1a. Through experience and exploration

1b. Through the media and the internet

2. Through the passing down of information through older relatives, photographs, journals etc 

1a. Where as in childhood, knowledge is holistically learned, in adulthood, knowledge is more prescribed, for example read or researched and taken from solid sources. I would also gain knowledge from fairytales and folk stories to make sense of the world around me. I had a vivid imagination and loved to explore how different cultures made sense the natural world. 

1b. Now a days children use the internet to find out what they need to know and there is less room for stories and imagination. Social media is more prevalent than talking to people and learning in a natural and inherent way, like word of mouth. Some cultures who are perhaps more remote have storytelling to learn information.

2. Cooking and sewing skills- stain removal using traditional methods.

How to find an engine leak

How to reset the boiler if the water pressure drops 

Reflection on Task 1

1. Learning About the World

a. How I Learn Now:
I mostly learn from books, the internet, and videos. I also learn by doing things like gardening or hiking.

b. How Kids Learn Today:
Kids learn by exploring and playing, but they also use tablets, apps, and YouTube. Sometimes, they miss out on touching and feeling nature because of screens.

2. Skills from Older People

I learned many things from older family members without books, like:

• Cooking: My grandma taught me how to make traditional dishes.

• Gardening: My parents showed me how to plant and care for plants.

• Herbs: I learned to recognize herbs like mint and basil by smell and touch.

Reflection on Task 2

1. Understanding My Habitat

By paying attention, I can learn simple things like water freezing in winter or leaves changing color. I can also learn more complex things, like how bees help flowers grow.

2. Exploring My Local Ecosystem

a. What I Did:
I went to a park and took photos of wildflowers, a pond with ducks, and mushrooms. I recorded sounds like birds chirping and leaves rustling.

b. What I Learned:

• Plants grow in specific spots—moss near water, flowers in the sun.

• I saw a goldfinch, a bird I hadn’t noticed before.

• I realized how everything in nature is connected, like ducks eating insects and plants.

Indigenous sacred places are geographical areas that hold profound cultural, spiritual, and historical significance for Indigenous Peoples, serving as foundational elements for their worldviews, cultural practices, and identity. These sites are not merely locations but are deeply intertwined with Indigenous knowledge systems, spiritual beliefs, and the well-being of communities. They encompass a wide range of natural landmarks, including mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and specific sites where significant events or ceremonies have occurred.

The Multifaceted Significance of Indigenous Sacred Places The importance of Indigenous sacred places can be understood through several interconnected dimensions:

Cultural and Spiritual Foundation: Sacred places are central to Indigenous cosmologies and worldviews, embodying the presence of the sacred in daily life. They are connections to ancestors, all beings on the planet, and different planes of existence. For many Indigenous Nations, spirit is embodied in everything, meaning spiritual knowledge is environmental knowledge, and vice versa. This holistic perspective contrasts with Western environmental circles that often separate spirit from knowledge or action. For example, the Lakota people view the Čangleška Wakaŋ (Medicine Wheel) as a representation of the interconnectedness of all things in the universe, where all true power comes and goes in a circle. The Black Hills, known as K?e Sapa, are profoundly sacred to the Oglala Lakota Nation, serving as a source of their creation story, identity, and a place for seeking visions and guidance from Wakan Tanka (The Great Spirit).

Environmental Stewardship and Biodiversity: Indigenous Peoples, through their relationships with ancestral homelands, have developed unique ways of surviving, adapting, and relating to their environments over thousands of years. Sacred places play a crucial environmental role, eliciting and engaging reciprocal responsibility within Indigenous Nations. These communities are stewards of approximately 80% of the remaining biodiversity on the planet, despite living on only 22% of the world's surface. The traditional ecological knowledge embedded in these sites often includes practices and taboos that have effectively preserved nature for centuries. For instance, the Zigi communities in Tanzania consider Lake Nanthondu and the source of the Zigi River, Kyala, sacred, and activities are carried out in the area to preserve them. Similarly, the preservation of Gosaikunda Lake in Nepal is linked to Hindu deities Lord Shiva and Gauri.

