Written by Natasha Lowery
Reading time: 7 minutes
In youth, my family made an effort to expose us to natural spaces. My dad, as a Southern man, grew up running around the forests and swamps of his home-country. My mother, though not particularly comfortable in outdoor spaces, was an artist, and was deeply inspired by the beauty, and suffering, of NATURE. We often went camping, hiking, and swimming. Through our adventures, we learned the practical things: how to start fires, how to pitch tents, how to cook in the outdoors, how to pee in the woods… And we learned to love the land. To this day, our family’s love for NATURE transcends the generations. But for all the practicality, the heart, not once did we learn of the intimate relationship among history, politics, and the very same outdoor spaces we learned to love. This lack of knowledge is not for lack of resources, but for lack of visibility (often imposed violently on the keepers of wisdom).
Shortly after writing Balance, Strength, Nature, I listened to a podcast episode by This Filipino American Life (TFAL) called When Nature Calls: TFAL Goes to the Great Outdoors. Just as I had turned to NATURE, to help regain BALANCE and STRENGTH in my life, so too had two of the co-hosts Elaine Dolalas and Michael Nailat turned to outdoor spaces to reset and to escape. The episode touched on many issues associated with recreating in natural spaces: The perceived stereotypes of those who spend time in nature, new trends in outdoor activities, personal experiences and anecdotes, as well as the discussion surrounding how, why and if natural spaces are/should be defined the way they are. Many trains of thought emerge for me from the last point: what does wilderness mean anyway? Why do we view nature as somewhere out-there, rather than on any average city block, farm field, or suburban garden? How did the National Park (NP) system come to be?
At school we learned that Yellowstone NP was the first territory to be declared a NP in 1872. We learned that this was a result of, and a catalyst for, various environmentalists, like John Muir, to lobby for swathes of land to be set aside for conservation and recreation. This occurred at a similar time as the Transcendentalist Movement (in literature) and romantic depictions of ‘wild’ natural spaces that accompanied the concept of Manifest Destiny. What we didn’t learn was the long history of intimate relationship among indigenous populations and the lands (NP designated or not), as well as the the (often violent) removal of these same people from their home-lands. What has remained of the often celebrated legacy of the National Park system is a vastly oversimplified narrative that removes the inhumane treatment of brown people in the celebration of white man and their conservationist (read colonialist) tendencies. In my search for BALANCE, I find that I am once again (un)learning the history of this country (the U.S.).
Take for instance, the example of Black Hills National Forest: While the official USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) website offers a small blurb about the social history of the area on both the indigenous people who lived there, and settler culture, it does not address the manipulative and violent interaction between the two. What actually happened (information which can be found in A People’s History of the US by Howard Zinn, and in this creative comic) is that Sioux chiefs were ‘manipulated [by the U.S. government] into signing an agreement that relinquished the Black Hills’ from their people. They were then forcibly removed so that the area could become protected gold mining territory, and logging territory (activities which disproportionately supported the white man).
What happened in Black Hills (or Paha Sapa as it was called by the Lakota (Sioux)) is not unique to that area. Almost every National and/or State Park (as well as any other kind of federal land) was forcibly, or manipulatively taken from the indigenous people who lived here. I have recently taken to acknowledging and learning more about the history of the land that I currently occupy (a useful resource can be found here: they superimpose the contemporary and historical territories of indigenous tribes onto google maps. You can easily search any address or location and discover who historically tended to the land on which you live, work, or recreate). For example, the farm on which I live in Sandy, Oregon, used to be cared for by the Clackamas. My home in the Bay Area of California was the home of the Chocehnyo Ohlone. The resources to educate one-self exist. All you have to do is use the search engines at your fingertips!
Though the tone of this article may, at some points, have strayed into the realm of anger or vindictiveness, I would like to end on a more positive note. Just as we are in a time of seasonal transition, so are we in a time of social, political and historical transition. Now is a time when non-white folk can have a voice. I do not mean to undermine the very real struggles, racism, and violence that still exist in this world. Rather, I wish to highlight the mere possibility and accessibility of a more well-rounded account of the history of our country. Growing up in the Bay Area of California, I thought (rather naively) that the historical education provided by educational institutions in the area was fair, equitable, and representative. As an adult, I have come to accept the opposite: that the educational institutions that I attended failed me in many ways. Yet, The amount of resources, voices, and media (that elevate marginalized voices) has increased so that I find the diverse information readily available. Though there is still an uphill climb, I put my faith in the stories, in the voices that call for STRENGTH and BALANCE.
Thank you for reading along. I would love to engage with you all about this topic as outdoor activities, spaces, and recreation as well as respectful relationship with NATURE are some of my passions. What are your opinions? Do you have knowledge you wish to share? Please reach out in the comments, email, and/or through submissions to share your views.
Love always,
Natasha XX
wintersbloom2019.wordpress.com 