Respect for Creation

A respect for all creation and solidarity with all living things is a fundamental, but largely forgotten, aspect of most world religions. For some, all of creation is a revelation of divine love, a true blessing, to be honoured, cared for, shared, and preserved for future generations.

I learned of an incredible ethic of “respect for creation” from the Tsimshian elders I lived with for ten years on BC’s north coast. The traditional Tsimshian were a people who lived as “a part of creation” rather than “apart from creation”, as most of us live today. Their yearly cycles and daily activities were integrally related to the seasons. The coming of the oolichen in the spring was a time of great celebration as new life returned to the coastal villages by way of the “saviour fish” or “ha’li’mootg”. Then came the herring and the rich spawn laid on kelp and eel grass. May marked the season of seaweed gathering as families left the villages for their camps on the outer coast. Along with the seaweed harvesting, halibut was caught, sliced, and dried for winter food. Summer was the season for salmon fishing and berry gathering, and winter was a time of feasting, story telling and celebration of life. There was truly a season for everything and a time for every matter under heaven.

This closeness to creation is reflected in the Tsimshian worldview, in their spirituality, and in their traditional ethic of stewardship. I can only partially describe it as “a caring for, and sharing of, what is received from the creator and generations past for the benefit of both today’s people and generations to come.” This ethic applies to food gathering traditions, to stories, rituals, and cultural property, and to the land and sea. And everything took place with a profound sense of gratitude, thanksgiving, and prayer (sometimes spoken).

Earth, Teach Me: Ute Prayer

Earth teach me quiet
~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering
~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility
~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring
~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage
~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation
~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom
~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance
~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal
~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself
~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness
~ as dry fields weep with rain.

Peace and blessings... Rob

“This we know, the earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth. All things are connected like the blood which unites us all. We did not weave the web of life, We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.” Chief Seattle