Mobility, Home, and Cat Stevens

Black Elk reminds me of themes we talked about during first semester while reading "Landscapes of the Sacred" by Belden C. Lane.  He compares white settlement to Native Americans' idea of place.

Settlers were mobile, moving to wherever offered the most opportunities and security.  Even today we are increasingly mobile, moving for jobs, school, and other commitments.  Yet we as Americans can feel that we're not at "home".  With railroads in the 1800s and our current highway system, we are able and willing to move.  Yet, home doesn't have to be just where you grew up.  Home is wherever you are in the world, with whoever you've made the most meaningful connections.  One looks for opportunity, expansiveness, a freedom of space, but also safe enclosure, or security of place (Lane 221).  Aldo Leopold criticizes our country's sprawl and misuse of resources when he asks, "Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?' 9Lane 219).  Nature can help us feel at home wherever we are.

In general, Native Americans have a different view of landscapes and nature.  During the debut of railroads, many groups were nomadic and moved to areas that offered the most resources, like the settlers.  However, reservations brought about settlement and a change in native culture relatively quickly.  Even after settlement, the Santa Clara Pueblo people of New Mexico retained their beliefs and values.  Their most "important relationship is with the land" (56), writes Rina Swentzell in "Conflicting Landscape Values".  Black Elk describes how some of his people willingly join up with the whites in the towns (105).  Eventually most of the people in his group decide to go out of necessity - they were starving and cold, exhausted by a hard winter (109).

I always thought of Native Americans as being more mobile and settlers being more rigid.  Really, we all move around to find a place to call home, whether it be for a long winter or for four years of college.



Also, over break I listened to way too much of my parent's vinyl from the 60's.  Like an unhealthy amount.  Here's part of a Cat Stevens song called "On the Road to Find Out".  I really like it and it reminds me of what it was like to move away and start college.

Well, I left my happy home
to see what I could find out.
I left my folk and friends
with the aim to clear my mind out.

Well I hit the rowdy road
and many kinds I met there,
many stories told me
of the way to get there, ooh.

So on and on I go,
the seconds tick the time out,
there's so much left to know,
and I'm on the road to findout, ooh.

Well in the end I'll know,
but on the way I wonder
through descending snow,
and through the frost and thunder,

I listen to the wind come howl,
telling me I have to hurry.
I listen to the robin's song
saying not to worry, ooh.

Gender Roles in "Black Elk Speaks"

While reading "Black Elk Speaks", I came across some attitudes about gender and the expected roles that boys and girls play to prepare them for life as an adult member of the tribe.  Boys played hunting games and did tests of physical strength and endurance.  They would put hot sunflower seeds on their wrists that would make sores on their skin.  Black Elk remembers, "but if we knocked them off or cried Owh!, we would be called women" (45).  Once boys grow up and fight in battles against the tribes enemies, they are reminded of the "helpless ones" back home who need their protection.

Women have a very different role.  Their job is to cook, raise and care for children, clean and help move camp, and make clothing and other essentials.  Parents would pray for the birth of a boy who would grow to be a brave man.  Baby girls were expected to become mothers and raise brave men to protect the tribe.

The reasons for these roles make sense.  Men are usually more physically strong and capable of combat.  Women bear children.  Unlike our society today where men and women both participate in work and household work, Black Elk's people have very organized and established gender roles.  This can be demeaning to people who want to do things associated with the opposite gender.  But it can also be helpful because everyone knows what is expected of them.  In our society this system wouldn't work because in general we really value our individuality, and gender roles are becoming less rigid.

Johnson's thoughts about railroads

I'm surprised that Johnson doesn't talk a lot about Native Americans much in his discussion about railroads, as the two were opposing forces.  He discusses trains over the course of their development.

Before trains there was water transport, helped along by the steam engine (366).  As railroads began to connect rivers together, they functioned as a supplement to canals (368).  Passenger lines became popular, though they weren't very comfortable.  Also, fast carriers and telegraphs emerged as people and ideas started to move faster than ever (369).  The rails connected Eastern manufacturers who wanted high tariffs with Western farmers who enjoyed free or very cheap land.  Transportation helped form an alliance between them (434).  It's incredible how the United States went from being a primary producer to the world first "industrial superstate" (532) in a relatively short amount of time.  Railroads offered a lot of capital and new jobs for people.  The national government appropriately stepped in to regulate land usage and laws (535).  With these new businesses and investments in trains came bureaucratic corruption and abuse of financial power (546).  Some of the leaders in this field wanted consolidation in lower prices, investment opportunities, and deals for stock holders (563).  The rail system evolved into Los Angeles' all-electric system which uses cheap electricity (689).  Trains have gotten more efficient, safe, and reliable over time.  Unfortunately, this transportation system is on the decline and we aren't getting all the benefits it has to offer.

