Land Management
Land management can reveal people’s spiritual connection to specific places. Human relationships to certain species show this. For certain Native groups of the American Northwest, the Western Red Cedar tree is an essential part of their culture. For their conneciton to this tree, these groups are sometimes referred to as “People of the Cedar.” The Red Cedar is prized for its practical uses–canoes and its fibrous bark. But it’s also understood as a gift from the Creator and is a large part of the people’s mythology and religious practice. Knowing the land we live on and respecting the lifeforms that inhabit it can deepen our connections to life.