"A Native Place"

The Native Place chapter forms the second oldest layer of story and meaning. The format of this chapter is to consider five physical sites whose characteristics are valuable in helping us understand the culture of this place prior to Western contact.

The important criterion of this chapter is that these sites are historical, not legendary: actual people and practices are associated with them. (Sites that are strictly legendary are considered in the Footprints chapter). Through these sites, we learn about the workings of that culture, in that community, in that location. It does not tell us everything about that culture, but gives us some concrete examples and places to consider.

The nature of the five different sites chosen will vary from one community to the next. In some cases, they will necessarily draw on the post-Western-contact era, speaking more to places that are important to understanding that culture today.

This largely historic layer should give us a good sense of this community. From there, we move to two chapters focusing on the natural environment and how it is used and understood from within that culture: The Living World.