"Undrowned": References, Readings, Etc. by https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5 en-us 2022-12-08 21:52:43 UTC 2022-12-10 09:50:41 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f42c.png whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2414908310 In Chapter One, Gumbs writes, "I will remember you [the hydrodamalis gigas]. Not by the name (written in the possessive) of the one they say “discovered you” after generations of Indigenous relationship.” I thought this article detailing the extinction of the hydrodamalis gigas was interesting and provided more context on their story and how they went extinct, but I felt that Gumbs' ability to tell the story of their extinction was extremely powerful and took a more metaphorical stance.]]> 2022-12-08 21:57:04 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2414908310 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416244280 In Chapter Two, Gumbs writes that the "beluga shapeshifts, evolved to look like ice itself, and congregates in the shallow estuaries, singing”. Like humans, the beluga whale chooses to adapt in order to make blend in in order to survive. They also are intelligent enough to learn to mimic human speech- similar to how we, as humans, learn to effectively communicate with others (for example, mirroring the way someone communicates or speaks, or picking up on their tendencies). This is done both purposefully and unintentionally among humans.

]]> 2022-12-10 06:58:14 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416244280 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416246588 I loved this example in Chapter Three. Personally, I feel like the name Amazon should belong with The Amazon Rainforest, as it has existed for much longer than Amazon the Corporation. Gumbs writes, "there is a battle for the domain name ‘amazon’ in which a huge corporation has more leverage than the ancient rain forest, a whole region of the planet”. I felt like this example, although it is a problem on its own, is symbolic to the unprotected/underprivileged groups being taken advantage of, something that happens all too often. Renamed, stolen from, and abused- we need to advocate for these groups, because if we don’t, who is there to protect them? This concept also reminds me of the balance between cultural appropriation and appreciation. If Amazon the corporation were using the name respectfully, they would not be in a dispute with the actual rainforest. To me, it appears they are profiting off of the name, with no respect to where the name originated from, meaning they fall more toward the appropriation side of things.
 
]]> 2022-12-10 07:07:21 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416246588 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416248204 In Chapter Three, Gumbs writes, “Remember this feeling, there is something called love. I would say remember, there is something called freedom, even if you can’t see it. There is me calling you, in a world I don’t control. There is something called freedom, and you know how to call it. Even here in the holding pattern, here in the hold, remember remember. You are. You are held. Named.” Regardless of their confinement, the dolphins Gumbs writes about still behave like a family, with the babies swimming around their mothers. I felt like this quote was extremely powerful as it shows that despite the normal life that was taken from them, these creatures still nurture one another like they would in the wild. However, it broke my heart reading about what short lives they live in captivity. I appreciated Gumbs bringing up this topic- dolphins are extremely intelligent creatures, and as sad as it is, these deaths in captivity do not surprise me- a creature of this complexity will never thrive or be happy in confinement like this.]]> 2022-12-10 07:13:57 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416248204 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416249388 In Chapter Three, Gumbs writes, the “[indus susu and Ganges susu] (also known as the two subspecies of the South Asian river dolphin) often swim sideways… sometimes they spiral through the water like a drill. They often quickly change directions. And you can see them swimming sideways, one flipper stirring up the sediment to find what they need to feed themselves, echolocating all along.” This quote made me wonder- what are some examples of swimming sideways in real life? What strategies do we adopt in order to survive and succeed? In this article I found, the author, Cameron West-Johnson, writes that the dolphins "have come to terms with their environment and use [their abilities] to [their] full potential". Like humans, these dolphins have learned to adapt and become resourceful in their environments. These dolphins appear to be a symbol of resilience.]]> 2022-12-10 07:18:30 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416249388 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416250038 In Chapter Five, Gumbs writes, “Dolphin schools are organizational structures for learning, nurturance, and survival, both intergenerationally and within generations.” Just like humans often do, dolphins work in a team- they group up and work together to build each other up, teach each other, and support one another. Lessons are taught throughout family trees, and traditions are shared among groups. As we know, dolphins are smart enough to learn tricks from humans, but what I find to be even more fascinating is their ability to work together in the wild. They can learn from one another even more effectively than they can from humans, because where they truly thrive is in groups of their own kind (just like we do).

