Spirit of the Earth

This book includes quotations on the beauty and meaning of nature 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 North American landscapes. These quotations and photographs beautifully present something of nature's timeless message. This message can be summed up in the well-known Sioux phrase often used in prayer: “We are all related.”

Often spoken at the end of a prayer, a well-known Sioux phrase 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.