You take care of us, we take care of you: A reminder of reciprocity from Eastern Shoshone tribal member Wes Martel

From infancy, our Elders teach of us how we must respect nature. We must respect the presence of our relatives—the four-leggeds, the fish, the water creatures and the winged ones—in the places we call home. This includes habitat and migratory paths. We must realize how important each one is and interconnected to our surroundings and to our future wellbeing. We are taught to respect all above-ground and all below-ground. 

The Creation beliefs of most Indigenous People in the Americas begin with water and how creature relatives brought up the land so Mother Earth could provide for us and sustain us. The plants, foods and medicines allowed the two-leggeds, four-leggeds, winged ones and water creatures to thrive and recognize the relevance of all life to one another. Since time immemorial, the two-leggeds recognized this connection and understood the natural law of reciprocity: You take care of us, we take care of you.

We must protect that and pass it on. That’s part of what we want to do with the new Grassroots to Governance project at the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a nonprofit conservation organization working to protect the 20 million acres that create the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem across state lines in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. We want to strengthen how our elders and our young people understand the connection we have to Mother Earth and regain that respect for Mother Nature.

The Wind River Reservation, where I live, is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We want to play our part in taking care of this most precious part of the world. We want to act knowing that: You take care of us. We take care of you. Right now, the ecosystem is taking care of a lot of people, but they’re not taking care back.

The good news is that every individual can do something to start turning the wheel back in the right direction.

Do I feel optimistic about what’s to come? You bet. I feel strong. I feel good energy. And, the more we educate people, the more they come aboard.

Number one: Find out where your water comes from—and not just from your kitchen tap. People think it’s an easy answer. But truly ask and research: Where does my water come from? What happens to that water before I start drinking it? Who else utilizes this water? Where is it connected to? Is it going into the ground? How much are we losing? How much is returning? Once you understand our hydrologic cycle, ask, “What takes place within that cycle?” The fisheries, the wildlife, the businesses, the housing, the industry, the power plants? We need to start looking at the resources of where we live, from major rivers to our little trout creek watershed here on the reservation. We all have a responsibility to understand our sense of place.

Second, find out the organizations that are trying to protect the place you live and the places you love and support them. The plants, the trees, the animals, the winged ones, they don’t have a voice. We are their voice. Based on my experience of serving 20 years on my tribal council, I can say that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have better opportunities to talk, to share, to organize and to gather. These organizations can make something good happen.

Third, we must protect tribal sovereignty. Without Indigenous leadership and the protection of tribal sovereignty, we lose the natural law of reciprocity. We lose the ability to take care of, and to be taken care of. We can’t forget to protect native treaty rights and tribal sovereignty. Understanding this means understanding the importance of traditional teaching and respect for nature. Only then can we connect to the scientific and technical information that we need in our present-day work.

Do I feel optimistic about what’s to come? You bet. I feel strong. I feel good energy. And, the more we educate people, the more they come aboard.

For the future, I see our schools really revitalizing our language and our teachings and our beliefs. I see here, at Wind River, our tribe developing green industry and diversifying our economy and taking advantage of protecting the land, water and natural resources we have. I see all of our tribal members with good homes and good healthcare and good jobs and strong families who protect and maintain our culture, our lodges, our ceremonies, our medicines, our way of life. That’s something to be optimistic about.

As told to Lauren Steele

The theme for Earth Day 2023 is ‘Invest in Our planet’. Find out more about how you can take action for Earth on the official Earth Day website.

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