A-tsi-na tlu-gv
Kathleen writes
A few mushrooms form a fairy circle at A-tsi-na tlu-gv’s base, and I wonder if ki has fungal allies before realizing that there are no other Red Cedars nearby for ki to communicate with via the wood-wide web. Still, I have the feeling that they are allied and in communication with all the other Trees surrounding them – Se-di, American Persimmon, Fir, Dogwood, and Red Maples. This winter, I will remove the English Ivy yet again, and in the Spring, I will offer them a permaculture guild of their own, with Wildflowers and nitrogen fixers to keep the Ivy at bay. I am looking forward to getting to know ki better.
When I come indoors, I do a quick Google search to try and discover A-tsi-na tlu-gv’s Cherokee name. The miracle of the internet leads me to a Cherokee legend about ki that explains how the spirits of departed Cherokee people are embodied within ki. I am awed by the metaphoric implications of this revelation with regard to Land’s deep time history. Suddenly, despite the devastation of historic deforestation, Land feels whole, and I feel as if I have a wise and ancient ally guiding and watching over Land as all who live here rewild together.
