“Here is where our most challenging work lies, in restoring a relationship of respect, responsibility, and reciprocity. And love.” ~ Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
“And love.” For the past several weeks we’ve been exploring reciprocity as relationships within a place - expanding our sense of kinship, listening to others, acknowledging gifts received and offering gifts in return, and practicing restraint. These are all part of a relationship based on love.
What happens when harm has been done in the relationship? For this final week on this topic of reciprocity, I want to bring up two more R’s that are necessary in reciprocal relationships - restoration and repair.
Restoration - means to bring something back that has gone missing or to put something back into its original state.
When it comes to harms in a place, that can look like ecological damage or discrimination of people. The first step in restoration is to acknowledge the harm. We’ve already been doing what’s needed by getting to know the inhabitants of our place, by listening and looking carefully, and seeing what’s causing harm. Sometimes, all that’s needed to restore balance and health is to stop the harm. Nature is very adept at returning to balance all on its own.
“Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.” ~ Society for Ecological Restoration
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer says that when she is asked the best way to restore the relationship between land and people, she always says “plant a garden.” It’s a step that most people can do and it’s good for the earth and for people.
Repair - is a necessary part of restoration; it means to fix what is broken, including making amends.
Sometimes, acknowledging and stopping the harm is not enough. Some kind of action to fix or heal is needed. In an ecological community, active repair might look like tree planting or removal of invasive species or the creation of wildlife corridors. In a human relationship or community, repair might involve a formal apology and some kind of compensation. For example, in many places, reconciliation for Indigenous communities involves acknowledging and apologizing for past harms, providing financial compensation, and giving land back.
In my community, habitat loss is a major issue along the Great Lakes and the Niagara River. Human activities and industry have led to biodiversity loss and shoreline erosion. There are organizations that specifically address these issues.
There are projects underway to restore wetlands and grasslands, allowing for pathways for pollinating insects and migratory birds. There are regulations in place to minimize the harm to waterways. There are repair projects to plant native species, and improve water and soil quality. Whether these projects are doing enough is another matter.
Practice
For this week, bring your attention to restoration and repair projects in your place. Which ones need to happen? Which organizations that support restoration and repair do you or can you support?
If you haven’t already, plant a garden (or a tree).
How do you and the citizens of your place make amends for past harms, especially with regards to Indigenous communities or the ancestors of enslaved peoples?
Resources
Relationshift: a model for building relational cultural practices via Courage of Care. I highly recommend reading this piece, which I used as a basis for this week’s post. They also have free online courses which are excellent.