Episode 47 - Talking about Time: A conversation with Meda DeWitt

In this episode, Sara Jolena talks with Meda Dewitt, a Lingit traditional healer, ethno-herbalist, educator, and artist from the Tlingit culture. Together, they explore themes of the perception of time in western and Indigenous cultures, the importance of storytelling, and the impact of seasonal changes on life. This includes the contrast between Native time and what Meda refers to as "managed time," emphasizing the need for balance.   The episode concludes with reflections on the personal and the collective in a rapidly changing world.Subsections00:00 - Introducing Meda DeWitt02:11 - Cultural Identity and Language05:40 - Understanding Time in Indigenous Cultures (with a focus on Tlingit)10:09 - The Nature of Storytelling and Memory18:40 - Cycles of Life and Nature25:31 - Native Time vs. Clock Time27:47 - Navigating Between Clock Time and Organic Time31:04 - The Impact of Managed Time on Well-being35:28 - The Reckoning of Time in a Capitalistic Society38:12 - Finding Balance in a Modern Context43:05 Embracing Mortality and the Value of Time51:39 - Moving Between TimesWebsites:Wilderness.org/imagoSanctuaryAnimism.orgmedaforalaska.comFacebook.com/sanctuaryanimismYouTube.com/@sanctuaryanimismNote: Tlingit culture is a matrilineal society from what is now referred to as Southeastern Alaska.  "Tlingit" means "people of the tides." Alaska has 229 federally recognized Alaska Native tribes, more than any other U.S. state, representing distinct indigenous cultures including the Yup'ik, Inupiaq, Athabascan, Tlingit, Haida, Eyak, and Aleut (Unangax/Sugpiaq).    These peoples are deeply tied to their ecosystems.  The major Alaskan ecosystems include: tundra, taiga (boreal forest), coastal rainforests, marine ecosystems (including the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea and the Aleutian Islands), mountains/glaciers; and wetlands and freshwaters. The image used is from Fairbanks, Alaska, on the winter solstice. It depicts the short height and the narrow range of the sun on the winter solstice, when Fairbanks receives 3.5-4 hours of sunlight.  Photo: Todd Paris courtesy of University of Alaska Fairbanks.Send us a messageSupport the showLearn more about Sara Jolena Wolcott and Sequoia SamanvayaMusic Title: Both of UsMusic by: madiRFAN Don't forget to "like" and share this episode!