Environmental Science
Views of Our Land
I. Introduction
Different views and perspectives about our land, its use and value in particular,
has been long debated spanning centuries. Should land be viewed as a commodity?
Should land be viewed as a shared resource with such an imminent value that supersedes
any price but only for inhabitants to protect and consume of the land of which is needed
for survival? In this paper, we will explore the indigenous view of the land, American’s
current view of the land and how this has led to destruction of our environment and
resources, and possible action for Americans to adopt in order to provide better protection
for our environment and natural resources, both of which sustain our flow of life.
II. Native American – Indigenous View of the Land
Native Americans once held a strong belief in property rights and ownership
contrary to popular belief, but not in the same sense as the traditional American values
present in today’s society. Among Native Americans, though ownership was limited to
things made only from the resources that surrounded them (Walbert, n.d.), strong cultural
preservation in which a spiritual connection to the land was important. Due to political
and economic myths that developed at the start of the 1940s, America would soon have a
very different understanding about Native American values and beliefs. By this time,
many believed that Native Americans had little concern of ownership and understood
very little about the value of money, but this was untrue. Historians attribute this view of
indigenous values to the interaction amongst some of the first European settlers and
nomadic tribes in which they initially encountered. Because nomadic tribes did not
particularly view the land as property, the reasoning adopted by Europeans would reflect
an assumed, generalized view of native ideals that incorrectly stuck throughout history.
Environmental Science
Native Americans largely viewed the land as vitality. They consumed of the earth what
they needed for survival and existence. Their rooted spirituality rests in nature and within
earth’s natural wonders. Unnecessary consumption and wastefulness was not a
characteristic of native traditions and customs. The land, nature, all of earth was regarded
as another element that ought to be cherished as spirits through all of life flowed from
nature to persons and back. In Native American beliefs, the wind spoke a language they
understood, the land told stories that they passed down from generation to generation, but
more importantly, the earth gave them life and they worked to preserve life to the best of
their ability.
III. Consequences of Our View of the Land
Since the arrival of early European settlers, the land was undoubtedly viewed as a
