Mother Earth Is Our Elder: A Northern Indigenous Perspective on the Climate Crisis

by Katłı̨̀à

Award-winning Dene activist and writer Katłı̨̀ą teaches us Indigenous ways to protect and learn from Mother Earth.

The Dene in Canada’s Northwest Territories have lived alongside nature for many generations. From battling environmental racism on the front lines of historical environmental protests to living a balanced life through effective individual and collective governance, the Dene have long protected Mother Earth from destruction through their intricate knowledge systems, natural laws, and age-old principles.

Now more than ever, institutions and citizens alike are seeking out and relying on the resilience of Indigenous knowledge systems to help solve the climate crisis. This book brings together a diverse group of Dene Elders and knowledge carriers on the subject of climate change to answer the calls for help. Adhering proudly to these responsibilities and values, Katłı̨̀ą writes a Dene manifesto fit to address the state of emergency we’re in.

With evidence of how this all works for the Dene people, we see how it might work for us all. This generous, pragmatic, and hopeful book shows us how to find coexistence with Mother Earth and embrace the wisdom of our local Indigenous communities.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Environment, Indigenous

379 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

Katłı̨̀à (Catherine Lafferty) is a member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation in Somba K'e (Yellowknife), Northwest Territories, Canada. She is a storyteller and Indigenous rights activist. Katłı̨̀à's debut memoir, Northern Wildflower, was a top-selling book in the Northwest Territories and her subsequent novels Land-Water-Sky / Ndè-Ti-Yat'a, This House Is Not a Home and Firekeeper all won a NorthWords NWT book of the year awards.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a climate change must read from an Indigenous (specifically Dene) perspective, geographically focused on the North of Canada (though applicable broadly everywhere). The author writes truthfully, honestly, and in an incredibly accessible way, making this both interesting and inspiring. Information is presented as various personal stories and teachings from a variety of elders, Indigenous community members, and the author herself. The messaging is clear and important, and we all need to read and listen and act before it's too late. I appreciated listening to the audiobook, narrated by the author, for the expert pronounciations, and I felt listening to the author added a meaningful personal connection to the information and stories. I highly recommend this to everyone!

Thank you to Libro.fm and McClelland & Stewart for the Audiobook Listening Copy.

[JXR · Rating 4 out of 5]

The environmental discussion aspects are interesting and insightful. sometimes it strays away to loosely connected topics later on, though, and those topics don't quite work. 4 stars. tysm for the E-ARC.

[Lottie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

Fully agree with the arguments made in this book. The only way we will survive the climate crisis is by using tried and tested methods—one’s that Indigenous people the world over have used for tens of thousands for years.