[thechat] living things

[Erika Meyer]

(I'm tired of that other subject line!)

javier wrote:

>Inidenous North American cultures considered rocks to be living things?

rocks... mountains... baskets... houses... boats...
are considered to have spirits aka be alive.

Here's a traditional yurok boat showing the heart & lungs
(you have to scroll -- content good, text & photos, html design not
so great...)
http://www.tidepool.com/toadeye/boats.html

the heart and lungs also had a structural purpose...
most things had double purpose, spiritual & structural.

the heart was at a spot that it helped prevent the boat from splitting.
the lungs double as foot rests. ;-)

the wood was fire-cured which was seen as a spiritual purification
but it also hardened the wood.

just an example.

>roots: gee, how I want to sit with you for a chat :)

that would be fun...
I'm white, my daughter is half Indigenous....

but I almost thought you said you wanted a cat!
http://www.seastorm.com/kitties/

(yes, mommy cat gets fixed asap!)

Erika

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