Melissa K Nelson

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Original Instructions

For millennia the world's indigenous peoples have acted as guardians of the web of life for the next seven generations. They've successfully managed complex reciprocal relationships between biological and cultural diversity. Awareness of indigenous knowledge is re-emerging at the eleventh hour to help avert global ecological and social collapse. Indigenous cultural wisdom shows us how to live in peace with the earth and one another. ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIONS evokes the rich indigenous storytelling tradition in this collection of presentations gathered from the annual Bioneers conference. It depicts how the world's native leaders and scholars are safeguarding the original instructions, reminding us about gratitude, kinship and a reverence for community and creation. Included are more than 20 contemporary indigenous leaders such as Chief Oren Lyons, John Mohawk, Winona LaDuke and John Trudell - and non-native environmental and social visionaries - such as Gary Paul Nabhan, Jeremy Narby and Wade Davis. These beautiful, wise voices remind us where hope lies.