Table of Contents

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 Salmón, 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 Siminé 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. Alarcón

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

About the Author

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.

Reviews

“Buckminster Fuller once complained that the earth had come without a good operating manual. In fact, though, there are an awful lot of instructions that have stood the test of time. Since we’re clearly making a mess of things at the moment, it might be wise to pay some attention.”
*Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and the forthcoming The Bill McKibben Reader*

“Original Instructions shows how human beings can actually play a richly positive role in the web of life as a keystone species that creates conditions conducive to life for all beings. Here is the sacred geography of a world where all life is revered and animated by spirit.”
*Kenny Ausubel, author of When Healing Becomes a Crime and coexecutive director of Bioneers*

“Melissa Nelson, in collaboration with Bioneers, has produced an invaluable resource of Indigenous wisdom. This book is a must-read for every socially conscious political leader, member of the clergy, educator, activist, community worker, and entrepreneur interested in participating in the creation of a new and more ecologically sound worldview, one that will be capable of sustaining society in an era of significant global climate change.”
*Gregory Cajete, founding director of the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, an*

"These indigenous activists have much to share, and they serve as crucial voices in the worldwide effort to restore our ailing planet."
*Deborah Donovan, Booklist, Feb 2008*

" . . . a remarkable reminder that there are people out there doing critical work to safeguard our very existence. This book contains detailed information about the current programs and teachings from some of the best minds on the subject."
*Kathryn Price, book editor, WomensRadio*

" . . . will appeal both to New Age and Native American collections . . . an eye-opening survey of sacred geography and a spirit-driven world."
*The Midwest Book Review, Apr 08*

" . . . this book presents 'How To' earth wisdom that should be at the forefront of global efforts to restore the planet."
*Griselda Steiner, Scene4 Magazine, Mar 08*

" . . . cogent advice on how people in the world's old growth indigenous societies conduct their relations with each other and the Earth--are couched here in starkly modern terms as questions of sustainability become global fare. . . . The subject matter of this book is eclectic, ranging from toxic chemicals to global warming, changing roles of women, revival of Native languages, "bio-justice", "bio-ethics", and "bio-democracy".
*B.E. Johansen, CHOICE/Current reviews for Academic Libraries, Vol. 46, No. 5, Jan 2009*

"The general themes running through the writings . . . are all very applicable to current problems, and thought provoking. The book has a wealth of information, and many resources for further research and study."
*D. Tigermoon, The Pagan Review, May 2009*

"I highly recommend this book. It's the dawning of an era and we must do our part to ensure a positive future for our children."
*Vesta Elliott, Alaska Wellness, Nov/Dec 2009*