]]> 2022-12-10 07:21:25 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416250038 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416251127 In Chapter Six, Gumbs writes, "The scars on dolphins and whales also tell their would-be benefactors who they are. It is how observing scientists tell them apart. It is useful for getting an accurate count, for tracking behavior across expeditions. A dolphin with scars is more likely to be known, recognized, named by the watchers. Mentioned in funding reports.  Do I do that too? Are my wounds the most convenient ways for you to know me? Why do they shape so much of how I know myself? And the whole dynamic of recognition, how does it shape and scar us?" Our experiences and what we learn from them shape us. Although we may carry battle scars, these are the lessons that define us and change us as people. This is how we learn. Regardless of how much they may have hurt to receive, they shape "so much of how we know [ourselves]", like Gumbs writes.]]> 2022-12-10 07:26:27 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416251127 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416251481 In relation to the scars that we as humans use to identify different dolphins and whales, I wanted to include this article. Although I was aware of how intelligent dolphins were prior to reading Undrowned, I never knew just how cognitively-aware they were until doing my external research, post-Undrowned. The fact that they are able to recognize themselves in a mirror is astounding- I'm pretty sure my dog doesn't even know what she is looking at when she comes face-to-face with a mirror.]]> 2022-12-10 07:27:21 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416251481 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416253257 In Chapter Seventeen, Gumbs' writes, "there are layers of myself I need to shed now. And rest is the only way to be renewed. One month of summer I’ll be home, becoming something iridescent, vulnerable, older and new." In a world where we do everything but slow down, rest is more than just a routine- it's an act of self-care and self-respect. ]]> 2022-12-10 07:34:07 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416253257 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416254569 In Chapter Seven, Gumbs writes, "According to the scientists who have been counting the endangered Indus river dolphin population since 1972, their population has steadily increased every year. From 132 when they first started counting to 1,419 this year. Here. Here. Here. In the language I was raised in, “here” means “this place where we are,” and it also means “here” as in “I give this to you.” Could I learn from the Indus river dolphin a language of continuous presence and offering? A language that brings a species back from the brink, a life-giving language? Could I learn that? Could we learn that? We who click a different way, on linked computers day and night?" In the case of the Indus river dolphin, effective communication, a willingness to adapt, and resourcefulness assisted in their ability to survive. Is this something we could replicate as humans? Would developing our language/the way we communicate with each other be as effective and productive as this?]]> 2022-12-10 07:39:34 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416254569 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416255498 In Chapter Eight, Gumbs writes, "whereas the Miami Seaquarium says that an orca named “Lolita” is a beloved attraction for all ages, and is safer in the smallest cell to ever hold an orca than she would be in her resident home in the Salish Sea, I add my voice to the voices of her Lummi relatives and say, that’s not her name. And it never was. This summer the Lummi had a naming ceremony for this whale, who is sometimes known as Tokitae. Her new and sacred name is Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut, a name that refers to a native village near the range in which she would live if she had never been captured; a group of people with whom she could have been in tangible sacred relationship; a name, which as I read it, means home. The possibility of home for the last surviving member of her generation, who were captured by scores for the “love” of orca fandom." Lolita the orca (whose given name is Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut) was violently torn away from her family and taken from the ocean 50 years ago, when she was only 4 years old. The disrespect of the Miami Seaquarium to rip Lolita from her habitat but to also refer to her by a name that does not represent where she came from is absolutely absurd and heart-wrenching. To deny Lolita of not only her environment but her history is awful.]]> 2022-12-10 07:43:36 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416255498 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416256138 It is heartbreaking to hear that "Lolita" is only now retired as of this year. She has been forced to work and perform for the gain of the aquarium (and not her own) for almost all of her life, and now she will never be able to return to her home, where she belongs. She was taken advantage of, and stripped of her roots and culture- I hope this stops happening in the near future. "Lolita" represents something greater- she is a symbol for cultural appropriation, and what the Miami Seaquarium did to her is the furthest thing from appreciation. ]]> 2022-12-10 07:46:18 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416256138 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416257210 In Chapter Ten, Gumbs writes, "Amazon river dolphins have not done well in captivity. Less than 20 percent have been able to survive in aquariums worldwide. The record in the United States is even worse. According to the Audubon Society, out of seventy Amazon river, aka boto dolphins captured and housed in US aquariums between 1956 and 1966, only one survived into the mid-1980s. What’s the problem? First of all, freedom is a basic need and a divine imperative. As former poet laureate Tracy K. Smith said on her daily poetry podcast The Slowdown, “All animals allowed to live free and wild protect something holy in the world.”31 I agree. All animals. Including us." This quote not only reminded me of Lolita, but also of the former-prisoners who now struggle to adapt in the real world and to society. It seems extremely cruel- like Gumbs states of the river dolphins, no species fares well in captivity.]]