Literal connections with place
It represents a necessary physical connection: landscape is the land we till; the ground upon which we tread and the site upon which we build our house. It is who we are and how we live and how we relate to the world.
The “land is me” (Hyllus Maris): the indigenous have a symbiotic relationship with the land which is a source of sustenance and survival.
Our practical lifestyle needs often shape our relationship with the landscape. Malouf describes how, in a surprising way, the aborigines changed the Australian landscape through fire. By using fire sticks they created open forests for grazing and easy hunting. Their hunter-gatherer lifestyle influenced their relationship with the landscape in a practical way. “They had over that time created their own version of a useful landscape.”
“The land under our hands is shaped by the food we eat; by farming methods and ways of preparing and rotating fields”. It is also shaped by “the laws we make for passing them (fields and fences) on”. For example, every time governments pass laws relating to the subdivision of property this has a big impact upon the landscape.
But our physical relationship with the land is also critical to our psychological and emotional wellbeing. Authors such as Richard Louv have identified a “nature deficit disorder” syndrome among the younger generation and members of the community. He recommends a return to nature-based programs and schemes in order to reconnect. According to the author in the Nature Principle, reconnection is vital to restore psychological health and wellbeing, once again recognising that we are products of the world in which we live and to deny, subdue control nature, diminishes the pleasure of us all.
See poem by Hyllus Maris.
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