Tree Society: McCarthy Beach Chapter

Program

Thank you for attending The Tree Society.

This work was inspired by both old wisdom and new science about the role trees play in our lives, and how they communicate. The Ojibwe are the traditional stewards of the land that McCarthy Beach Park stands on. Ojibwe tradition teaches that these trees are non-human relatives that have spirits, gifts to give, and wisdom to share. Respectful and reciprocal care of these trees is part of minobimaadiziwin (living a good life). Recent science has shown that trees communicate and collaborate in amazing ways, and humans still have much to learn about them. I’ve added some resources below if you’d like to learn more about how cool trees are and what lessons they have for us.

I hope you will take your society membership with you wherever you go and consider it as you relate to other trees where you live.

resources

For Grown-up humans

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard

Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst

Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben

Once-ignored Indigenous knowledge of nature now shaping science - MPR News

The power of a tree: why birch and its bark are so important to Anishinaabe culture | Wiigwaasabak - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

For Young Humans

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Monique Gray Smith, and Nicole Neidhardt 

Listen to the Language of the Trees: A story of how forests communicate underground by Tera Kelley

Trees: A Rooted History by Piotr Socha and Wojciech Grajkowski

Keepers of The Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac

The Good Path: Ojibwe Learning and Activity Book for Kids by Thomas Peacock and Marlene Wisuri

Margo Gray

Tree Society was written and designed by Margo Gray, a Side Lake resident. Margo is a current participant in the Upstream Artist Fellowship program. She’s also received grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Arrowhead Arts Council for her interactive artwork. She holds an MFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon University and was a Fulbright Fellow at the Moscow Art Theatre School. She’s currently working on an interactive audio tour of the Mesabi Trail.

upstream

This event was made possible by Upstream, in partnership with Springboard for the Arts. Upstream brings people together to celebrate and amplify the many ways Minnesotans of all backgrounds love and value our place.

They help cultivate a shared value of caring for our lands, lakes, parks and streets that inspire even more people to act in ways, both large and small, to be better stewards of Minnesota’s unique and beautiful natural places.

Springboard for the arts

Springboard for the Arts' mission is to support artists with the tools to make a living and a life, and to build just and equitable communities full of meaning, joy, and connection. Founded as an independent nonprofit in 1991, Springboard for the Arts has an innovative 30-year history of supporting artists making a living and a life and artist-led community development work.