Naming any being by name is an act of respect that builds relationship
Evidence
Knowing mosses, however, does not require knowing their scientific names. The Latin words we give them are only arbitrary constructs. Often, when I encounter a new moss species and have yet to associate it with its official name, I give it a name which makes sense to me: green velvet, curly top, or red stem. The word is immaterial. What seems to me to be important is recognizing them, acknowledging their individuality. In indigenous ways of knowing, all beings are recognized as non-human persons, and all have their own names. It is a sign of respect to call a being by its name, and a sign of disrespect to ignore it. Words and names are the ways we humans build relationship, not only with each other, but also with plants. — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss, 81
Categorization
- XREF: Directly the Kimmerer bridge — ‘all beings are non-human persons’ with their own names recurs throughout the eco-justice thread on naming and respect. — connects to: Humble everyday plants merit humble everyday forms of honor — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural…, 439; Naming beings by name is how humans forge relationship and forestall species loneliness — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 753; Being named and hailed by others constitutes one’s identity — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 237 (+3 more)
- BMF: No specific match in the fiction list; this echoes Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass naming-as-respect ethics rather than any novel here.
Broader Connections
- Being named and hailed by others constitutes one’s identity
#expands(0.78) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 237 - Identity gets constituted when the Other’s gaze names it
#expands(0.78) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 207 - Being named by others can produce the very identity one then inhabits.
#expands(0.75)