MARCH 8, 2006
Children
are the nation's greatest asset, most cherished resource, and a source of personal joy. Every decision we make should bear in mind the future of the world's children. But, they don't get the important stories told to them.
I first worked with young people as a counselor at Camp Monomoy on Cape Cod in the early 1960's. I was responsible for part of the sailing program and spent the summer sleeping in a metal bunk bed in a cabin that leaked during rainstorms. Gathering around the campfire and telling stories was a ritual embraced enthusiastically by the campers. They often imagined themselves like the Native Americans from Cape Cod. When we talked about the mythic character "Billy" Monomoy, who legend tells us, started the camp, the kids were enthusiastic to learn about the story of the Indians on the Cape. When their counselor Pete played "Billy" at the whole camp assembly one morning, the questions and good natured ridicule increased. Story telling is a lost art, but one that can re-awaken strong environmental feelings that can lead to action.
When the Pilgrims arrived on Cape Cod the Native Americans already had a sophisticated nation with many tribes in place. The year may have been 1620, and the conditions harsh, but the Native Americans appreciated the bounty of the waters and land and had a comfortable existence; enough comfort that their generosity supported the supposed sophisticated travelers to their land.
Story is important to our passing on the traditions of those who have come before us. Telling the Native American story to our children is important. Telling of the abundance of wildlife in the forests, the extent of the striped bass, tautog, and bluefish population in Cape Cod Bay, or the sea clam , razor clam, soft shell clam, scallop and quahog quantities reminds the children that the 'baseline' has shifted.
When I tell my grandkids that I remember blowfish (puffer fish) in the outer harbor, or hundreds of horseshoe crabs on the beaches I establish a baseline of what once was, but now is gone. Telling the story of the good old days is not about a dewy eyed nostalgia, but rather sharing to empower our children to understand what must be done to return the eco-systems to health.
Our nation's greatest assets need our nation's best stories and they should start with the Monomoyicks, and Pequods and other Native American tribes and their stories of abundance they found on this land.
--Peter