Description
A People's Ecology - Explorations in Sustainable Living: Health, Environment, Agriculture, Native Traditions is a collection of thirteen essays edited by Pueblo scholar Gregory Cajete. This text makes an important contribution to the understanding of health, ecology, and sustainable living. The contributors offer a wide-range of articles covering themes such as cultural identity, health, relationship to the environment, environmental restoration, and organic foods. Each addresses the concept of "healthy environment, healthy culture, healthy people." Cajete's essay, Look to the Mountain, explores the Indigenous connection to the land and how this understanding is expressed through dance, ritual, art, agriculture, and community life. The importance of understanding the worldview and perspective of Indigenous people is stressed. Two articles discuss the role of historic and contemporary foods in the dietary health of the Pueblo Nation. Ethnobotanist Enrique Salmon discusses the traditional diet and health of Indigenous people in Northwestern Mexico. A Navajo health educator provides an understanding of Navajo food and culture. Clayton Brascoupe describes his life as a farmer in northern New Mexico. John Mohawk and Yvonne Dion-Buffalo report on a program dedicated to assisting Six Nations Iroquois farmers grow and market white corn. Other articles explore traditional healing practices of traditional people of the American Southwest and Mexico; permaculture theory and practice; traditional building methods and their impact on health; and the importance of consumer education regarding organic foods. This text is a practical guide for understanding the issues surrounding sustainable living, the environment, and health. Recommended reading for health care professionals, educators, and anyone interested in the possibilities of a healthy environment, healthy culture, and healthy people.