also read these beautiful elephant quotes to celebrate animals and nature. Sadly, since we cannot photosynthesize, we humans must take other lives in order to live. “Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer, 48. As if it were dead. Surtees, 33. This essay made me thinking of all the times I have tried to explain to people surrounding me about the differences that different language provoke your ways of thinking. The Oromo have lived with nature for years and years. But the ones they are protecting ki from speak of the river and the oil and the pipe all with the same term, as if “it” were their property, as if “it” were nothing more than resources for them to use. I would love to see these concepts published as a children’s book, with lovely illustrations. An intriguing argument for the power of language – even a harmless pronoun – to shape our world view and our morality. If you really saw non-human beings as your relatives, you wouldn’t eat them. 348 BCE), who himself had been a student of Socrates (c. 470–399 BCE). My experience as a learner of Ndjoeka (in Suriname) is that the structure of the grammar is simple, but the language is not. One example of language and thinking differences in two cultures is found in the 1992 novel, Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, by Danish author Peter Høeg. I have read your book, Braiding Sweetgrass and portions of Gathering Moss. Mumbling to myself through the woods and fields, I’ve tried many different words, hoping that one would sound right to my leafy or feathered companions. But these responses are from nature writers, artists, teachers, and philosophers; I want to know how young people, the language makers among us, react.

As someone who works with people to (re-)connect with their Spirit Helpers and spirits of Nature, to hear their wisdom and guidance in order to live more authentic, joyful, transformative and effective lives of service, I feel limited by English on a daily basis. We are part of that web of life and must develop a vision of how we protect that web that provides for the continuance of ki. From mining salt, coal, ore, oil gas and so on: the Glaciers are melting and climate is changing at a rapid pace. When Native American hunters kill an animal, they do so in ritualistic ways and with great respect. author says, “Sadly, since we cannot photosynthesize, we humans must take other lives in order to live. May we learn how to re-join the wholeness that has been broken, in how we think and in what we do. Both matter. Language, personhood, and politics have always been linked to human rights.

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