Effective Presentations

After looking at the board where we made a list of things to do to make a good presentation, I know I have some things to work on. 

1.  Slow down.  Whenever I'm nervous or excited, I tend to speak faster and it can be hard to understand everything I'm saying.
2.  Use transitions.  While I really like details and the little touches, it helps to use clear transitions so the audience knows I'm going from topic or idea to another.
3.  Use visual aids effectively.  Using a Google Doc is a really easy way for my group to all contribute to the visual and personalize it.
4.  Make the presentation interesting.  We might do a series of interviews, since a straight-up series of small talks is easy to understand but can also be bland.
5.  Practice!  I know I always feel so much more comfortable having taken time to practice individually and with the group.  Also, timing is important to make sure we're in the time limit of 15 to 20 minutes.

Transcendentalism at the "Hogwarts for Lutherans"

After talking about Alcott's story "Transcendental Wild Oats", we compared the themes to our lives adjusting to college.  While the husband in this story has a lot of spiritual values and a philosophical understanding of the world, he is unable to make his community thrive.  That's where the wife comes in.  She is practical and logical, able to do the cooking, cleaning, teaching the children, and other things that have to get done.

When we came to St Olaf many of us were excited to start a new adventure.  We thought it would be a lot of fun.  We would make new friends, try new activities, and learn new things.  I'm so glad we have, but then again there is a lot of work that goes on in college.  In order to learn, you need to put in the time to read, discuss, write, research, debate, and understand the material and your own ideas.  Like Julia said, I too am really glad that people truly want to be here, that we're learning in a community that values hard work.  We don't need to be wrapped up in tons of extra-curriculars, but it does help to be a part of groups you enjoy.  The challenge for me is bringing together these two aspects of college, the learning and the work that simply needs to get done so you can go on to do fun things.

Time

If there's something I wish I had more of this week, it would be time.  With room draw, registration, and tests this week, it's been busy and stressful.  Once in awhile you come across a really great quote that helps you put things in perspective.  I really enjoy Thoreau's thought about time:

"Time is but the stream I go fishing in. I drink at it, but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. It's thin current slides away, but eternity remains."

So time is important.  We hear a lot about it as students.  We have to get things in on time.  We make time to do fun things.  We need to find the time to study.  While a lot of my goals are more long-term, it helps to not get caught up in what the future will bring.  It'll come and all I can do is use the time I have well, and enjoy the moment.

Thoreau and Independence

Thoreau talks about independence in both "Where I Lived, What I Lived For" and in "Economy".  While it's admirable to not have to rely on others, I think a lot can be gained from social interaction.

Being independent means not relying on other people or things to make you safe or happy.  He says "a man in rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone".  I definitely agree.  Coming to college has made me realize how I really don't need the extra luxuries and comforts I enjoyed at home.  While they are nice to have, I appreciate them even more while being without them.  Independence is also about living deliberately, without worrying what other people think of you, and not getting caught up in trivial things.  You have to respect yourself and be your own master, but not your own slave driver who pushes too hard for perfection.

Being independent doesn't mean you have to completely distance yourself from people.  After all, Thoreau would sometimes visit friends during his time in his cabin, and after 2.5 years he went back to life in the city.  He wrote a book and gained some profit from it.  I don't think Thoreau is arguing that we all go and build cabins and be self-sufficient.  Instead, I think of this study abroad/sabbatical as an illustration of how independence can practiced.  He didn't particularly enjoy city life, probably because of the luxury.  Still, being around others and being able to communicate and form relationships is really healthy.  If you really do care about nature, then networking with other like-minded people can help you to protect it.

