Thinking with and through Forests: Noticing Loss Around and Within

Abstract

Haudenosaunee Indigenous ontology observes direct connection between the well-being of the land, and the health and authenticity of human minds. In coastal rainforest regions of western Canada, coniferous trees are stressed and dying from the effects of heat and drought. If the well-being of human minds is inextricable from the intactness of the land and aspects of the land are suffering, might human minds, spirits and epistemologies also be affected? What forms of attentiveness and healing are needed to enable us to better “think with and through” local forests rather than merely about them? This exploration begins with artwork depicting dying trees in a spirit of loving elegy, and also the intangible, interconnected webs of life weaving together the pan-sentience of living systems. The argument is made that aesthetic engagement with local land offers needed ways to relearn our receptivity to the companionship and teachings of forest systems. I explore how epistemologies grounded in worldviews of interconnectivity might be nurtured through holistic, affective forms of attention characterised by betweenness . Particular attention is given to Sheridan and Longboat’s notion of minding all things , where human minds are seen as inseparable from the land.