The American Indian mind in a linear world: American Indian studies and traditional knowledge

As a child raised in the Seminole and Muscogee Creek traditions, I used to watch our elderly men at our campground talk as they spoke the native language and sat under an arbor. Our ground is Gar Creek, near Seminole in Oklahoma. The men sat close to the Earth, and with sticks they drew on the ground to illustrate points they were talking about. This was the way things were done, talking about all that was concerned and related. This is the way of my people, and I am a part of it and so are my relatives, especially my grandmother, who I remember so well even though she passed away many years ago.My grandmother was the matriarch of our camp, and her way of doing things and her logic was in the Seminole-Creek tradition. Her ways of doing things were taught to me as I learned from my relatives and elders, as they saw the world and the universe in a special way. This native ethos has remained much a part of me, and it is the same for all American Indians who are close to their tribal traditions. In our world, relationships are important and sustaining them is valued.