Excerpt from “Our Treaty is With the Hoof Nation”

Question

From The Gift Is in the Making by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

The Nishnaabeg wished they had been paying better attention. They wished they had been taking better care of their relatives.

The people started feeling sad and guilty and worried—and hungry. And do you know what happens when you’re feeling sad and guilty and worried and hungry? That sad and guilty and worried and hungry mixes altogether and stews and grows and Grows AND GRows AND GROws AND GROws.

And then that sad and guilty and worried and hungry turns into something different.

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Question
Use the excerpt from “Our Treaty with the Hoof Nation” to answer the question.

The narrator states that the Nishnaabeg wished they had been taking better care of their relatives, and that “the people started feeling sad and guilty and worried—and hungry.” What do these details suggest about the identities of the Anishinaabe people?

(1 point)
Responses

They believe it is right to respect the lives of animals.
They believe it is right to respect the lives of animals.

They believe humans are more important than animals.
They believe humans are more important than animals.

They only honor their human relatives.
They only honor their human relatives.

They only care about food and feeling full.
They only care about food and feeling full.

Answer 1

The details in the excerpt suggest that the Anishinaabe people believe it is right to respect the lives of animals. The emphasis on feeling sad, guilty, worried, and hungry implies a connection to their relationships with both human and non-human relatives and a recognition of the importance of those connections. Their feelings of guilt and worry indicate an understanding of their responsibilities towards their relatives, which likely includes the animals within their ecosystem. Therefore, the most appropriate response is:

They believe it is right to respect the lives of animals.