Original Instructions

February 15, 2008
This historically and environmentally edifying volume consists of essays and talks presented between 1990 and 2006 at the annual Bioneers Conference, an annual gathering ofnative leaders and eco-visionaries from over 20 nations who collectively seek ways to avert a global environmental catastrophe. Stemming from the indigenous ecospiritual concept that when we corrupt and poison the environment, we make war against Mother Earth, speakers address such diverse issues as the loss of Acoma shrines to coal and gas mines, the impact of mega dams, mines, and deforestation on the land belonging to the Canadian Cree, and the pollution of water sources at the Isleta Pueblo, downstream from Albuquerque. The reader becomes familiar with projects like RAFT (Renewing Americas Food Traditions), which works to protect heirloom seeds and conserve native ecosystems, and the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), which focuses on environmental and economic justice issues affecting indigenous peoples, who are disproportionately impacted and burdened by toxic contamination. These indigenous activists have much to share, and they serve as crucial voices in the worldwideeffort to restore our ailing planet.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)