Reflection
Lewis Hyde, in his book “The Gift,” writes about Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, and their relationship to their homeland.
The Maori tribe have a word, “hau,” which translates as “spirit,” particularly the spirit of the gift and the spirit of the forest which gives food. In these tribes, when hunters return from the forest with birds they have killed, they give a portion of the kill to the priests, who, in turn, cook the birds at a sacred fire. The priests eat a few of them and then prepare a sort of talisman, the “mauri” which is the physical embodiment of the forest hau. This mauri is a gift the priests give back to the forest, where it “causes the birds” to be abundant.
Lewis Hyde, The Gift, 1983
Action
Watch the water as you walk around the fountain two times, thinking on the reflection and the following two questions. Feel the spray of the water when the wind picks up, and run your fingers along the brick barrier along the edge.
Questions to ponder or to journal
- The first time around: What’s a gift you are having trouble receiving? What keeps you from accepting it and celebrating it?
- The second time around: What’s a gift you are having trouble giving to the world or a situation? How could you hold it differently?
Walk to the Mural Amphitheatre
Walk east from the Fountain and turn right before the Armory and continue walking south. Once past the Armory, angle to the left towards the huge 60-foot mural that serves as the backdrop to the amphitheater.