Abstract

I have observed two approaches which showcase how communities view land, how their time is spent in and with the land as well as how these perspectives and actions coincide. In my fieldwork I have worked with two different groups of people who value their connection to land, the outdoors and their community. I spent time with two men in Cherokee N.C. from The Ikü Indigenous community in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Columbia, whom I refer to, in the Ikü Nations terms, as Older Brother and a group of local rock climbers from Asheville, whom I call Younger Brother. These two groups helped create this essay. My interest in how different communities honor, respect, and connect to land developed when I spent time with Older Brother and listened to their desire to learn about Younger Brother's relationship with land. From Older Brother’s perspective, this way of learning from each other is an essential role in establishing balance in nature. I have intertwined carefully selected theories along with my observations and experiences in the field to create this thesis. These findings help deliver a message of how Younger Brother is currently respecting, preserving, acknowledging land, and taking action, how they can become more responsible in doing so, and how this connects to Older Brother. All of these systems that I mention in the thesis are inspired by Gregory Bateson's work. We all live within the total system and in this system there is need for restorative balance. The work below is a combination of Ethnographic reports, interviews, and storytelling.

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