ll things are interrelated. Everything in the universe is a part of a single whole. Everything is connected in some way to everything else. It is therefore possible to understand something only if we can understand how it is connected to everything else.

We are not separate from our environment, but interconnected. Only in our minds are we separate from the whole. We are individuals, but in order to exist we must have relationships with all our relatives. In every moment of our existence, we are in a relationship with something: the gardener with his vegetables, the violinist with her music, the hunter with that he pursues. This concept of relationship carries through all levels of existence.

Nature is our greatest teacher. In the great outdoors, we learn about ourselves and learn to care for the land we all use. The more a society becomes isolated from their environment, the less respect they have for the earth and themselves.

In learning native skills, let's not forget that plants, as well as minerals and other living organisms on earth, also serves a purpose other than that of human utilization. With this in mind, let's utilize nature's bounties wisely by not taking more than what is needed and by not wasting what is taken.

© KAHIKO Arts 2020