Description
Original Instructions presents the ancient teachings for sustainable living that are safeguarded and maintained by indigenous peoples. With contributions from John Mohawk, Winona LaDuke, Chief Oren Lyons, and others, these voices tell us how to live with a light footprint–in gratitude and with reverence for community and all creation. Melissa K. Nelson, Ph.D., is an ecologist, writer, educator, and social activist whose work is dedicated to indigenous revitalization and cross-cultural reconciliation. She is a professor of American Indian studies at San Francisco State University and president of The Cultural Conservancy, a nonprofit indigenous rights organization. She also coproduced the award-winning documentary short film The Salt Song Trail: Bringing Creation Back Together. She is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Acknowledgments About Bioneers Bioneers and Editor’s Statement on Indigenous Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights Preface: Remembering the Original Instructions Kenny Ausubel Introduction: Lighting the Sun of Our Future–How These Teachings Can Provide Illumination Melissa K. Nelson Part One UNCOVERING THE ECO-SPIRITUAL VALUES OF THE ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS 1 Listening to Natural Law Chief Oren Lyons 2 First Nations Survival and the Future of the Earth Rebecca Adamson 3 Acoma Coexistence and Continuance Petuuche Gilbert 4 Ethics from the Land: Traditional Protocols and the Maintenance of Peace Marlowe Sam 5 Indigenous Knowledge as the Basis for Our Future Priscilla Settee 6 Clear Thinking: A Positive Solitary View of Nature John Mohawk Part Two INDIGENOUS DEMOCRACIES 7 The Iroquois Confederacy John Mohawk 8 A Democracy Based on Peace Chief Oren Lyons 9 An Okanagan Worldview of Society Jeannette Armstrong 10 Peace Technologies from the San Bushmen of Africa Megan Biesele, Kxao =Oma., and /’Angn!ao /’Un Part Three THE ART AND SCIENCE OF KINSHIP 11 Where Is the Holy Land? Leslie Gray 12 Restoring Indigenous History and Culture to Nature Dennis Martinez, Enrique Salmn, and Melissa K. Nelson 13 Protecting Water Quality and Religious Freedom at the Isleta Pueblo Verna Williamson-Teller 14 The Art of Thriving in Place John Mohawk Part Four INDIGENOUS FEMININE POWER: IN HONOR OF SKY WOMAN 15 She Is Us: Thought Woman and the Sustainability of Worship Paula Gunn Allen 16 Ethiopian Women: From Passive Resources to Active Citizens Bogaletch Gebre 17 Powerful Like a River: Reweaving the Web of Our Lives in Defense of Environmental and Reproductive Justice Katsi Cook Part Five YOU ARE WHERE YOU EAT: NATIVE FOODS AND TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE 18 From the First to the Last Bite: Learning from the Food Knowledge of Our Ancestors John Mohawk 19 Re-Indigenizing Our Bodies and Minds through Native Foods Melissa K. Nelson 20 Dancing for the Apus: Andean Food and Farming Julio Valladolid Rivera 21 On the Importance of Our Connection to Food Jacquelyn Ross 22 Protecting the Culture and Genetics of Wild Rice Winona LaDuke 23 Cultural Change, Climate Change, and the Future of Civilization John Mohawk Part Six DECOLONIZATION AND GLOBAL INDIGENOUS STRUGGLES FOR JUSTICE 24 Protecting the Web of Life: Indigenous Knowledge and Biojustice Tom Goldtooth 25 Return of the Ancient Council Ways: Indigenous Survival in Chiapas Ohki Simin Forest 26 Front Line of Resistance: Indigenous Peoples and Energy Development Clayton Thomas-Muller 27 Speaking for the Voiceless Richard DeerTrack Part Seven RE-INDIGENIZATION 28 Re-Indigenization Defined Greg Cajete, John Mohawk, and Julio Valladolid Rivera 29 El Poder de la Palabra/The Power of the Word: Toward a Nahuatl/Mestizo Consciousness Francisco X. Alarcn 30 Mending the Split-Head Society with Trickster Consciousness Melissa K. Nelson 31 Re-Nativization in North and South America Tirso Gonzales 32 Taro Roots Run Deep: Hawaiian Restoration of Sacred Foods and Communities Mark Paikuli-Stride, Eric Enos, and Nalani Minton 33 The Power of Being a Human Being John Trudell Indigenous Resources Notes Bibliography Contributors
