Conversations with people, only some of whom happen to be human

How we honor the languages of people whose expressions are very unlike our own

So here's a rambly bit to add to the consideration of what conversation is and means, and what it looks like from an animist worldview, in the context of all manner of people to whom we may be speaking whether human or nonhuman, seen or unseen. Bear with me as I'm still a bit brain foggy and in recovery from covid, and also I apologize for the muffled bit at the end when my finger slipped over the phone mic. 

At some point in the next month or so, I will try to post the rest of the writing on the topic of conversation, including an expanded piece on my thoughts around conversation in an animist context. Enjoy!

P.S. Right after I was done recording, I remembered that the performance of mother orcas carrying their deceased calf is called a tour of grief. Tahlequah's tour of grief was a total of 17 days and 1000 miles, bringing an act that isn't uncommon but not commonly known to the mainstream attention of people around the world. 

Further reading for those interested:

David Abram, Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology, Vintage Books/Random House, New York, 2011

Ed Yong, What a Grieving Orca Tells Us, The Atlantic, 2018