Health and Healing: Access to sacred places is vital for the healing of intergenerational and personal trauma caused by land dispossession, genocide, and ecological harm. Myra Parker (Mandan/Hidatsa) emphasizes that accessing these sites can significantly contribute to the public health of Tribal Nations. In Navajo traditions, the concept of hozho, encompassing beauty and restoring health, involves locating and offering chants, songs, and sacred gemstones at specific sites for healing. The loss of access to these places, or their contamination, can disturb the spirit of the land and, consequently, the well-being of community members.

Cultural Preservation and Identity: Sacred places are integral to maintaining and passing down the distinct identities, traditions, and histories of Native peoples from generation to generation. They serve as focal points for ceremonies, rituals, and the transmission of traditional knowledge. Indigenous languages and worldviews are deeply connected to these sites, with traditional ecological knowledge often built into the language itself. The protection of these sites is essential for safeguarding cultural heritage and ensuring the continuation of traditional practices.

Threats and Challenges Despite their immense importance, Indigenous sacred places face significant threats globally:

Colonialization and Dispossession: Historical and ongoing colonial practices, forced evictions, and removals from traditional homelands for conservation, resource extraction, or agricultural and urban encroachment have led to the loss or endangerment of sacred sites.

Development and Resource Exploitation: Modern development projects, including mining, logging, and infrastructure construction, often encroach upon or desecrate sacred lands. Examples include the Peabody coal mine's operations in the Navajo Nation and the construction of the U.S. border wall, which resulted in the destruction of Apache burial sites.

Legal and Policy Gaps: Existing U.S. laws and policies, such as religious freedom laws, often fail to adequately protect Native sacred places because they are not centered in Indigenous thinking and tend to categorize issues in non-Indigenous terms. The American concept of religion has historically struggled to describe how Native peoples integrate the sacred with all facets of life. This has led to court rulings that deny Native protection of sacred places under religious freedom law, as seen in Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Assn.

Lack of Awareness and Vandalism: A lack of understanding regarding the sacred nature of these sites can lead to intrusion, vandalism, and desecration.

Climate Change: Severe weather events, such as droughts and wildfires, exacerbated by climate change, disrupt traditional activities, limit access to remote sacred sites, and threaten cultural artifacts. Melting permafrost in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions also puts sacred places at risk of slumping and contamination.

Efforts Towards Protection and Preservation Indigenous communities and their allies are actively working to protect and preserve sacred places through various approaches:

Legal and Policy Advocacy: Organizations like the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) are working to rethink sacred place protection in courts and advocate for legal frameworks that genuinely uphold Indigenous religious freedom and rights. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), particularly Article 25, affirms Indigenous Peoples' right to maintain their spiritual relationship with their lands and resources.

Education and Traditional Knowledge Integration: Institutions like Navajo Technical University (NTU) are incorporating the preservation of sacred sites into their curricula and research, educating students and the broader community about their significance and the need for protection. This includes integrating traditional Navajo knowledge and perspectives, involving elders, and using modern technologies for documentation and preservation.

Community-Led Conservation: Indigenous communities are leading efforts to protect their sacred lands, often through traditional practices and sustainable living, which can inform broader land management and policy decisions.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration: There is a growing recognition of the need for collaboration between Indigenous communities, environmental practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to develop effective strategies for protecting sacred places. This involves listening more and feeling more, rather than just thinking, to appreciate the holistic Indigenous understanding of the environment.

Philanthropic Support: Funders are increasingly exploring ways to support Indigenous communities in strengthening traditions, protecting against threats, and generating legal and policy recognition for sacred sites.

In conclusion, Indigenous sacred places are indispensable for the cultural, spiritual, and physical survival of Indigenous Peoples, and they are critical for global biodiversity and environmental health. Protecting these sites requires a fundamental shift in understanding, moving beyond Western-centric views to embrace the holistic and interconnected Indigenous worldviews that recognize the inherent sacredness of nature.