Native American Tales Inspiring Conservation and Interconnectedness 

      For over forty years, scientists have extensively published clear evidence that climate change will severely affect our planet. Rising ocean levels and increased temperatures have negatively impacted weather, animal migration patterns, and the health of all creatures on Earth. Although a cultural and political struggle demonizes those prioritizing the environment over economic gain, scientists continue to stress the importance of individuals becoming more mindful of their consumption of natural resources and reconnecting with the natural world. To that end, there has been a growing focus on literature and tales highlighting successful relationships with nature. The aim is to explore various cultures, stories, and traditions that have lived sustainably by minimizing their impact on the earth. By doing so, we can recognize patterns of coexisting with nature. One such example is the traditional Native American culture, which emphasizes living sustainably with respect for the natural world. This is not intended to generalize or stereotype the Native American experience but to provide a broad example of many tribes living a more harmonious life alongside nature. The novels Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, Fools Crow by James Welch, and Tracks by Louise Eldrich contain Native American origin tales, traditions, and oral stories that can teach society about the deep respect for the natural world ingrained in their cultures, and by embracing these teachings, society can take meaningful steps towards reversing the damage caused by climate change. 

      The Native American origin stories of the tribes in Ceremony, Fools Crow, and Tracks exemplify cultures intrinsically linked to the universe and nature, recognizing an interconnectedness between all living creatures. The origin story of the Pueblo Indians in Ceremony connects them to all cultures, animals, and the earth: Thought woman, the creator of all, thought of her sisters, and together they thought of everything that is. This origin story links the Pueblo Indians to all people; Silko writes of this idea: “We are all part of a whole; we do not differentiate or fragment stories and experiences (Silko, Language and Literature 3).” Similarly, the Blackfeet tribe in Fools Crow believed that the Sun – or Napi- created the earth and then created land with the animals' help. Although the idea of being connected to the planet and all its inhabitants is an integral part of Native American origin stories, it is important to recognize that their culture is much more complex and nuanced than being labeled as "the original conservationists" (Lewis 438). To perpetuate such stereotypes would be to oversimplify Native Americans, failing to appreciate the richness and depth of the spiritual and cultural systems of over 500 individual federally recognized tribes. However, Native American origin stories can teach valuable lessons to all societies about the importance of acknowledging ourselves as part of the universe and creating a more community-minded idea of nature. 

      Native American oral stories imbue animate beings with consciousness and spiritual significance, promoting and instilling reverence for all forms of life, regardless of species, inspiring conservation. The stories attribute physical traits to both the earth and its inhabitants, including animals and plants, thereby elevating them to the same level as human beings. In Fools Crow, the character Raven is not “just” a bird but a trickster spirit that guides the main character, Fools Crow. This relationship benefits both Raven and Fools Crow. Raven is protected from a Napikwan overhunting animals, while Fools Crow and his wife, Red Paint, are protected from being killed by the same Napikwan. Similarly, in Tracks, trees are seen as “Grandfathers,” valued, respected, and historically spoken of as members of the Chippewa tribe’s extended family. This familial bond is felt keenly when lumber companies begin decimating the tribe’s forests, and the character of Nanapush shares with his granddaughter, “I heard the groan and crack, felt the ground tremble as each tree slammed earth. I weakened into an old man as one oak went down, another and another was lost” (Erdrich 9). In Fools Crow, the Sun, Moon, and Morning Star are an important part of not only the Blackfeet origin story but also oral tales, connecting humans to the universe. David Rich Lewis, Associate Professor of History at Utah State University writes that (Native Americans): “recognized a unity in their physical and spiritual universes, the union of natural and supernatural.” he continues by saying: “Their origin cycles, oral traditions, and cosmologies connected them with all animate and inanimate beings, past and present” (Lewis 423). By incorporating Native American oral stories into our own, humankind would have the foundation to begin seeing the earth not as an exploitable means for monetary gain but rather as an irreplaceable cradle of life. 

      Silko's novel Ceremony showcases Native American cultures adapting and adjusting their customs and practices to suit the changing ecological and environmental conditions rather than imposing their will on the land. Betonie, a medicine man in Ceremony, explained why it was important to update his practices: “But after the white people came, elements in this world began to shift; and it became necessary to create new ceremonies. I have made changes in the rituals. The people mistrust this greatly, but only this growth keeps the ceremonies strong” (Silko 116). By integrating with outside impacts, the Laguna Pueblo people exemplify changing traditions in response to environmental and social changes. Blending spiritual beliefs with those around them, and adapting to the challenges of World Wars, advancements, as well as adopting other cultures' norms, the Laguna Pueblo culture has retained its rituals while altering some of its practices. However, Lewis writes that Native Americans “Did not passively adapt, but responded in diverse ways as individuals and groups to refashion environments to meet their cultural and material desires.” (Lewis 423) Native Americans have demonstrated an exceptional and thoughtful ability to adjust and modify their way of life in response to the environment, enabling them to coexist harmoniously with nature for centuries. Similarly, people from all cultures must be willing to adapt and modify their lifestyles to align with the natural world.  

