When I was working for the Bureau of Land Management and stationed at Utah State University, a friend and I started an internship program called “Tehabi.” The name comes from the Hopi Kachina legend that describes two spirit-beings – one without sight, the other paralyzed – who survived, even thrived, when they teamed up, one acting as the legs, the other as the eyes. Tehabi or Tuhavi is the Hopi word given to this spirit of teamwork.
For my friend and I, it described how participants shared their different abilities for mutual success. Mentors gave students the background and experience they needed to work for land management agencies, like the National Park Service, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The students helped short-staffed offices get work done, revitalizing them with new energy.
It’s that spirit of teamwork that I see in this week’s collection of articles by Will Kearney. In his four-part series he describes another way of being a grazier, one that might be healthier for the landscape and the people working on it. He also describes some of the challenges because, as we all know, working together can be difficult and time consuming.
There were probably days for our two spirit-beings when the eyes wanted something the legs wouldn’t give. There are days like that in all relationships. Still, I hope you’ll take the time to think about how even working together a little bit might make things better for everyone.
Thanks for reading!
Kathy
