Just Some Things I’m Thinking About

The way society has progressed – from the earliest civilizations and their indigenous cultures until now – has a strong basis in the development of language.  Our civilizations and societies developed from Native beings.  Our language, our tools, and many of our simplest ideas are all thanks to the ways of indigenous peoples.  Diné, a Navajo proverb once said, “Be careful when speaking. You create the world around you with your words.”  So, how has language progressed with societies over time?  To get a deeper understanding of why language is such a strong basis of knowledge in these systems, and to understand the groundwork of this question, I examined storytelling.  Many legends contain values that form the basis for Indigenous regeneration, politics, and governance.  Language is the most indispensable way that cultural values are communicated, preserved, and passed down, and is a crucial link to indigenous knowledge and the survival of a culture.

Take the indigenous Tibetan story titled, “How the Fox Fell a Victim to His Own Deceit.”  It is the tale of a cub and calf, whose friendship was ruined by a jealous fox.  In the end, the fox was killed as “payback” for altering companionship.  This legend stands to teach the value of friendship.  Libraries today still carry this story, the same story that the Tibetan heads of house shared with their children.

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