5-21-21
12:57 pm Friday
The day after we thinned/harvested our asil population to make room for our M.I.G.H.T, Malay Invigoration Gene Hybridization Team, Project, something miraculous happened. Out of the forest marched proud mothers who carefully hid their nests under tree trunks, in underbrush and in our fern garden. These asil hen teachers came out with their clutches of newly hatched chicks to educate me. These new chicks far outnumber the birds that were harvested. At first, I admit I was overwhelmed and felt defeated by birds that did not fit into our plans; or do they? We want to invigorate the Malay. We want it to have the vigor it once had a hundred/ a thousand years ago and our vigorous asil hen teachers may be the key. We have a video of one of these asil hens below, blending well into the crook of a tree trunk. It is a treasure to see this phenomenon and the wealth of life we find when Viggo lifts the growling mother. We have planned to use asils to invigorate the Malay gene-pool, but the lesson I am learning is something new and bigger than I first envisioned. I am having a hard time putting my finger on it. I believe it is important to put words to it, so I will try.
Seeing the power of these birds to survive and thrive outside of my sphere of influence is hugely refreshing. It got me considering peoples’ relationship to nature.
I believe people are not separate from nature.
I believe we are a part of the wilderness.
I believe we tend to see ourselves as separate from nature and destructive of nature.
I believe this results in suffering/ self-loathing and a cycle of pain and destruction.
I believe we desire to find a balance in our nature within nature.
I believe we need to re-wild the human imagination and spirt.
I know some people’s ideas of re-wilding our culture might be having grizzly bears padding down 5th Avenue. I see something different. I see a more pastoral world with far more farm animals in our lives and possibly having giant chickens strutting down 5th avenue.
I know all of this sounds a little nuts.
I believe what our asil hen teachers are showing us is a symbiotic relationship that people have had with animals for thousands of years. I believe that domestication of our fellow creatures should be viewed differently. Other species in the past were drawn to us, and us to them, for mutual benefit. We offered protection, shelter, food, etc. to these beasts and they offered their flesh, milk, wool…etc. This was symbiotic and both thrived. But this covenant has been broken. I believe one way to ease suffering and encourage hope and appreciation is to find a balance in our nature within nature by re-wilding agriculture, especially within small-scale operations with vigorous heritage breeds to reawaken a symbiotic relationship with our fellow creatures. I believe we want to prepare our vessels, ourselves, to invite and encourage a world of vigor, balance, beauty, hope and appreciation. It will take root, we will be grounded, it will grow, it will march out of the wilderness of our souls to show us that we are worth loving and are loved and that all will be ok.
I know this may sound fairly unrealistic in the world we live in, but I honestly believe this re-wilding of small-scale agriculture is quite achievable. I believe these vigorous and robust heritage breeds make sense to people who are trying to homestead or just trying to become less reliant and more self-sufficient. I believe these animals will partner very successfully in these environments. I would like to see many more people opening themselves to being educated, changed by that which is changing me, a chicken. I am thankful for this opportunity. We at Cascadia Heritage Farm believe we can make a difference and you can to.