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Global Warning - Aug 29, 2004 - Printable Version
- Is There Any Future For The Past?
by Robin Buckallew
I would like to discuss an issue that has been on my mind a lot recently - the status of cultural icons. When I look around me, read the news, or simply listen to people talking, it becomes obvious that we as a people are losing touch with our cultural heritage. I would like to cite for you several examples. All these examples come from one place, the state of Oklahoma (for those of you who slept through high school geography, that is the state just to the north of Texas - and yes, it is shaped just like a saucepan). But this is not a phenomenon that is limited to Oklahoma. Examples abound around the nation and around the world. Check out your own hometown. I daresay you will find many examples. This should not be dismissed simply as the backward thinking of the Bible Belt. This is, in fact, one of the primary symptoms of that thing we like to call "progress". In recent years, the Oklahoma State Capital building has been defaced. No, not by graffiti artists. These vandals are much more serious, and the defacement will not quickly wash off. Just a matter of a couple of years ago, the Oklahoma State Capital building got domed. Yes, you heard me right, domed. For those of you not familiar with Oklahoma history, that probably doesn't sound too serious. Big deal, most capitals have a dome. Yes, but throughout the entire history of the state, until now, not Oklahoma. Oklahomans took pride in their domeless capital. It was unique, different. It was, in fact, a tourist attraction. People arriving in the state would inquire the way to the capital, anxious to see this capital without a dome. But some subversive out of state types decided that this wasn't right. It was odd, peculiar. And so, at great cost to everyone, the project began with much hype and hooey (and yes, no matter what you read in the papers, the state taxpayers footed a large portion of the bill). But bear with me for a little history. You see, originally the Oklahoma State Legislature decided to refrain from doming the capital because they felt the money it would cost could be put to better use - funding education. In fact, they used the money to open a medical school. This is a history of which any state could be proud - investing in the future, instead of just throwing money away on an adornment that serves no one any useful purpose. Now, in an age where the state of Oklahoma joins the rest of the nation in the struggle to fund education, it is instead diverting millions to building a capital dome. Why? To avoid being "odd".
In another egregiously ignorant move, the state legislature recently voted to rename the North Canadian River, which flows through Oklahoma. The river is now to be called the Oklahoma River. It seems someone took offense to the idea of "foreign" named objects in the state (this begs the question of what they are now going to call Canadian County, which the Canadian river flows through- they can't call it Oklahoma County, there already is another county by that name) Once more, history. Although there are other theories, many agree that the name of the Canadian River was not referring to Canada, our esteemed (and much maligned) neighbor to the north. Caņada is a spanis word meaning a valley with gently sloping walls. According to Robert Julyan, in the Place Names of New Mexico, the name refers to the Canyon Palo Dura, which was formed by the Canadian River. So, once again, ignorance of a cultural past has allowed xenophobia and bigotry to tamper with the cultural past (at an estimated cost of $40,000 for the change).
Another cultural icon of the State of Oklahoma could be said to be the state flower. The state flower of Oklahoma is Phoradendron tomentosum, also known as mistletoe. For many people, this has become a great source of distress, as mistletoe is widely known to be a parasitic plant, and many Oklahomans dislike the implications of having a parasite for the state flower. This led the state legislature to adopt a second state flower, Gaillardia pulchella, the Indian blanket, which is known as the state wildflower. This is not enough for some people. A move is currently afoot to change the state flower to a "better" species. First, I would like to point out that, technically, mistletoe is only a hemiparasite, which means that it only draws water from the host species. It manufactures its own food through the process of photosynthesis. Since this just seems sort of like semantic bickering (which it is), I will now proceed to a better argument to support my case that this movement represents yet another loss of cultural history. As most people know, mistletoe is a favored species of Christmas revelers, who year after year make use of the tradition that you are supposed to kiss under the mistletoe. But most people have probably never thought that much about why. You see, mistletoe blooms in the winter. In fact, it is one of the few flowering plants that you will see blooming in December or January in the temperate zone. In the winter following the Oklahoma land run, when Anglo settlers first colonized the state, many settlers were unable to survive the harsh winter weather. The mistletoe, being the only flower blooming, was used to adorn the graves of the beloved dead in the absence of any other flowers. For this reason, when Oklahoma became a state, the mistletoe was deemed the most appropriate candidate to be made the state flower. Because of our loss of contact with our cultural icons, this is not a story that is widely known in modern day Oklahoma.
By now, I am sure you are all somewhat confused. All this history may be interesting, and amusing, but what does it have to do with global environmental problems? Perhaps my last anecdote of Oklahoma icons will give you a glimmer. In the midwest, stretching through Oklahoma, into Texas, there used to be a stand of mature, blackjack oak-post oak forest known as the Cross Timbers. This was, also, a part of the cultural heritage of the area. It provided wood for the Indians and settlers alike. It provided a home for much of the wildlife in the area that was needed to keep the population fed and clothed. Alas for the Cross Timbers, it also provided a very good hiding place for the Indians to hide from the colonists, and also a good site from which to ambush the colonists. In those days, the Cross Timbers was very dense, and a frightening place to many of the settlers. Today, there is little of the Cross Timbers left - just a few fragments in Oklahoma and Texas. In many areas of these two states, this constitutes the last remaining stands of old growth forests left. These forest fragments provide home for many species. They provide oxygen, and protect the soil. And for those of us who grew up in this part of the world, they provide a reminder of our heritage - our fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers who settled the area. The city of Edmond, OK, a growing suburban community just north of Oklahoma City, contains some stands of Cross Timbers forest. One such stand is located in what is now considered prime development area. But not for long. It has already received its death sentence. Its executioner? Wal-Mart. That's right, the city fathers, in their infinite "wisdom", have decided that it is more important for this community to have another Supercenter than a healthy forest. Wal-Mart, of course, is noble and sacrificing, agreeing to plant more trees in their parking lot than are required by city ordinance. So, Edmond gives up their Cross Timbers, and gets a parking lot with a handful of Bradford Pear and Crape Myrtle trees. Some consider this a fair trade. A vital part of the ecological community is sacrificed. But not just ecology. This particular stand of trees is more than ecology. It is history.
Throughout the world, anywhere you travel, you can find stories like the above. Some are trivial, some are tragic. But no matter how sublime or ridiculous, these stories are all symptom of a terminal disease - loss of identity. Loss of connection. Because we have lost connection to the world around us. Because we have lost connection to nature. We no longer feel part of the land that sustains us. We live in giant megacities, all concrete and neon, and get our food from the most convenient (or cheapest) grocery store. We travel in cars to work and to play. For many, contact with nature simply means getting in the car and driving through a park set up for the convenience and comfort of the automobile traveler. Because we are no longer in contact with the world, because we no longer understand who we are, we find it difficult to internalize the damage we are doing. The damage we are allowing others to do in our names. When a field of wildflowers is plowed under to put up another Just For Feet, we call it progress. When a forest is cut down to be turned into lawn furniture, we call it progress. But we have lost more than just a field of flowers or a forest. We have lost our own past, our own history - and our own future. Folks, not all change is progress.
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