Sterling Terrain V02 - Flipbook - Page 51
The terrain is both constant and
ever-changing: the place where
we actively and urgently engage
in as our classroom.
Terrain is physical—the lay of the
land—which impacts how water
flows and soil forms and vegetation
grows. Terrain can also be political,
social, economical, and emotional.
Terrain is where we experience,
reflect, learn, and act; the container
for ecological thinking and action.
Sterling acknowledges that the land
on which we gather—places now
known as Vermont and Kentucky—are
the traditional and unceded territories
of several indigenous peoples: the
Abenaki in the North and the Shawnee,
Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Osage people
to the South. We also learn in-and-from
a range of landscapes that belong to
other indigenous peoples.
As we seek deep reciprocal relationships
with nature, we respect and honor the
place-based and cultural wisdom of
indigenous ancestors and contemporaries.
Words of acknowledgement and intention
are just a first step. We must match them
with acts of respect and repair.