Family

Without knowing about the sea, a person cannot appreciate his place with his people. The animals of the sea offer themselves to us to become part of our family. They offer themselves because they cannot have the homes they lost at the beginning of time. We call ourselves “the people.” But our neighbors call us after where we live. We have always lived on this shore, here, in this place, always since grand sheets of ice withdrew from the land. We are no more separate from our place than a child, a man, or a woman is separate from his family. These rocks, trees, and herbs, these rivers and streams are part of our family. Animals with fur or feathers, animals with scales, they are part of our families. The animals have all been lost, and they want to be found, to be part of our family. When we were children, our place supported us; our families supported us. But when we have grown, when we are men and women, our families depend on us.