Everything is interconnected. As a Shinnecock Indian, I was raised to know this. We are a small fishing tribe situated on the southeastern tip of Long Island near the town of Southampton in New York.
Sve je međusobno povezano. Kao Indijanka iz plemena Shinnecock, odgajana sam s tim uvjerenjem. Mi smo malo ribarsko pleme smješteno na jugoistočnom kraju Long Islanda, blizu grada Southamptona, država New York.
When I was a little girl, my grandfather took me to sit outside in the sun on a hot summer day. There were no clouds in the sky. And after a while I began to perspire. And he pointed up to the sky, and he said, "Look, do you see that? That's part of you up there. That's your water that helps to make the cloud that becomes the rain that feeds the plants that feeds the animals."
Kad sam bila djevojčica, djed me za vrućih ljetnih dana vodio da sjedim vani na suncu. Na nebu nije bilo oblaka. Nakon određenog vremena počela sam se znojiti. Pokazao je na nebo i rekao: "Gle, vidiš li ono? Ondje gore je dio tebe. Tvoja voda pomaže stvoriti oblak koji postaje kiša koja hrani biljke, a one hrane životinje."
In my continued exploration of subjects in nature that have the ability to illustrate the interconnection of all life, I started storm chasing in 2008 after my daughter said, "Mom, you should do that."
U mojem neprestanom istraživanju stvari u prirodi, koje mogu dočarati međusobnu povezanost svega živoga, 2008. godine počela sam loviti oluje nakon što mi je kći rekla: "Mama, to trebaš raditi!".
And so three days later, driving very fast, I found myself stalking a single type of giant cloud called the super cell, capable of producing grapefruit-size hail and spectacular tornadoes, although only two percent actually do. These clouds can grow so big, up to 50 miles wide and reach up to 65,000 feet into the atmosphere. They can grow so big, blocking all daylight, making it very dark and ominous standing under them.
Tri dana kasnije, vozeći se veoma brzo, zatekla sam se kako pratim jednu vrstu ogromnog oblaka zvanog superćelijski oblak koji može proizvesti tuču veličine grejpa, i spektakularna tornada, iako ih tek 2% doista i proizvede. Ti oblaci mogu postati veliki, do 80 km širine, i dosegnuti do 20 km visine. Mogu postati toliko veliki da zaklanjaju svu dnevnu svjetlost te je zato pod njima vrlo mračno i zloslutno.
Storm chasing is a very tactile experience. There's a warm, moist wind blowing at your back and the smell of the earth, the wheat, the grass, the charged particles. And then there are the colors in the clouds of hail forming, the greens and the turquoise blues. I've learned to respect the lightning. My hair used to be straight.
Lov na oluje je vrlo opipljivo iskustvo. Topao i vlažan zrak puše vam u leđa, osjećate miris zemlje, žita, trave, nabijene čestice. Tu su i boje oblaka kod nastajanja tuče, zelena i tirkizno plava. Naučila sam poštivati munje. Moja kosa je prije bila ravna.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
I'm just kidding.
Šalim se.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
What really excites me about these storms is their movement, the way they swirl and spin and undulate, with their lava lamp-like mammatus clouds. They become lovely monsters.
Kod oluja me najviše uzbuđuje njihovo kretanje, način na koji se kovitlaju i okreću i valjaju, sa svojim okruglastim oblacima, mamatusima. Postanu ljupka čudovišta.
When I'm photographing them, I cannot help but remember my grandfather's lesson. As I stand under them, I see not just a cloud, but understand that what I have the privilege to witness is the same forces, the same process in a small-scale version that helped to create our galaxy, our solar system, our sun and even this very planet.
Kad ih slikam, ne mogu ne sjetiti se djedove priče. Dok stojim pod njima, ne vidim samo oblak, već razumijem da imam čast svjedočiti istim silama, istim procesima u umanjenom obliku, koji su pomogli stvoriti našu galaktiku, naš Sunčev sustav, naše Sunce, pa čak i ovaj naš planet.
All my relations. Thank you.
Sve moje veze. Hvala.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)