Roots of Survival Native American Storytelling and the Sacred

by Bruchac III, Joseph

• ISBN13: 9781555911454
• ISBN10: 1555911455
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1996-09-01
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing

Summary

Roots of Survival uses the lens of traditional Native American stories and environmental teachings to focus on the relationship of Native traditions to contemporary life. In four parts, each anchored by a Native American story, the author examines the sources of human, ecological and spiritual survival through Native traditions and then considers the paths we can follow to survive.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
A Note on the Use of Names	viii
Introduction	ix
Part I: Walking between the Worlds
How the Buffalo Came to Feed the People	5	(58)
Giving and Taking	7	(56)
Grandfathers	10	(9)
Ndakinna Means ``Our Land''	19	(7)
Mizi Newetkamigwezo: ``The Families Gathered Together''	26	(6)
As Equal as Earth Is to Sky: The Balanced Roles of Native American Men and Women	32	(14)
Speaking Again to the Deer	46	(6)
An Unbroken Circle	52	(11)
Part II: Storytelling and the Sacred
Why the People Speak Many Languages	63	(66)
Opening the Wind	67	(62)
Storytelling and the Sacred	70	(30)
Digging into Your Heart: Hidden Treasure in Native American Stories	100	(8)
Combing the Snakes from Atotarho's Hair: Native Stories of Natural Balance and Reconciliation	108	(9)
Seeking Out the Real Roots	117	(12)
Part III: Thanking the Birds
Horned Owl Finds a Wife	129	(44)
Use Cedar to Greet the Dawn	133	(40)
Thanking the Birds: Native American Upbringing and the Natural World	135	(9)
Stealing Horses	144	(9)
Striking the Pole: Observations about Indian Humor	153	(10)
The Way a Medicine Person Sees the World	163	(10)
Part IV: Gathering the Bones
Red Hand	173	(29)
Waking Up to the Seven Directions	176	(26)
Gathering the Bones	179	(16)
Understanding the Great Mystery	195	(7)
Roots of Survival	202