Spirit of the Earth: Indian Voices on Nature

Description

Editors:  Michael Oren Fitzgerald & Joseph A. Fitzgerald
Publisher: World Wisdom (2017)
Paperback: 118 pages

Often spoken at the end of a prayer, a well-known Sioux phrase “mitakuye oyasin” affirms that “we are all related.” Similarly, the Sioux medicine man, Brave Buffalo, came to realize when he was still a boy that “the maker of all was Wakan Tanka (the Great Spirit), and . . . in order to honor him I must honor his works in nature.” The interconnectedness of all things, and the respect all things are due, are among the most prominent – and most welcome – themes in this collection of Indian voices on nature.

Within the book are carefully authenticated quotations from men and women of nearly fifty North American tribes. The illustrations include historical photographs of American Indians, as well as a wide selection of contemporary photographs showing the diversity of the North American natural world. Together, these quotations and photographs beautifully present something of nature’s timeless message.

About the Editors: 

Michael Oren Fitzgerald is the author and editor of more than 15 books that have received some two dozen awards, including the Foreword Book of the Year Award, the Ben Franklin Award, and the USA Best Books Award. More than 10 of Michael’s books, along with two documentary films he produced, are used in high school or university classes. He previously taught the Religious Traditions of the North American Indians at Indiana University. His works include Indian Spirit, The Spirit of Indian Women, The Essential Charles Eastman, and Living in Two Worlds: The American Indian Experience.

Joseph A. Fitzgerald studied comparative religion at Indiana University, where he also earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. A recipient of the Ben Franklin Award and numerous other awards, Joseph has edited 10 books on diverse themes in world, religion, culture, and philosophy. His works include The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Lifeways, Illustrated, and World of the Teton Sioux Indians: Their Music, Life and Culture.