Outdoor Calling

a little site about the big outdoors

In Gratitude to Muskrat for His Sacrifice (or Happy Earth Day)

by

It’s Earth Day, but I’m thinking of it as Thank a Muskrat Day.

I recently was introduced to Muskrat, or rather a muskrat, who lives down the road and swims back and forth in the stream between lakes. I was looking for Mink when I first noticed the trail of water that followed a small face and eyes just above the water surface. Once I figured out what, or rather who, he was I saw him more regularly—swimming under docks, diving underwater with his long tail, carrying up plants to eat on a log.

Shortly after, I started reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which opens with the indigenous origin story of Skywoman Falling and the creation of Turtle Island*. While I was generally aware of this story, I was surprised and delighted to discover in Kimmerer’s telling that little, unassuming Muskrat is its hero (in my opinion).

At the time, the world is covered in water. As Skywoman falls down to it, she is caught by Geese who place her on top of a great Turtle. All the diving and swimming animals—Loon, Beaver, Otter, and more—take turns venturing into the water’s dark depths to try and bring some mud up from the bottom to create (or recreate) the earth for Skywoman. Some never return.

Only Muskrat succeeds at last, mud clenched in his little hand, and loses his life in the process (no!). The mud is placed on Turtle’s back and the world is reborn as Turtle Island, where we in North America live today. (Thank a turtle today too.)

The story is about creation, but also sacrifice, gratitude, reciprocity…and I kept getting stuck on the magnitude of the animals’ sacrifice and a lack of fairness. True, Skywoman brought great abundance to all through the earth, but my cynical side kept considering the status of our earth today, and tallying up its winners and losers. I wanted to cry out to Muskrat and the others “We’re not worthy!”

Gifts require gratitude though, and I realized I had it backwards. Instead of eco-despairing and focusing solely on what animals, nature, and the earth have lost due to us (a lot), I could focus on their sacrifice and gift, and on gratitude and reciprocity.

“What can we who recognize the debt possibly give back?” asks Kimmerer in another essay. It’s not meant to be a rhetorical question, but an active, ongoing questioning of our actions—what we ask for, what we take, what we give. We need to be equal to the gift, and the creation of earth is an immense one.

Muskrat, Turtle, Loon, Beaver—I had pictures of most of these creation characters (dare I say heros?). Earth Day seemed like a good day to share and honor them as we consider how to repay our debts.

Geese

Canada Geese seem to be everywhere—parks, ballfields, marshes, golf courses, bodies of water of all sizes—and their copious poop and aggression can be an issue in public places. But on their own, in a marsh or stream or flying overhead they can be calming and beautiful.
flying over the Atlantic
These geese flew over me in my backyard.
(Note the terrible Browntail Moth nests atop the trees, just waiting to unleash trouble and misery this spring…)

Turtle

I saw this Painted Turtle yesterday, but only because four people on the trail were standing staring with delight at it in the water below.
I don’t see a lot of turtles, so here are some more from last year, in case you’re expecting more in an essay concerning Turtle Island.

Loon

The very first loon I saw—or heard—this year.
In January (while looking for a certain Steller’s Sea Eagle) I got to see loons in winter plumage hanging out on the ocean.
And catching meals
Three of eight (!) loons I saw one evening last summer. It was the most loons I’ve ever seen at once.

Otter

I saw a river otter yesterday! I was walking on a trail along the Kennebec River and through the trees saw a large something swimming quickly upriver. I managed to get a few pictures though the trees. Maybe Otter knew I didn’t have a picture of it yet and didn’t want to be left out of this tale.

Beaver

Beavers are cute, and if you ever need to Google it, there are plenty of nature sites to help you decide whether you saw a muskrat, beaver, or otter swimming by. I liked this one, if only because I took the quiz and passed.
No, that’s not a beaver, but I often saw this juvenile bald eagle hanging out on that beaver lodge.

Muskrat

The star of this story—my local muskrat. Look at that cute little nose, eyes, and whiskers.
Oh wait, check out those paws, claws, and tail.
Wait—another muskrat! I saw this muskrat by the river yesterday. It swam right towards me as I was leaving and was the last thing I photographed before writing this. So it gets the last word…or picture.

*There are various versions of this indigenous origin story, with the central theme being the creation of the earth, or North America, on the back of a great turtle. Check out Kimmerer’s book for her telling. I found The Canadian Encyclopedia informative as well. “Turtle Island” is also the name of the Pulitzer-Prize winning book of poetry by Gary Snyder, whom I was lucky enough to hear do a reading once at my college.