If OnlyWe Had Listened to Indigenous Peoples

If we had just listened to Indigenous Peoples 500 years ago, we wouldn’t have a climate crisis today. I’m a member of the Mi’kmaq First Nation. I find it fascinating to study the Mi’kmaq concept of “taking only what you need.” It’s known as Netukulimk (pronounced neh doo goo limk).It is a cultural and spiritual philosophy that has guided resource management, environmental stewardship, and community sustenance for over 12,000 years. Netukulimk is the use of the natural bounty provided by the Creator so that the individual and the community can support themselves and be well. It is achieving adequate standards of community nutrition and economic wellbeing without jeopardizing the integrity, diversity, or productivity of the environment.Netukulimk teaches people to have enough, but not more than enough. Hoarding, overharvesting, or taking resources for pure profit violates this natural law. When an animal, fish, or plant is taken, every single part must be utilized or repurposed. Wasting nature’s bounty is seen as a profound disrespect to the Creator.Harvesters must always evaluate how their actions today will affect the resource in the future. For example, when gathering wild sweetgrass, traditional harvesters never pull the plant out by the root, and they switch picking locations frequently so the local population can regenerate next season. Leaders distributed and rotated hunting territories so that no area was exhausted, allowing resources to replenish. Animal bones were handled with care. Throwing them into a fire or feeding them to dogs was not allowed because it prevented the animal’s spirit from becoming another life form.Humans are recycled by the soil and nourish plants, plants nourish animals, animals nourish humans. Because ancestors are absorbed into land, water and air, consuming plants and animals is a celebration of ancestors. That’s where the term “all my relations” comes from. It’s a reminder that we are interconnected with all aspects of our natural world. To the Mi’kmaq, humans, rivers, plants, and animals are all equal parts of an interconnected family spirit.Today, DNA mapping proves that all living things on Earth share a single genetic origin. The Mi’kmaq people knew this was true 12,000 years ago. Netukulimk does not treat humans as rulers over nature. Nature has rights. Humans have responsibilities. How do you think this way of life compares to capitalism? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit quietcanines.substack.com/subscribe