| The current environmental crisis demands that we explore all sources of our beliefs and behavior concerning the natural world of which we are a part. Folklore, as an essential and universal creative cultural infrastructure, is one area of many which require exploration and evaluation through an ecological perspective. This paper explores folklore from an ecological perspective by applying a broad interdisciplinary approach that unites the work of historians, anthropologists, biologists, folklorists, and environmental writers. In this paper I provide many examples which support the ecological relevance of folklore, provide examples of how a folklorist can "read" folklore ecocritically, discuss the ecologically critical role of the creative process as the source of folklore, and identify some areas within folklore studies which may benefit by future exploration through an ecological perspective. Because folklore is an important medium of human interpretation, action, and belief, it is crucial to examine the ecological knowledge and messages that are embedded within it. |
