Up keeping relationship with the living world holds many opportunities to learn and grow with. The natural world holds all information required for successful living, for balance and for maturity to occur in ways that transcend the individual plight for happiness and self-orientated success.
Kinship has built within it many elements for sustainable health, wellbeing and wealth for all life.
When sharing in a cultural context within the mainstream education system, children often asked “What is a totem and why do Indigenous people have them?” Here is a response to all the children and all humans who may be in forgetfulness.
Each person and clan group hold responsibility to care take elements of nature, be it an animal, a tree, a mountain, river, creek, ant etc.
Perhaps you attained your individual totem upon birth (your responsibility) , you may also hold responsibilities to a totem that belongs to your family group or clan group within an area (shared responsibility). How one arrives to attaining their totem is not completely my story to tell, however I can share that your totem is not only your responsibility to be the caretaker of, it is also one of your greatest teachers about relationship, about life and the balance of existence and the forever way of being.
Through out your life you will become the observer and the protector of your totem. You will also be the knowledge holder of that aspect of creation. You will also begin to understand how all things are connected by becoming very aware of your totems life cycles, breeding habits, diet, character and nature. You will learn about the relationship your totem has with other totems, how they interact or seem not. The entire time you observe you build within yourself and within the landscape that you interact a living knowledge base. Through observing and relating with your totem, you learn about yourself, about life and about how to sustain future life.
A totem is not a spirit animal, although all totems are animated by a living spirit called life. You may develop a communication relationship with your totem that guides you, yet it will also be very grounded in relation to all other living things, not above or greater than, but within.
At present I live in Central Australia and every single day a little tribe of Grey crested Warblers visit. They have visited throughout every season. I have watched them dig a hole and bath with one taking a dirt bath while three or more jump all over them in grooming. They play and race about coming in very close. They love to explore everything and seem to know what they are looking for when searching for materials to build nests together. They do everything together. I hear them coming before they arrive, they like a good old yarn! I have been in my tent and they are bouncing all over it playing or chasing insets and often they will pull the cotton threads out of my tent to decorate their nests I gather!
Apparently, they live for around 4 years. From what I have witnessed they live a rich life full of activity and play. They make my heart smile, I love knowing they exist! I’m sure the local mobs here would have story of these little fellas, maybe one day I will find my way to them.
Here’s to the living world in all its wonder!
