In school I recall being taught that the land is “sacred” to indigenous cultures in a similar way that a church or mosque may be considered sacred by adherents of that religion. Although there may be some truth to that statement I’ve always found the comparison to be severely lacking in nuance. Wisdom Sits in Places by ethnographer Kieth Bassa provided me with some interesting new insights on the topic. The book is the outcome of years of investigation by Basso into the importance of place and place names to the Western Apache people of the Southwest United States, largely through first hand experience living and working with Apache individuals.

Highly descriptive place names are common in the Apache language and are clearly a significant part of the culture. Places tend to have succinct stories attached to them with some key takeaway message that is reflective of Apache values. The Apache use this system as something of a repository of knowledge. Referring to an example provided by Basso, an entire conversational exchange may consist primarily of place names. Through speaking of the places and with a shared knowledge of the underlying meanings, people can be comforted, welcomed, chastised, or otherwise spoken to in a way that is much less confrontational but arguably more effective than a similar conversation would go in my culture.

Strikingly, since places are a vessel for wisdom, one becomes wise by traveling, visiting these places, learning their stories, and thinking deeply about them. The landscape then becomes a constant reminder of one’s own culture and what it means to be Apache.

Although I’m sure there are additional aspects to Western Apache religious practices, I found Basso’s observations to be refreshing because he avoided simply putting a dressing of western spirituality over the landscape and calling it a good, and instead was able to offer a unique perspective on the relationship between people and place.