Cherokee Earth Dwellers
Cherokee Earth Dwellers
Stories and Teachings of the Natural World
Ayetli gadogv – to “stand in the middle” – is at the heart of a Cherokee perspective of the natural world. From this stance, Cherokee Earth Dwellers offers a rich understanding of nature grounded in Cherokee creature names, oral traditional stories, and reflections of knowledge holders. During his lifetime, elder Hastings Shade created booklets with over six hundred Cherokee names for animals and plants. With this foundational collection at its center, and weaving together a chorus of voices, this book emerges from a deep and continuing collaboration between Christopher B. Teuton, Hastings Shade, Loretta Shade, and others.
Positioning our responsibilities as humans to our more-than-human relatives, this beautifully illustrated book presents teachings about the body, mind, spirit, and wellness that have been shared for generations. From clouds to birds, oceans to quarks, this expansive Cherokee view of nature reveals a living, communicative world and humanity’s role within it.
Thoughtfully considered, beautifully written, and artfully organized, Cherokee Earth Dwellers stands as an exemplar of ethically engaged and community-grounded scholarship for Indigenous studies. We need this book and more like it.
A collaborative effort rooted in Indigenous thought, Cherokee Earth Dwellers shares knowledge of our world as a relational realm that includes humans but does not center them. Works like this are direly needed to counteract an increasing global deficiency in ecological morality.
With signature wit and clarity, Teuton and Shade help Cherokee people practice Keetoowah ways in and through our language. These are the Keetoowah teachings we need at just the right time.
Caring for Eeyou Istchee
Protected Area Creation on Wemindji Cree Territory
Edited by Monica E. Mulrennan, Colin H. Scott, and Katherine Scott
