Mítákuye Oyás'iŋ: Four Ways the World is Connected
- Chipco Preserve
- Feb 20
- 5 min read
Maeve Kiley
Thur, February 20, 2025 at 2:00 PM EST
In traditional Lakota prayers and ceremonies, the phrase “Mítákuye Oyás'iŋ” is spoken. Translated into English, it means ‘We are all Related,” and the Lakota are not just talking about humans. Plants are connected. Animals are connected. Germs are connected. Everything is connected, and all life is sacred. Unfortunately, many non-Indigenous peoples may think that this sentiment is ‘foolish’ or ‘naïve’ and continue to squash bugs and trample over bushes full of bunnies, but they could not be more wrong. Scientifically, Earth is a skeleton, and we are all organs. The web of life expands farther than a single spider could ever thread in a lifetime; it takes millions of spiders all coming together to make something beautiful.
Here are five ways that the earth is interconnected, and the virtue of Mítákuye Oyás'iŋ holds great truth.
Fishy Trees
Salmon is delicious and nutritious; there is no denying that. Salmon fishing has historically been one of the biggest exports of North America, raking in $230 Million in Alaska alone. However, the market's unquenchable demand for salmon has led to numerous corporations scouring rivers to extract every ounce of fish. However, this overfishing results in not just a lack of salmon which disrupts the prey/predator relationship in the local ecosystem, but it also results in the growth of trees. Sound odd? It is due to the powers of decomposition. The decomposing bodies of deceased salmon get absorbed into the soil, their bodies contributing to the nutrient makeup of the dirt, which serves as the bed and breakfast of local cedar trees. Specifically, these nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorous, crucial to tree growth and health. When the salmon populations are low, so is tree growth. This natural fertilizer was used by Indigenous cultures, with one of the most well-known examples being “The Three Sisters” crop practice—corn, beans, and squash—where fish are buried deep in the mounds of soil to aid in growth. Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, is credited with teaching Pilgrims this fertilizing method, saving Pilgrims from starvation. The unity between fish and cedar trees is powerful but delicate, so salmon populations must be protected. Laws placed upon fishing are necessary since a lack of salmon results in a lack of trees, decreasing lumber production, homes for animals, and, most importantly, oxygen production, which almost all life depends on.
The Need for the Big Bad Wolf in the Yellowstone
Wolves have gotten bad publicity for centuries. Stories that contain villains like ‘The Big Bad Wolf’ or expressions such as “hungry like a wolf” characterize wolves as wicked, gluttonous monsters that destroy the environment and maliciously hunt humans in a sadistic manner. The truth about wolves is far from it, with them being pragmatic, cautious hunters who generally fear and avoid humans. Their instincts drive them to be more defensive than offensive, only attacking weak, solitary animals such as small deer, rabbits, and beavers. Depending on the pack numbers, wolves can take down moose and bison, but they rely more on stealth and strategy than brute strength. When faced with human hubris, these scientifically backed factors are ignored, which aims to dominate nature rather than live alongside it. In 1926, the last wolf in Yellowstone was killed by government-paid hunters, eradicating the local population. Due to this, the elk population exploded, with record-breaking numbers of elk reached in the late 1980s. Eighteen thousand elks were recorded in the northern range herd, prompting officials to begin reintroducing gray wolves in Yellowstone Park. This had a slow but impactful effect, with the wolves doing their jobs expertly, steadily controlling the elk population. Interestingly, the color of the grass shifted, turning from a dull brown to a flourishing green. This was due to the elk overgrazing, resulting in weak, malnourished grass struggling to grow. Connection is found once again between plants and animals. Prey and predator is not a battle of good versus evil, but rather part of nature’s checks and balances of the earth’s natural government.
The Ocean’s Need for ‘Dusty’ Nutrients
The Sahara Desert is 3.6 million square miles compared to the ocean’s 139 million square miles. However, the magnanimous ocean depends much more on the tiny desert blip than expected. Although the seven seas possess richer life, the Sahara houses a resource the ocean desperately craves: dust. Over 240 million metric tons of Saharan dust are pushed by harsh winds into the Atlantic Ocean, settling upon the waters before sinking below. This dust provides a significant source of iron for the water that is impossible to reach. The iron promotes phytoplankton growth, nourishing the microscopic plants and bacteria vital to the ocean floor. The dust is also a fertilizer, much like how the salmon fertilize the trees, resulting in a nutritious floor bed where marine life can lay their eggs. Unfortunately, 2024 saw record-breaking dust levels floating over the Atlantic towards North America. This red sand caused a hazy fog to cover the Southern United States, affecting those with respiratory diseases and disabilities. The reason for this dusty doom coming? Climate change has caused desertification, injuring the delicate balance between a healthy amount of sand and a sandy tight spot. There are ways to fight climate change through donations, advocacy, and lifestyle changes.
Whale-Off Real Estate
The big blue has big blues of its own, with around 20 different species of known whales in the ocean. Many of these whales are gentle giants, smoothly meandering through the waters with lifespans as long as 200 years! Their natural deaths may seem like tragedies, but nature finds a way to turn tragedy into triumph. When a whale dies, the oxygen in their lungs is released, and the body slowly sinks to the ocean floor, colloquially known as a ‘whale fall.’ Once they hit the floor bed, millions of crabs surround the corpse. Tiny pinchers pick away at the body until only bones remain. Those bones then serve as homes to tiny fish and hiding places for octopi, sleeper sharks, worms, hagfish, lobsters, mussels, clams, and many more. Best of all, the bones slowly break down over time, releasing sulfur into the water, which supports other organisms. After death, the greatest, grandest of all sea creatures serves the ocean community. Truly, a leader must be a servant.
Indigenous virtues hold many truths. Mítákuye Oyás'iŋ promotes care for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, background, and even species, as socially fruitful lifestyles that, if all were applied, would result in healthier, happier lives. Chipco Preserve believes in these virtues and fights for the rights of all. No matter how big or small or different, all are connected.
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