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Neh hodeyah: A forgotten philosophy

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), global wildlife populations have decreased 58 per cent since 1970. We have to ask ourselves what is at the root of this decline. My “eureka” moment happened while researching human population growth.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), global wildlife populations have decreased 58 per cent since 1970.

We have to ask ourselves what is at the root of this decline.

My “eureka” moment happened while researching human population growth. As of March 2017 it is just approximately 7.5 billion (that is 7,500,000,000) people. Every 30 minutes, there are three births for every passing soul. The result of this staggering concept has been an interesting phenomenon called urbanization. According to the United Nations, 54 per cent of this human population now lives in urbanized centres which has brought about a disconnect between these inhabitants and the very environment we all depend on. This is evident nationally as many Canadians lack the knowledge of where their resources originate.

In Scandinavian countries where there is a relatively unpopulated landscape and nature is close at hand to even urban citizens, there exists a concept known as friluftsliv. Hans Gelter, of the Luleä University of Technology in Sweden defines it as “free air life;” a “philosophical lifestyle based on experiences of the freedom in nature and the spiritual connectedness with the landscape.” This worldview stems from the Scandinavian self-image as a nature-loving people.

Friluftsliv is that exhilarating feeling or “ah ha!” moment you get paddling down a clear stream, or standing in a still forest with the morning dew glistening on the muskeg, or when you watch a feeding moose emerge from below still water. It is a “qualia;” generally not a feeling one can experience in the crowded confines of urban areas.

The application of this philosophy into one’s life can result in a profound switch in the way that we see the world, where the preservation of all the Earth’s ecosystems becomes far more relatable to our lives. 

It is not about tourism, which provides only a superficial version of nature’s veneer, but rather something deeper, which instills an understanding that the natural environment is essential for any number of reasons. As a Sayisi Dene person who grew up in the urbanized south of Manitoba, I have been trying to realize and search for this feeling in my own life. My grandfather’s generation was still a nomadic one who relied on the local caribou herds for everything. While I do feel a connection to my heritage, I feel that my generation has lost our connection to the land; I know I feel as though I have. 

In Dene, there is a similar phrase which embodies the philosophy of friluftsliv. This phrase is neh hodeyah (nee-hodayah), which means “the earth is beautiful.” As a young Dene, I have spent the past three years building my life around this paradigm, which ultimately led me to The Pas where I will graduate with my Natural Resources Management Technology diploma from University College of the North. While I do not believe that I will be living off the land in the way my grandparents were, I have experienced the feeling of elation which comes from studying in a place untouched by urbanization where you can breathe the clean air and hear nothing but the still sounds of the old forests. Studying wildlife and fisheries concepts in the wild is nothing like studying in a classroom and I feel that this opportunity is reconnecting me with my own heritage. 

As Canadians we proudly call our country the “true north strong and free” but it really is time we began actually caring about what it provides instead of exploiting it for short-term benefit. The more time we spend in our available and beautiful wilderness, the more we will appreciate and value it as more than simply wallpaper images for our computers. Each of us needs to find our own way to reconnect with the land and educate ourselves and others about environmental sustainability. If we fail at this, the land our grandparents knew may not be here for our grandchildren.

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