week one response paper

In Native Science, Natural Laws of Interdependence, Gregory Cajete states, "The only constant is change". I feel that this is relevant to this class, the readings, and the relations present in our lives as a whole. From my worldview, Cajete means that nothing ever stops evolving, whether it be humans, plants, animals, nature, emotions, or perspective. This theme was apparent in the other readings this week, and also in my previous experiences with this subject matter.

I have approached the topics of native plants and First Peoples in other courses, and it has been intriguing to see the first glimpse of how they interact with such intrinsic interdependence. Upon hearing this quote, I pictured in my head a video I came across on the internet at one point. It shows a tree changing, from a tiny sprout to a huge, towering creature. Around it, the other flora grows, and dies, and grows, and dies. Sometimes a human or animal walks past, climbing or touching the tree. I feel that this is a great literal and metaphorical description for Cajete’s feelings towards change. The tree changes throughout its life; the scenery and life forms around it change as well. However, they all exist throughout the image. The tree, humans, animals, and other plant life all take on different forms of growth and destruction. Despite this, they are always there, always growing and changing.