Returning to Water
Place as a Cultural Lens

An excerpt from the paper

Water defines place. It marks for us both direction and time. We locate ourselves in relation to significant bodies of water no matter where we are. In this way we navigate using water and, of course, we also use it as a mode of transportation. Waterways have enabled the spread of ideas and culture throughout human history.

In his essay, ‘The River of the Mother of God,’ noted naturalist and author, Aldo Leopold frames the idea of seeking to go beyond the familiar place of home and travel often via water. He writes, “Ever since Paleolithic man became conscious that his own home hunting ground was only a part of a greater world, Unknown Places have been a seemingly fixed fact in the human environment, and usually a major influence in human lives. Sumerian tribes venturing the unknown places, found the valley of the Euphrates and an imperial destiny. Phoenician sailors, venturing the unknown seas, found Carthage and Cornwall and established commerce upon the Earth. Hanno, Ulysses, Eric, Columbus—history is but a succession of adventures into the Unknown”
(Leopold, 1992).

Water sustains life. We, that is all living beings, need it for survival, renewal, regeneration, and rejuvenation. We migrate to the places where there is water.

Over the centuries, artists have interpreted water in a myriad of ways, portraying the reflective mirror of calm lakes, the rhythmic meander of old rivers, the exuberant energy of waterfalls, and the spectacular power of the world’s oceans. Lakes, rivers, and oceans are also repositories of memories, stories, and teachings. All cultures carry legends of water events and great floods.