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Summary Of Wisdom Sits In Places By Keith H. Basso

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Wisdom is an important part of human society that can be hard to interpret. In the book, Wisdom Sits in Places written by Keith H. Basso, wisdom is expressed in stories that are all connected to places. The wisdom from places is something not just mentioned in Apache stories, it can be interpreted in myths and past events in our lives, which helps us to live a more meaningful life. The book Wisdom Sits in Places written by Keith H. Basso, is all about Place-names that are very important to Apache culture. Place-names have multiple important roles that effect Apache culture. Place-names take on the roles of giving people a sense of place by showing changes in landscape, giving you impressions of unfamiliar land through descriptive imagery, …show more content…

For example, in Shades of Shit those who wouldn’t share their corn got punished for their greed and those who hear this story would try not to be greedy, so they wont be punished for their actions. Stories like these linger within the apache culture and help them in multiple ways. These places give their people spiritual meaning. An example of this is shown in Water Lies with Mud in an Open Container, Basso was told he was offending people of the Apache culture because he wasn’t pronouncing the name correctly. he was told this was because your speaking the words of the ancestors who helped them become who they are today, so they deserve respect. These places also help maintain emotional balance within their lives. These stories linger to keep people on the right path in life. They are ways of saying you need to learn from this persons mistake. One thing important …show more content…

A certain event I experienced, helped me to realize that I was taking life for granted. An Apache name for this place would be, Windy Cliff Where Ashes Blow into Crashing Waters. When I was around the age of five, I attended a funeral. This funeral was for my grandma. At that time in my life I had not experienced the loss of someone close to me or anything else related to death. This funeral was held at the Marin Headlands(Windy cliff where ashes blow into crashing waters) at the top of a cliff on the edge of a hiking trail, where we scattered my grandmas ashes into the ocean beneath us. After releasing her remains into the ocean, we had a picnic to memorialize her. Throughout most of the funeral I didn't feel sad, I felt no sign of grief until our family started memorializing her. I began to think of all the nice things she did for me and my sister. She helped teach us how to bake amazing cookies, she taught us how to sew unique quilts, she would also take us to the store to buy us our favorite strawberry candy. When remembering these things I then realized I will never be able to do these activities with her again. I then began to feel sad and I began to grief. This loss in my life was my first experience with death and it helped me to understand the value of human life. This event taught me that death can impact humans greatly, that grieving is natural, and our lives will be remembered

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