Hello all,
We have just celebrated Indigenous People's Day, and so I want to acknowledge that day with special gratitude for the Native Americans who are still here, and who are still willing to engage with the rest of us and share their accumulated wisdom.
Last spring I attended a wonderful meeting which showcased libraries, academics (SUNY ESF), and museums and cultural centers working together to create exhibits and provide student interns with deep educational practicums. The session was held at the Wild Center and sponsored by the NNYLN. In case you don't know, each region of NYS has a multi-institution type library network and our SUNY libraries are all members of one or another regional network.
At this particular meeting we got to experience the Ways of Knowing exhibit, which includes a recording by Dave Fadden (of the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center) of this wonderful story of how the birds got their songs/names. And if you know birds, you'll see how much science and accurate knowledge is passed on in this story. Why does the hummingbird flap his wings so fast? Why does the crow have a simple single note song? Why does the Hermit Thrush live deep in the forest? Listen and learn! Science, history, morality, art, and culture are all connected here.
We can grow by remembering that our educational systems are just one way to teach, our libraries are just one way to store cultural histories, and our advanced computer technologies are just one way to code. We can grow by remembering that other important and beautiful ways of knowing and being came before ours in a multiplicity of cultures and can still coexist alongside.
All the best,
Holly
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