| |
The Return of Bison and WolfThe end of the cattle industry looms now, as overly-manipulative
agriculture practices continue to degrade beef herds. At the same time,
there is taking place a resurgence in bison numbers, in tandem with a
perspective that holds reverence for the bison's principle shepherd and
guardian, the wolf.In terms of the spiritual ecology of human
nature, it could be said that the aspects of the soul within us that
strive for qualities of endurance, vigilance, stamina, and vigor are
arising to counteract the destitution of the mass-meat industry.The
depletion of the land through non-organic processes, plus the
depopulation of the prairies, have set the stage for the inevitable
return of the most fitting animal populations, with the bison holding
the center of the eco-region. Thus, “The Buffalo Commons," or strategy
to re-populate and rescue the degraded terrain at the heart of the
North American continent. Averaging 2,000 pounds, the largest
mammal in the western hemisphere, bison have the tremendous
evolutionary advantage of being adapted to the plains environment.
Evidence of its inter-connection with the land on an elemental basis is
revealed in an evolved synergy. For example, some of the original
prairie grasses can only reproduce by passing through the bison's
digestive tract.It costs about half as much to raise a bison
compared to a cow, while bison meat can bring in almost twice the
profit. Bison can sustain themselves on an intact ecosystem without
grain or medicinal supplements. On a continuum ranging from feeble to
powerful, the position of the bison would register on the high end, in
the arena of remarkable vitality. Although still viable in enclosed
fields, attempts to contain bison are largely counterproductive (that
is, compared with ideal open-range, north-south corridors). This is a
migratory animal. Corridors of substantial size will be needed to
fulfill the ultimate forum of return. Part and parcel of this
renaissance includes the wolf, which must be restored to its role as
shepherd and strengthener of the bison. The slaughter of wolves and the
demise of the cattle industry go hand in hand. There is no way around
this. Without wolves to complete the tableau, it's a waste of land and
resources to maintain any herd, domestic or wild.Numerous
accounts in natural history reportage depict a feeling of rapture in
the human experience of the Great Plains. From the perspective of
spiritual ecology this experience can be seen as an inversion, a
turning inside-out, of the landscape's key natural inhabitants. Beneath
the snow, across the broad grasslands of the bison's range, there
sleeps an extraordinary exuberance of prairie green and herb. Though
dormant this time of year, the landscape is possessed of an uncommon
vitality poised in superb balance. For, on the Great Plains it is too
wet for desert, too dry for forest, and thus arises the grass-stalk sea
of chlorophyll.All in all, a biotic dynasty spreads out here.
Prairie lends itself to broad vision - in a compendium of ways and
meanings. It invites existential farsight and windows to the future. Despite
oppression, First Nations wisdom and vision continue to permeate the
substrate, to weave an understanding of eco-sensibility across the
land. . . Pawnee. . Lakota. . .Omaha. . . Crow. . .Arapaho. . . names
that comprise an earthen phraseology, names that sound as nature-music,
prayers rising in pentatonic counterpoint.And in this arena,
where, to the unawakened eye the land appears flat and featureless,
sacred places, such as “Pahaku" wait in faultless patience, for their
lifeblood to flow again, for their breathing to respire into a vessel
for slaking human spirit longing.Pahaku, and others, endure as
retreats for spirits of prairie beings - like earth lodges, where a
tale of a boy brought back to life foreshadows a terrain waiting to be
reborn. In shamanistic drama, magical animal spirits, residing in a
sacred earth chamber,cure a person of a chronic malaise, or help to mend tears in the social fabric of a community. To view the whole article visit Earth Vision:
|
|
