Lesson 4:Swimming Silently

“Around the world, turtle watchers learned to listen to
the turtle cries. They became the founders of Sea Turtle Clan.
They told other land people that Earth was off-balance, warned
them that when the last turtle died, so would Earth itself.
Finally, leaders around the world responded. They cleaned the
ocean, land, and air of all pollution. They signed a pact to end
turtle hunting and egg harvesting forever.”
“Such is the legacy of Sea Turtle Clan.”
After the speech, Grandmother stood. She hardly ever
speaks in Meeting, so I put down my kelp cake to listen.
“The turtles perceive some sort of new threat,” said
Grandmother. The elders murmured, and several stirred in
their chairs. Grandmother continued.
“They do not understand this threat, but instinct makes
them uneasy,” she said.
More murmurs filled the room. Without consciously
making a decision to do so, I found myself standing, too.
“Why don’t we talk to the land people” I blurted.
“Maybe they can tell us something.” The room grew quiet
again, as the elders turned to stare at me. I glanced at
Grandmother for support, but she just looked at me with
a doleful expression. I didn’t understand her reaction. Until this
moment, Grandmother had always encouraged me to
participate in the world around me.
“We will continue this discussion next time,” one of the
elders declared.
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