The Barometer Online

Issue date: 4/11/07 Section: Forum

Leslie Marmon Silko, an author of great renown, spoke at OSU as a part of the lecture series offered with one of the courses here at OSU, the Native American Philosophies course. This course is only offered every other year and brings Native Americans from all over the continent to our campus to share their music, books, poetry, song and film talents with both the class participants and the greater Corvallis community. Her presentation last Wednesday consisted of readings from her new books that she is working on as well as a forum for class and community members to ask questions. During her presentation, she shared her philosophy Native-style as she told a story that can serve as inspiration to us all.

Ms. Silko shared a story about a rattlesnake that she saved, a snake that later saved her as well. She had covered a tree on her property with netting to keep it from being eaten by one of her horses. An adventurous rattler had tried to slither through the netting, only to become seriously entangled, as the netting was not big enough for it to slip through, which resulted in the snake being caught by its widening girth, with netting cutting into the snake's scales. Ms. Silko cut the netting from around the snake, setting it free. The snake could have easily struck her while she tried to release it, as it had room to strike back at her. She claimed that it seemed to understand that she was trying to help. After releasing the snake, it made a "tchoo, tchoo, tchoo" rattle sound as it wound away from her.

Days later, Ms. Silko found herself running for her house, as she had to turn on the lights so her visitor could walk in safely after dark. As she ran, she stepped on a snake. Feeling her foot roll, she jumped at least fifteen feet away in an effort to keep from hurting the snake that she had accidentally stepped on. When she landed, she heard a gentle "tchoo, tchoo, tchoo" and knew that the debt had been repaid. She said that this snake had every right to strike her both times, but it did not.

She lives in harmony with over 25 rattlesnakes on her property in the mountains near Tucson, Ariz., one of whom has their nest under her house. If she can live in harmony with rattlesnakes, why can't we live in harmony with other people? While Ms. Silko lives her life in much the way I aspire to live my own, she does it at a level I have never considered. Once, while living in Oklahoma, my kids found a young scorpion in our garage. Young scorpions are the deadliest of all. We captured this one in an old coffee can, transported it in our truck to a remote location and set it free. I doubt that I would ever attempt to do such a thing with a poisonous snake!

Ms. Silko believes it is important to live in harmony with all creatures around you so they can, in turn, live in harmony with you. She pointed out that the rattlesnakes in her yard are familiar with her, her dogs and her family. While most people would probably choose to kill them, she disagrees, stating that removing the rattlers who are familiar would only bring in "stranger" snakes that would be more likely to attack. By sharing this story with the audience, Ms. Silko displays her commitment to live her life in a harmonious way with all creatures, in a reciprocal relationship. By protecting the creatures on her property, they, in turn, also protect her.

I am in agreement with her philosophy of mutual respect and cooperation among various life forms in our environment. It is my belief that we, as humans, should strive to live in a more harmonious way with our world. If such a belief were more widespread, we would have a more balanced world. There would be no endangered species. There would be no nuclear reactors or nuclear waste to haunt the health of future generations. There would be no homeless. No child would go hungry. No one would lack health care. There would be no pesticides in our water supply. While this would be challenging for corporate farms, it would also be better for future generations as well as our own. Crops would still grow, families would thrive, and our world would be a healthier place for all creatures.

This way of life, of living in balance with all creatures around you, is one to strive for in our homes and our communities. To live in balance, to "Walk in Beauty" as the Diné say, is a very Native concept, one that does not have to be exclusive to Native people but can be embraced by people of all cultures, of all walks of life. If such a choice were made, how clean would our skies and our water be? By choosing to "go green," we can create a world in which our descendants can live and thrive rather than continue to engage Mother Nature in a battle for survival of the fittest, a battle we are already losing.

If you are interested in learning more about the guest speaker series, please contact either Kurt Peters in the Ethnic Studies Department at 737-5668 or Kathleen Dean Moore in the philosophy department at 737-5652.

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Renee Roman Nose is a graduate student in applied anthropology. The opinions expressed in her columns, which appear every Wednesday, do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Roman Nose can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.

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