Does the Garden of Eden represent our relationship with nature. Humans used to live close to nature as hunter-gatherers. After the development of agriculture, we began to live on farms and ranches and later cities. Perhaps Adam (a hunter gatherer), Abel and Cain (a shepherd and farmer) symbolically represent these major developments in human history. What was life like for those who lived close to nature?
MARIN IN THE DAYS OF THE MIWOK
Many residents of Marin would hardly recognize what our county looked like 300 years ago in the days of the Miwok Indians. Tall green grasses covered all the hills. Thick redwood forests filled the canyons. And lush marshes spread out for thousands of acres around the bay. This environment supported an amazing amount of wildlife. The first European visitors to California had never seen so many animals.
Flocks of geese, duck, and seabirds were so enormous, they sounded like a thunderstorm when they flew by. If a hunter tried to shoot one, his bullet would hit several, because they were so dense in the sky.
Herds of elk and antelopes grazed the meadowland. Packs of wolfs hunted deer and rabbits. Bald eagles and condor glided through the air. Mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats were common. And then there was the grizzly bear. These enormous bears were everywhere, feeding on berries, walking down beaches, sleeping under trees, and stationed along every stream fishing for salmon. Early Spanish settlers shot them to protect their herds of cattle and sheep. Today there is not a single grizzly bear left in California.
Life was also plentiful in the bay: mussels, clams, oysters, seabirds, and sea otters were in abundance. There were so many sea lions in the bay, it sometimes looked like it was paved over in their grey hides. In the days before the 19th century whaling fleets, whales were also common in the bay.
The environment of the Bay Area has changed drastically over the last 300 years. Some of the birds and animals have disappeared completely. Others have become very rare. Those that have survived have become wary of humans.
The first European visitors to visit found that the animals were relatively unafraid of humans. The Miwok Indians lived very close to animals and their was no distinction between a human area and a nature area. However, after European hunters and trappers began using guns to catch and kill animals, everything changed. Many animals were exterminated. And others learned to live as far from human s as they could.
Today we see this distance and take it for granted that animals are secretive and afraid of humans. But for many centuries animals and Miwoks lived in the same world.
(Edited from “The Ohlone Way” Malcolm Margolin)
GENESIS CHAPTER THREE
What are some of the problems with life in our modern society? (war, pesticides, disease, cyber bullying, et cetera) Make your own list of 20 problems.
What are some of the problems with life in our modern society? (war, pesticides, disease, cyber bullying, et cetera) Make your own list of 20 problems.
A PERFECT WORLD
A Utopia (a perfect world) is a place where these problems don’t exist.
A world that is perfect just for you (you are the king or queen, everyone serves you, wears your favorite color, eats your favorite food, etc.) is NOT a Utopia.
A Utopia is a world that is perfect for EVERYONE.
In class you will create your own utopia. You will design a place (a village, a country, or a whole planet) that is perfect for everyone.
You should be creative. You will design a government, an environment, technology and culture that will make life perfect for everyone in your Utopia. You may invent your own place, people, technologies, or even magic.
GOVERNMENT
Does your Utopia have a leader or leaders? How does a leader become a leader?
Does your Utopia have a government? Describe that government?
Are there laws in your Utopia? What are those laws?
How do you achieve justice in your Utopia? Is it fair for everyone?
EARNING A LIVING
How do people get food, shelter, and other thing they need to live?
Do people work in your? What jobs are there and who works which job? Is their money in your Utopia?
THE ENVIRONMENT
How do people use animals?
Do they hunt them, farm them, and keep them as pets?
How are resources like water, wood, stone used?
Are there natural places that are protected? How are they protected?
TECHNOLOGY
What technologies are used in your Utopia?
How are those technologies used only for good?
What technologies are not used in your Utopia? Why?
CULTURE
What languages are spoken in your Utopia?
What holidays are celebrated in your Utopia?
What religious rituals are practiced in your Utopia?
What kinds of clothes are worn in your Utopia?
What kind of food is eaten in your Utopia?
WHAT IS THE NAME OF YOUR UTOPIA?
WHAT IS THE MOTTO OF YOUR UTOPIA?
WHAT IS THE FLAG OF YOUR UTOPIA?
DRAW A MAP OF YOUR UTOPIA:
