Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science

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Westerners, [Dr. Hernandez] writes, fall short on including Indigenous people in environmental dialogues and deny them the social and economic resources necessary to recover from ‘land theft, cultural loss, and genocide’ and to prepare for the future effects of climate change.” Hernandez: [Conservation] professionals. People take actions once they start reflecting on how something that they uphold — like the field of conservation — can cause harm. I was expecting examples of how indigenous science and practices have been used in sustainable agriculture, forestry, etc. and how those practices might be applied again/on a broader scale. I did see this some in the book (the discussion of milpas, examples of partnerships founded by Indigenous women that uplift the communities), but the focus was more on the need to decolonize/center Indigenous voices in the discussion instead of providing scientific (even if not scientific in the Western lens) examples. What I realized as I read the book was that from an Indigenous lens, things aren't easily put in boxes; the environment, gender, health, etc. are all intertwined as part of the Indigenous identity. I definitely learned a lot! A lot of settlers have lost their relationships with nature. They view nature as commodities without understanding that some of these natural resources mean something else to many people, aside from economic value.

Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Thro… Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Thro…

While ecological destruction has intensified, many of the approaches intended to minimize cataclysmic harm continue to emerge from the Global North. What has long been ignored are the practices and world views that Indigenous peoples have with our nonhuman relatives. Fresh Banana Leaves offers seeds—through the form of lived experiences and historic practices that come from the author’s own ancestors and relatives. We are invited to take heed, to be part of rebuilding a world that is more dignified and responsive to our environment and nonhuman living relations. Our collective futures hinge upon us abiding.” it truly pains me to rate this book so low. i was SO excited to read this--i've been looking for writing on this topic for a few months--and i wanted to like this soo bad, but it was just so disorganized. i think i was expecting something similar to Braiding Sweetgrass, but that wasn’t really what this book wasThe rigid structure of the leaf will get soft and flexible while you are dipping the leaf in hot water. She also talks more about the classic construct of conservation as we know it today saying, “conservation is a western construct that was created as a result of settlers over exploiting indigenous lands, natural resources, and depleting entire ecosystems.”. However, thaw them for around 30 minutes if you want to use them. To speed up the thawing process, wash it using running water or hot water. the ideas were great. there was a great book somewhere in here, but hernandez was absolutely failed by the publishing house's editing team--to the point where i wonder if they even afforded her one.

Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes - Science Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes - Science

In Fresh Banana Leaves, Jessica Hernandez weaves personal, historical, and environmental narratives to offer us a passionate and powerful call to increase our awareness and to take responsibility for caring for Mother Earth.” A must-read for anyone interested in Indigenous environmental perspectives.”

To speed up the process, you can use a towel or tissue. They will absorb the excess water and dry it out immediately. It saddens me that people continue to impose that we have to make our race "better" by living in and adopting western ways. This book excelled in talking about this issue and the consequences it brings. You cannot preserve the whole banana leaf as it is. So, cut the leaf using scissors. Then you can fold the leaf pieces. Banana Leaves need to be kept fresh, so that they remain supple and can be made into wraps easily, the best way to store them is in an air tight plastic bag within a refrigerator. Science News spoke with Hernandez about what she sees as conservation’s failures, Indigenous displacement and the connection between the two. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Fresh Banana Leaves‘ shows how conservation has harmed ‘Fresh Banana Leaves‘ shows how conservation has harmed

This quote really speak to me as I very much agree with it. If humans as a population were more sustainable then conservation would not be that big of an issue. That being said though, she calls conservation a western construct, which I do not believe it is. Conservation is something that needs to take place worldwide, it is not just the Americas that is struggling. Therefore, even if we were not overexploiting our lands here, that does not mean that countries in Asia or Europe wouldn’t be struggling like they are today. SANDY GRANDE, professor of political science and Native American and Indigenous studies, University of Connecticut Yes, under the lens of Western environmentalism, banana trees are an invasive species to my ancestral native lands. However, to us, bananas are not invasive; they are displaced relatives that have adapted well to our climates and are now incorporated into our traditional diets. Ultimately, the kinships and relationships we have developed with them have made them our relatives as well. All I can think of is that, like me and many Indigenous peoples in the diaspora, banana trees have also been displaced. We have been displaced from our native and ancestral lands and forced to adapt to our new environments and form new kinships with our new land." Hernandez: Somebody who still has their ancestral practices, their cultural traditions, their kinships with their people, whether they’re displaced or not, and are native to that region, or to that place that they can call home.This is a convenient way to keep your banana leaves fresh for a long time. Believe me; you can keep them at their original state for six months. It will not only help to clean the leaves. Moreover, the water will reduce the temperature and keep your leaves alive until they preserve. Environmental scientist Jessica Hernandez is the author of Fresh Banana Leaves. Univ. of Washington