Walking the Land
The simple act of walking the land: to connect with past regenerative knowledge and practices, as well as looking to the future.
In a Sámi way of thinking, we come from the land. When we walk the land, we learn to know her and be with her in harmony. This creates a relationship, and it is this relationship that defines our very existence; as ways of being, ways of doing, and ways of knowing.
1.
Simply going out and doing activities with elder kin, learning about the landscape and keeping cultural practices alive can be a powerful form of activism. We have all done this as children, and in this way it is something we can all relate to.
2.
Walking the land can be as simple as going to a "secret" spot of cloudberries to pick them, being taught to build a fire, fishing, or cutting wood.
3.
When we go out in the woods, looking for dry materials, or when we go into the marshes, looking for patches of cloudberry, or when we go out on the waters, putting our nets out, it's not just about livelihood. Walking the paths of our ancestors, we learn to know the land as they did. We recreate the covenant between people and land, and we learn our place in the world.