Emerson and Camping

I love authors ad poets like Emerson and Thoreau because they write about things I've also experienced.  Their descriptions of nature turn into statements of beliefs, values, and lifestyles which is just amazing.  I remember the first nights of the more legitimate camping I've done (When I was little, camping consisted of playing Sega and Nintendo64 late at night with my brother in a tent in the backyard.  Let's say I wasn't the most outdoorsy of kids.)  On those first nights was when I got my first impression of the place.  Camping on the Superior Hiking Trail in Northern Minnesota was wonderful because you can actually see the stars, more than I ever imagined were out there.  They really do "light the universe" (6) as Emerson describes.  Being without the everyday luxuries of running water, electricity, shelter, showers, and tasty fresh food, I started to get "a certain reverence" (6) for nature, since everything I had to do to survive and enjoy my trip relied on those resources that nature provides.  While at school I had just finished my senior project (teaching environmental education to 2nd graders), senior forum (big, super stressful speech), and senior ethic (paper), on trail I didn't have any of those worries.  Outside of school and our built and developed world, "all mean egotism vanishes" (8).  I was much more interested in what was around me than about my own work or schedule.  Can't wait to go back this summer!  Here's a link if anyone's interested in hiking/camping in the North Shore this summer:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/tettegouche/index.html

Thoreau on Railroads

Henry David Thoreau had pretty mixed views about the new system of the railroads.  While he was mostly optimistic and positive, he did have reservations as well.

As a technical accomplishment, he was really impressed.  Trains could accomplish a lot at the material level (316).  It felt good to be more connected with others in the country.  He felt "more like a citizen of the world" (316).  The idea of commerce and trade is "closely allied to nature" (317) because it demands bravery, steadiness, and confidence for those involved in it.  Railroads forced people to be more punctual and helped to energize people and the economy by moving more goods and people at a faster rate than before.  He thought of a train track like one's own individual path one must follow.  While you may not know where it leads, it does go forward.  Overall, Thoreau says people "should accept the advantages" (319) of trains in society.

Despite all the benefits railroads presented, Thoreau still had concerns.  The train is so different from nature, and its power and fore make it elevate to the level of demigod (317), in between a human and a god.  It seems ominous because it is new to his time.  His main concern was that trains provide an "improved means to an unimproved end" (320).  People were focusing too much on material wealth and economic achievement and not enough on spiritual enlightenment and enjoying nature.

Rolling in Change

The railroads caused huge changes to occur in the United States, especially from the 1830's onward.  Three big changes I see are the rise of capitalism with more hierarchies and managerial capital, more productivity and innovation, and more connectedness between rural and urban areas.

This was a great business investment because there was a need for them and growth was expected.  With more workers and managers, natural hierarchies developed.  Managers and directors had the most power, and the workers very little (Cronon 81).  Also, because those at the top could make a fortune, several were corrupted and even lead their companies to lead monopolies (Klein 27).

The train and the rail were relatively new technology.  With every innovation and improvement, goods and people could travel farther, faster, safer, and more comfortably from place to place (Klein 27).  Since this new productivity meant tighter schedules, people's view of time changed.  Rather than going off of natural patterns and cues for time of day, the town clocks were all set to the appropriate time.  Also, time zones were introduced (Cronon 74).

As part of the Industrial Revolution, rails helped to connect rural and urban areas.  Farmers who may have never seen a train before could use it to sell goods much easier and quicker.  Some people, especially those in rural towns, were wary and skeptical of the expansion of rails.  It was seen by some as ominous and unnatural, despite it being constructed by people (Klein 20).

Overall, trains made American society work faster, more efficiently, and with more connections than ever.  These changes proved to be too fast for some who were used to their rural setting and old-fashioned lifestyle.

Environmental Organizations

My group has decided to study the environmental association called the Izaak Walton League (or Isaak, not sure how to spell it!).  I had never heard of this group before, so it's interesting to see what kinds of groups are out there.  This group was founded in 1922 by some sportsmen in Chicago who wanted to protect fishing areas.  Named after the famous fly-fisherman Izaak Walton, the group promotes sustainability, outdoor recreation, and protecting natural resources.  Their website talks about their efforts in education and awareness, agriculture, energy, sustainability, and water issues.  It is a national organization with chapters in many states.  The locally-run chapters are able to use funds and other resources to tackle problems in their area and have an immediate affect.  Some other "check book organizations" also do great work, but are much more large-scale and involve much fewer people in the actual work that goes on.    It looks like the Izaak Walton League is a well-established and respected group that does a lot of great work.

I'm really excited to learn about this organization because in the last few years the environment has become really important to me and I want to see how I could be a part of something like this after college.  For now, I try to read news online, go to talks on campus, and keep in touch with my high school network to see what events are going on.  But once I know something about an issue, I start wanting to actually do something about it.

http://www.iwla.org