Discussion Board Week #6: Responding to "Tending the Wild"

In addition to showcasing the value of traditional ecological knowledge and the important role it plays in maintaining a healthy environment, the film "Tending the Wild" also illustrates how indigenous health is directly related to access to the land and its resources. The health problems facing indigenous communities are doubtlessly an unintended consequence of a modified diet, which occurred after they lost access to traditional food resources. As one Native American put it toward the end of the film, the moment they were taken away from their culture (i.e., land which is so intricate to their identity) was the moment health problems surfaced.

Equally important, "Tending the Wild" showed that indigenous cultivation of the land--the way that conscious indigenous people tend to gather food and resources--is nothing but beneficial for the natural environment. With native land management techniques in mind and traditional ecological knowledge, conscious activities--necessary activities--in the wild will help restore a balance so clearly missing. Techniques like periodic burning, which has proven so incredibly constructive to the environment by reducing dry, dormant fuel and creating rich diversity. As was stressed in the film, a little bit of disturbance is necessary to create diversity and a healthy, reciprocal relationship with the natural world. It's all about how you do things.