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If somewhere were to ask me at the beginning of semester what I thought leadership meant, I would have naively said that it means a person who takes control and guides others in group projects, or a boss simply exercising authority over his or her employees. However, because of my time in LDR 101, if someone were to ask me now what I think leadership means, I would provide an entirely different answer. A leader is not one who talks the loudest or rules with an iron fist. A leader is someone who sets an example for people through their own actions or their own character. Can someone really be labelled a good leader if those that they are leading only follow said leader out of fear? The definition of the word “lead” is also rather ambiguous in this context. Leadership comes in many different forms. I do not think of it as someone dictating orders to a group of people, but rather inspiring a group of people to complete great deeds of their own accord.

In my LDR section, we took a look at many exemplum in Roman history whom we could label as either positive or negative leaders. We often found that leadership presented itself in this figures in different ways. For example, we had great figures like Horatius Cocles, who saved Rome by destroying the bridge to Rome as the enemy encroached on the border, and fell fully armored into the Tiber river, only to appear on shore as a victorious hero. He was a great leader because he put the commonwealth of the Roman people before his own wellbeing, and his selfless act inspired many soldiers to follow his lead and put the Republic before themselves. We also studied more imitable leaders such as Cornelia Gracchus who convinced people far and wide that it is possible to be a strong leader within your own home, and that being a strong woman doesn’t have to entail physical strength used in battle, but it can mean a powerful moral compass that guides one through adversity with grace.

Leadership itself is impossible to teach. No amount of reading William Cronon’s guide to becoming a well-rounded individual can teach someone how to yield their inner strength when the world commands it most from them. However, Cocles and Cornelia, as well as all the other leaders that we have studied this year in LDR 101, still continue to be leaders long after their deaths, for I have personally been inspired by them to better myself. Perhaps through bettering myself based on the example given forth by these exemplary people I can find the strength to lead within myself. So if leadership cannot be taught, what has been taught, and why has it impacted my leadership skills? History was taught, inspiration was gained from that history, and that inspiration can be utilized and made productive by certain young minds who are destined to become this generations great leaders.

Out of all the activities we did in LDR 101 (analyzing Cronon’s essay about leadership and the liberal arts, writing multiple essays, creating a digital portfolio, and giving a presentation analyzing a particular Roman leader), it was discussing the stories of great heroes that I was able to take the most form. All of the other activities taught me how to be a well-rounded student, but discussing and connecting with my peers inspired me the most. Learning from past examples, and finding inspiration in their deeds, is what truly creates new leaders. I am so thankful for the opportunities that this class has given me, for I feel like I have a new outlook on what leadership is, as well as how I can express it through my own actions.

Cutmore, Grace. Three Sister Soup. 7 Nov. 2011.

Three Sisters Soup

Background:

This spring I will be travelling to the Navajo Nation. I chose this dish for many reasons: it is a dish that is common to (and representative of) the Navajo nation, and the history and cultural impact of this dish stretch far beyond the simplistic recipe. It is also a dish that is near and dear to me. The traditional ingredients in this recipe (as listed in a recipe created by firstnations.org) are water, navajo corn, summer squash, black beans, black pepper, paprika, and salt. It is a relatively common dish in the Navajo Nation, as the ingredients are local to that area, which occupies Utah, Arizona, and parts of New Mexico. The main three ingredients are crucial to the history of many Native American cultures as well. This simple dish can serve as quite the comfort food that is perfect for a cold day. This is how I experienced the dish first-hand, as my best friend’s mom, Slyiva, would occasionally make this dish when my friend and I were still in elementary school. Her recipe was a little different, as she was inspired by her Mexican and Nicaraguan heritage to put her own personal touch on the spices included. She added dashes of cumin, chili powder, and yucca root. This turns it into a hearty stew-like dish that would make your nose run more than the cold weather.

Cultural:

This dish has a very rich cultural history. The main ingredients (maize, squash, and beans) were first domesticated by Native Americans who had migrated from Mexico approximately 10,000 years ago. These three foods were rich in nutrients, so they became extremely popular with tribes. They were easy to grow, easy to harvest, and easy to cook. Women were expected to tend to the gardens, as many of the men in the tribe were away from home either hunting or engaging in politics with other tribes. As a result, these foods were then labelled the “Three Sisters.” With these three nutrient-rich foods in abundance, tribes were able to support many children. There was more reliance on a plant-based diet instead of a meat-centered diet, and this led to many migrant tribes to abandon their nomadic ways and settle in one permanent location to farm. A stable food supply and a permanent settlement allowed tribes to advance their technology, and many tribes slowly started to become centered around agriculture. This dish and its ingredients became such a crucial part in Native American culture that one can still try this traditional dinner dish today when visiting the Navajo Nation, and it is reasonable to believe that the current recipe closely resembles its ancient inspiration.

Socio-economic/political:

In the ancient world, as the Three Sisters became more popular amongst tribes, these goods started to become tradable goods. The Three Sisters could be swapped for fabric or spices, and tribes who had the most agrarian power would use these goods to support neighboring tribes in exchange for loyalty in combat, or for the exchange of other items. Agriculture is the mother of advancement, and advancement indeed happened as a result of the popularization of the three sisters. These three staples are still produced in the Navajo Nation today, as these plants thrive in the dry, warm climate of that region, but they are not mass produced like many American foods today. Once mass produced by ancient standards, the Three Sisters are now something that you can purchase locally in the Navajo Nation. While anyone can go into a supermarket and purchase beans, squash, and corn, it is rare to find the traditional versions of these foods outside of a Navajo farmers market. The production of the Three Sisters, a trademark of Navajo culture,  serves to preserve the Navajo tradition and keep it alive and relevant in the modern economies near the Navajo Nation.

Environmental:

The production of beans, corn, and squash in the Navajo Nation does not strip the soil of its natural resources unlike lots of other modern agriculture. Most modern agriculture, farmers plant the same crop harvest after harvest, which causes the nutrients to be stripped from the soil. This leads to the use of fertilizer, whose runoff poisons local bodies of water. The production of the Three Sisters, however, preserves the nutrients in the soil. Corn provides a structure for the beans to climb on, the beans provide nitrogen to the soil, and the squash covers the ground and prevents sunlight from reaching weeds below. These three products are sustainable for long-run production.

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