      Creating a symbiotic relationship with the natural world is emphasized in Native American oral stories and can be applied to create a sustainable future. Native American origin stories, oral histories, and rituals promote harmony, which teaches that humans should work with and alongside nature as part of the universe’s family. In Fools Crow, meat from a successful hunt is often shared with other animals, such as when Fools Crow shares his meat with an injured Skunk Bear and Raven. Later in the novel, both animals guide and assist Fools Crow, helping his character grow and become a strong voice in his Blackfeet tribe. By sharing stories of the signs that nature sends to all living things, the Native Americans could commune with nature, fostering this reciprocal relationship to an anticipatory communion. This idea is explored in Ceremony, which conveys, “He knew the holy men had their ways during the dry spells. People said they climbed the trails to the mountaintops to look west and southwest and to call the clouds and thunder. They studied the night skies from the mountaintops and listened to the winds at dawn.” (Silko 86) By incorporating natural elements into spiritual beliefs and oral stories, nature and the spiritual are intricately combined to create a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship for all involved. 

      The tradition of oral stories emphasizes the importance of viewing time as a cycle of ancestors and descendants, inspiring a natural desire to conserve land and resources to honor the past and benefit present and future generations. In Tracks, tribal land is spoken of as a cultural inheritance, not private property to be sold for monetary gain. Trees are carriers of tribal spirits, not merely wood that products can be made of, and if the land or trees are lost, the loss will be far more than soil or property but rather a spiritual and ancestral wound. As Nanapush enters the forest near Fleur's cabin, he finds only one square mile left untouched after the lumberjacks have finished their job. Nanapush bears witness to the cost the destruction has caused on the interconnected world he occupies, and with Fleur’s daughter, he shares, “I heard a hum of a thousand conversations. Not only the birds and small animals, but the spirits in the western stands had been forced together. The shadows of the trees were crowded with their forms. The twigs spun independently of wind, vibrating like small voices.” Nanapush continues by saying, “I stopped, stood among these trees whose flesh was so much older than ours, and it was then that my relatives and friends took final leave, abandoned me to the living” (Erdrich 220). Fools Crow explains his reluctance to surrender his land to the Napikwan when he says, "But this is the land of the Pikunis. This is where the long-ago people were born and lived and died. They would be angry with us if we just gave it up" (Welch 387). Rather than seeing the earth as an expendable asset, we should consider it a living ancestor, a piece of our past, present, and future, deserving of our care and, ultimately, our respect. 

      In the novels Ceremony, Fools Crow, and Tracks, some Native American characters are less concerned with preserving their heritage and customs than the heroes. In Tracks, Pauline views her Native American heritage as sinful and wrong and joins the Catholic faith to become a nun and further distance herself from the tribe. In Fools Crow, Fast Horse separates from his tribe and unites with a Native American outlaw, relishing his freedom and lack of responsibility to the tribe. Fools Crow realizes this of Fast Horse and thinks to himself that, “As long as one thought himself as part of the group, he would be responsible to and for that group. If one cut ties, he had the freedom to roam, to think only of himself and not worry about the consequences of his actions.” (Welch 213) In Ceremony, Helen Jean, a Laguna woman, leaves her ancestral home for the big city to seek her fortune, and feels disconnected and ashamed of the people she left behind: “she thought of the old people at home, who shook their heads at the mention of elevators and tall builds or jukeboxes that could play a hundred different records. The old Utes said it was a lie; there was no such things. But she saw it every day and for a long time when she saw these things, she felt embarrassed for the old people at home, who did not believe in these things” (Silko 151). Beyond the separation from their culture, these characters all share a life disconnected from the people they have left behind and the natural world they have abandoned, leaving a gaping hole in their life story that no amount of technology, travel, or modern marvels can fill. 

      Many of us eagerly await the changing seasons each year as they bring forth the abundance of our gardens, delightful walks in the sunshine, snowflakes that dance, and the unique music created by rustling leaves in the trees. We understand the beauty that can be found in connecting with nature and enjoying its enchantment. Most of us have been raised with traditional origin stories that depict a disconnected and judgmental God who only interacts with us from afar with malevolence.  The tales of Native American literature share their traditions and oral stories, urging us to reconnect with our land and seek the magic that lives around us. As humans, we tend to protect what we cherish the most. Isn’t it time for us to sink our toes in the soil, breathe in the air, and revel in the wonder that lives in the natural world? Perhaps if we begin adopting Native American origin stories as our own, we will begin the healing that our environment so desperately requires. Only when we truly love our planet as an extension of our family, we will have the motivation to nurture, conserve, and value it. 

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Works Cited 

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Lewis, David Rich. “Native Americans and the Environment: A Survey of Twentieth-Century      

      Issues.” American Indian Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 3, 1995, pp. 423–50. JSTOR,      

      https://doi.org/10.2307/1185599. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023. 

Erdrich, Louise. Tracks. Harper Perennial, 1989. 

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Silko, Leslie Maron. Ceremony. Penguin Classics, 1977. 

Welch, James. Fools Crow. Penguin Classics, 1986. 

Silko, Leslie Maron. “Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian Perspective.” PDF,

      https://www.unm.edu/~joglesby/Silko%20Essay.pdf