Landscape, History, And The Pueblo Imagination Essay Essays Examples
The concept of the landscape among the ancient Pueblos was significantly different from the present definition which people tend to use in everyday life. Silko argues that the present definition separates the viewer from seeing the essence of the view (173). According to the article, environmentalism can be considered the main idea of the Native American world view, which is due to traditional notions of immutability and unambiguous positivity of laws of nature: a regularity of rhythms, the presence of native and ancient connections between all elements that refer to an original alliance among all people, and the connection of the humanity as a whole with nature. The philosophy of ancient Pueblos was passed through stories from generation to generation (Silko 176). Life-giving and destructive aspects of nature in these stories convey the history of the clans and embody humanistic lessons.
As shown in the story, Pueblos seem to have a more healthy and sustainable relationship to the landscape. From time immemorial, they worshiped every element of nature, from the simple rock to the mighty boundless sky, as believed, that everything created by nature was endowed with divine power (Silko 172). People honored the earth and called it “the Mother of Creation” (Silko 172). Ancient Pueblos lived in a greater harmony with nature, because they considered themselves a part of it. In modern society, a man is represented in a dominant position over nature and thus, people try to subdue its elements. Presumably such a modern vision of the landscape results in regular but unpredictable disasters that the planet causes to its human inhabitants. And respect is the kind of knowledge modern society should adopt from the Native Americans in order to save the Mother Earth.
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