> 2022-12-10 07:50:16 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416257210 "Respect Your Hair" whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416258079 "Hair is perhaps our most powerful symbol of individual and group identity- powerful first because it is physical and therefore extremely personal, and second because, although personal, it is also public rather than private."]]> 2022-12-10 07:53:57 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416258079 "Respect Your Hair" whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416258740 In Chapter Eleven, Gumbs writes, "Her first coat is white and woolly. The one she is born in. And almost no one sees it, because her mother is hiding her in ice. And then, in a few weeks, she sheds to become Black and silver. Capable of depth and diving. Glistening and dark like the cold sea. It is only after her first annual molt that she gets her beautiful rings, and starts to pose, as if Mickalene Thomas was going to paint her. Iridescence of skin. Collage and mirage. The Iñupiat call her natchek. The Yupik-speaking Inuit people of the Bering Strait call her niknik. Or sometimes my favorite, netsiavinerk, meaning silver jar. Because it’s magical to be so textured and Black, so sleek and silver, so sharp to the touch." This quote reminded me of the beautiful hair of black women, so often misunderstood by other races who cannot fathom their hair type. It's disheartening, as this beautiful black hair is an iconic feature of a black woman's beauty, and is something unique to her. Just because her beauty may be misunderstood or confusing to those who are unfamiliar, does not make it any less beautiful. These defining traits should be embraced, showed off, and admired.]]> 2022-12-10 07:56:53 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416258740 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416260192 In Chapter Twelve, Gumbs writes, "maybe you already know something about this. About how a deadly system doesn’t have to seem like it’s targeting you directly to kill you consistently. How, for example, long after the era of photographed lynchings where picnickers sliced off body parts and kept them as keepsakes, a system can still cut off parts of you daily, steal parts of yourself that you need, just in its daily functioning in the legacy of its original purpose. Maybe you think this is not about you (if so, that’s a part that already went numb)." It is difficult to abolish capitalism because the people who benefit from the system, and may have the abilities to help end it, know they benefit from it, and thus have little to no interest in doing anything to solve the problem. I liked this separate article of Gumbs'.]]> 2022-12-10 08:02:58 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416260192 "End Capitalism" whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416261192 In Chapter 12, Gumbs writes, "one female North Atlantic right whale was stabbed by a propeller as a baby and didn’t die until fourteen years later when she was pregnant. As she expanded to hold life, her wound reopened, got infected, and killed her. Or think of Punctuation (this is what the researchers who have been studying this whale for forty years call her), a grandmother North Atlantic right whale who died in the summer of 2019. She had given birth eight times, survived entanglement five different times, and had scars from multiple boat strikes and propellers. And at least three of her children died from entanglement before she died. Maybe you know something about what it means to bear the constant wounding of a system that says it’s about something else entirely. It might sound hollow to you too when you hear these deaths are not the point, that these deaths are just a by-product that cannot be prevented for the sake of the system. Surely there must be some way to improve the system that already exists." I thought this example was extremely powerful. Although you may have been wounded from the system that is targeted against you and may have healed, there still remains a wound that threatens to re-open. The propellers that hurt these whales are symbols of the never-ending cycle of capitalism, the ever-spinning wheel that comes around, viciously shaking things up when it crosses your path. Nothing will make that propeller stop spinning, all we can do is try our best to tread water to survive and avoid it's rapid movements. ]]> 2022-12-10 08:06:32 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416261192 "Refuse" whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416262014 In Chapter Thirteen, Gumbs writes, "like too many great artists and most beaked whales, the Antillean/Gulf Stream beaked whale is only recognized after its death. Scientists have never “positively identified” one at sea, but it’s the most likely toothed whale to strand on western North Atlantic shores. So all scientific study of this species of whale is based on dissections of found dead bodies." I felt like this was a sad example of us, as humans, not respecting what exists until it's gone. Why couldn't we have tried to preserve this species while it still existed? Why do we only care when it is too late? As Gumbs mentioned in an earlier chapter, "it is dangerous to be discovered".]]