"Autumn in Asheville, North Carolina"

Here we are, already in the 2007 Harvest Season in Asheville, North Carolina!  Does it seem to you that this year has fled as quickly as the bunnies that hang out in your yard when your faithful dog sticks her nose out the door? It sure does to me. ..but in 2007, as I mentioned in Part I, there's a contemplative element in the air . . .

Bringing the harvest home...This is the time of the year that finds people pondering prosperity, anticipating neighborly gatherings, being thankful for living in the mountains decorated in orange and red and umber and magenta...and green.  This year, eco-wise Native traditions passed down through countless generations of wisdom keepers , their origin stories,  of how mountains and valleys were formed- how the rocks, the minerals, the soils collaborate to nurture us-and what makes them wash away,(soil erosion and landslides )  placing all concerned in peril, is heavy on my mind.

I'm thinking about  gatherings of oh-so-many years ago, wondering about stories told of life in our bioregion  --life realized in harmony with nature. The Land furnished food, material for shelter, clothing, tools and utensils, (and until De Soto came) herbs to treat every known illness.(Here's an early account)  The Land was in and of itself incredibly beautiful. It still is, (as you can see by the photo I took here) although some may tell you, precariously. As a real estate professional and Land Specialist,  I am paying special attention in 2007 to how Native People's teachings might positively influence us today.....putting our times in a larger context.

I can assure you, the same awe-inspiring beauty amazes my relocating clients and investors today as it must have the Indigenous  Peoples... At harvest-time, the word is "bounty". Given  such bounty, perhaps the great challenge in our term as stewards of the Land and Peoples is to keep it safe. What plan could make this work?  Possibly, extending our vision to Native wisdom, might enable us to pick up their threads of wisdom in a contemporary tapestry.

Referring to traditional Native governing techniques, for example, we would note that villages were governed democratically. Adults gathered to discuss matters of import in the council house; members of a community sat with and learned from the Elders. Effective remedies for life in the region were introduced and applied.

And this will be the subject of Part III in this series. Will you drop by that harvest fire?

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