Week four response

Yesterday's class was really important to me. It was refreshing to be able to connect with my peers and hear about why they were there, what they wanted to learn, and what they already knew about Indigenous history, Pacific Northwest history, environmental issues, and overall their hopes and dreams for this class and beyond. One thing I really enjoyed about Antioch was the in depth seminars; I have not been able to find this yet at UW -- except for in this class. It was invigorating to see and hear what others have to bring to the table, so to speak -- everyone knew something different, and everyone had a unique passion that they wanted to talk about. Bringing it all together into one discussion really made me feel that community and community organization is the key to unlearning problematic behaviors and habits, and growing in a positive manner.

The Cedar readings were great this week as well. I am extremely passionate about knitting, spinning wool, and weaving, so it was really fascinating to learn about the many uses for cedar, and how women and men interacted with it differently. I thought it was especially interesting that men and women had their own kinds of baskets for different things. I assumed that different kinds of baskets/carriers/boxes would be used for different activities; Fish would be carried in a different kind of basket than a baby, for example. I did not know the in depth intricacies of the many uses for cedar, and I am very grateful to have read this book.