White Attitudes Towards Nature

In Luther Standing Bear’s “Nature” and Louis Owens’s “The American Indian Wilderness”, the authors dictate differences in Indian and white relationships with nature. They stress how Indians see nature, their balanced relationship with it, and how they know wilderness is just a European idea. While agreeing here, Standing Bear focuses on the Lakota view of how Indians truly lived while Owens reveals both sides and thinks white views can shift with time.

Standing Bear thinks the difference in how whites and Indians see nature stems from childhood. He believes Indian children are aware of nature and by seeing the world this way their love and respect for it flourishes (10). This appreciation sharply contrasts to ignorant whites who do not see the knowledge nature gives and views it only as something to use. He says whites are bored with nature because they do not have the “Indian point of view” (11). This distance whites have from nature harms their relationship with the land and others, making them less compassionate when they do not see that “man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard” (12).

Owens also says whites see nature differently because of their childhood experiences. Instead of growing up living in nature daily, white children go on sporadic vacations camping. He states Indians embrace nature because to them it has family meaning. They call the Cascades the “Great Mother” because of stories they have heard growing up, and things like this cause them to appreciate their surroundings more than whites (1).

Standing Bear realizes whites do not have a relationship with nature or see everything connecting. While Indians only use what they need from nature, whites sacrifice this balance and try to control instead (12). H...

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...ch other” (12).

On the other hand, Owens has hope for whites because he did not grow up with Indian traditions. Since he has seen whites trying to preserve nature even if they do not understand it, he has hope that one day they can truly appreciate it for more than what it does for them.

The Indians appreciate and acknowledge nature more than white people and Standing Bear and Owens understand that. They believe the trouble with white attitudes is they do not truly see nature or form a harmonious relationship with it, and they think there is an idea of wilderness that can be separated from them. Although Standing Bear is critical of whites and believes they will never change, Owens thinks they will if they continue to redefine how they view nature. Overall, both authors want white people to respect the Indian view of nature and aspire to see it that way also.