The deer are not responding to their environment in an irrational way. So while this conference will talk about what's happening with deer damage, it's really about people. The natural world also entwined with out governance. As I mentioned, one of our clans was the deer, and that was a relationship. The chiefs reminded us of our interdependence.
Chiefs wear deer antlers among our people to symbolize their authority.
The deer is seen as being a head animal in the forest, the way the maple is seen as being a head tree. The chiefs wear antlers as a sign of authority. They are expected to have eyes, the senses, like a deer, to sense the approach of danger. One of the things that difficult to do, whether you're hunting or watching wildlife, is to forget detail for a moment and to be able to see with peripheral vision. You're forgetting the minute details for a moment to be able to see the detail.