> 2022-12-10 08:09:55 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416262014 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416262686 In Chapter Thirteen, Gumbs writes, "There is a quiet whale who doesn’t jump or show tail. Who breathes softly and speaks low. Balaenoptera acutorostrata (the winged whale with the sharp face, called minke for bad reasons) is so low-key scientists once called them the “silent whale.” They don’t show themselves much at the surface, they change direction underwater and frustrate trackers. But bioacoustic researchers have been listening. In the Pacific and in the West Indies, microphones await any sound." I included a photo of a Minke whale I saw this summer. They are indeed low-profile, and extremely quick- they're difficult to keep track of and even photograph.]]> 2022-12-10 08:12:38 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416262686 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416264000 In Chapter Nineteen, Gumbs writes, "Lutra felina, the marine otter, lives on the rockiest shoreline with the roughest of waves. She keeps secrets. Like how long she will live, what she does at night. She has not let you measure her children. I think she is smart, this cat of the ocean. The guidebooks say she is secretive, but I wonder if you are just scared to go where she lives, where the rocks are so sharp and the waves beat the shoreline.  They say sometimes she screams a high-pitched scream. Swims usually with her head barely out of the water.  Sometimes she floats on her back, makes herself into a raft for her babies, usually twins, sometimes triplets, quadruplets. She lives in a hard place and in between rocks. She puts her back to the future and her face to her children. I think she is smart to take care of her secrets. When you live in a hard place, precious cargo on your chest. When you say with your whiskers and claws “do not go there,” there should be some respect.  And I offer my love to your nails and your secrets, your teeth and technology, your heaviness of hair, your float and your leap. I can hardly believe that the waves did not break you. And your scream? It is scripture and wall. It is map. And you teach me to keep my treasures on my heart where I can feel them. And to keep my eyes on them too. And my body a boat balanced starboard and port. And my face facing aft after float. And my scream too a scripture as sacred as love. And my choice." Like Toni Cade Bambara, the marine otter knows how to "Take Care of [her] Blessings". She is protective of her loved ones and of her tactics of survival, yet she is resourceful and smart. She conceals the things she knows best and keeps them to herself, which is what aids in her success to survival in the wild. These are tactics we adopt too- we often protect our trade secrets and our favorite things and people in order to survive and maintain our well-being. "Taking Care of Your Blessings" also reminds me of the Evil Eye- protecting what you value most from the perceptions of the envious.]]> 2022-12-10 08:18:08 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416264000 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416264265 2022-12-10 08:19:17 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416264265 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416264897 In Chapter Sixteen, Gumbs writes, "over time, the young narwhal will look more like the ice that surrounds her, but right now she is Black like the depth from whence she came. She is sharp as she needs to be and determined to breathe even in frozen places. Not every Black unicorn is showing you her horn. But some of us are here reorganizing your daydreams. You are welcome. How I love us, Black unicorns, I love the youth of our adaptation. I love every way our bodies tell us not to blend in to what surrounds us, but instead to break through with brave sensitivity. Though we are hunted for exactly what makes us strong, may we always be embraced in the words of the Lorde. May we ever attune ourselves and support each other in this breakthrough. I have always believed in us." Like the narwhals taking to blending in with their environments to survive, black women may be faced with the same obstacle. Although they may appear to change, they still remain to true to themselves and where they came from. Their individual cultures, their unique beauty, and the identities of the ones who loved them and knew their name first.]]> 2022-12-10 08:21:28 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416264897 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416275776 2022-12-10 09:01:10 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416275776 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416276369 2022-12-10 09:03:08 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416276369 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416276795 2022-12-10 09:04:24 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416276795 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416278231 2022-12-10 09:08:42 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416278231 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416278822 2022-12-10 09:09:40 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416278822 whitnneytaylor https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416279191 2022-12-10 09:10:56 UTC https://padlet.com/whitnneytaylor/6qd0orz0zp5t5yd5/wish/2416279191