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Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming
“Through the voices of ordinary Native Americans . . . LaDuke is able to transform highly complex issues into stories that touch the heart.” —Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United StatesThe indigenous imperative to honor nature is undermined by federal laws approving resource extraction through mining and drilling. Formal protections exist for Native American religious expression—but not for the places and natural resources integral to ceremonies. Under what conditions can traditional beliefs be best practiced?From the author of All Our Native Struggles for Land and Life, Recovering the Sacred features a wealth of native research and hundreds of interviews with indigenous scholars and activists.“Documents the remarkable stories of indigenous communities whose tenacity and resilience has enabled them to reclaim the lands, resources, and life ways after enduring centuries of incalculable loss.” —Wilma Mankiller, author of Every Day is a Good Day
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2005
53 people are currently reading
1494 people want to read
About the author
Winona LaDuke
37 books167 followersWriting, farming, and working in her community for more than 40 years, Winona LaDuke is one of the world’s most tireless and charismatic leaders on issues related to climate change, Indigenous and human rights, green economies, grassroots organizing, and the restoration of local food systems. A two-time Green Party vice-presidential candidate, Winona has received numerous awards and accolades, including recognition on the Forbes' first “50 Over 50—Women of Impact” list in 2021.
Winona is the author of many acclaimed articles and books, including "Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming" and "To Be a Water Protector: Rise of the Wiindigoo Slayers." A Harvard-educated economist, hemp farmer, grandmother, and member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg, she lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota.
Winona is the author of many acclaimed articles and books, including "Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming" and "To Be a Water Protector: Rise of the Wiindigoo Slayers." A Harvard-educated economist, hemp farmer, grandmother, and member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg, she lives and works on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 21, 2014
Winona LaDuke is a Native American activist, and this book is a collection of tales about the attempts of the Indigenous people to recover elements of their traditional way of life. She discusses civil rights infringements that the Native Americans have experienced due to our government's endless desire to make money. I was especially touched by the different levels of environmental racism that the people are facing, and how a complete lack of cultural sensitivity continues to deny them their freedom to worship and to commune with one another. The most astonishing section of the novel discusses how items of cultural patrimony were stolen from the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890, and then sold to white settlers as mementos. Many of these things - including cradleboards and a baby's foot- were later displayed in museums. The thought of the baby's foot actually kept me up at night.
Some of the stories were very sad - as the Native People are still fighting for the return of their sacred items and sites. It is a shame that the actions of our government - going all the way back to George Washington - have caused the Native American people to have an average tribal diabetes rate of nearly fifty percent. However, there were also several stories with happy endings that talked about the different ways the Native Communities are fighting back through grassroots efforts and a return to cultural methods. They are educating the younger generations in the traditional language and religious customs. I think the greatest thing about books like this is that they extend an invitation to people outside the Indigenous community to get involved in the efforts to return what does not belong to us and to become more understanding.
This is a tremendous book that will make you look at history differently, and I definitely recommend it.
Some of the stories were very sad - as the Native People are still fighting for the return of their sacred items and sites. It is a shame that the actions of our government - going all the way back to George Washington - have caused the Native American people to have an average tribal diabetes rate of nearly fifty percent. However, there were also several stories with happy endings that talked about the different ways the Native Communities are fighting back through grassroots efforts and a return to cultural methods. They are educating the younger generations in the traditional language and religious customs. I think the greatest thing about books like this is that they extend an invitation to people outside the Indigenous community to get involved in the efforts to return what does not belong to us and to become more understanding.
This is a tremendous book that will make you look at history differently, and I definitely recommend it.
November 4, 2018
Few books I have read are as equally well-researched and readable as this one.
Having read it I have clarity on how our country/culture needs to come to terms with our violent past (and present) if we are to move beyond our destructive, violent circumstances and address the most urgent issues of our time.
Could not recommend more highly.
Having read it I have clarity on how our country/culture needs to come to terms with our violent past (and present) if we are to move beyond our destructive, violent circumstances and address the most urgent issues of our time.
Could not recommend more highly.
August 11, 2010
LaDuke gives a damning account of current and past injustices committed against the indigenous tribes of North America. She uses a combination of personal experience and interviews mixed with historical research and government records to make the case that racism and stealing is still occurring, but in new forms such as biopiracy and historical revisionism. She writes with a lot of passion - at times her anger is clearly evident, but in other sections she uses humor and reveals a hope for the future and in reconciliation.
This is an important book for anyone to read - many contemporary issues are highlighted that should be receiving more notice.
This is an important book for anyone to read - many contemporary issues are highlighted that should be receiving more notice.
August 28, 2021
"That lesson, I believe, is that we can begin the process of undoing some of what we have done to each other, and that all of us, ultimately, are connected to each other" (227).
January 14, 2018
wow. what a valuable read. there's so much here & so a lot to make my not-so-lil reading response to - this is a really factually dense text although accessible and not overly verbose. through a combination of firsthand accounts, several oral histories from Native elders, journalist writings, historical documents, and quotes from leaders, activists, and the like, there is never an unresearched page. so much history I didn't know, or had only gotten in bits & pieces, and definitely had not heard from an indigenous perspective or speaker. there are also so many sacred sites - mountains, rivers, volcanoes, told of in origin stories, etc that I'd never even heard of, no less known the history of their capture & renaming. ((remember the Dept of Interior returning Mt. McKinley to its original name - Denali - a few years back and all the whitelash?)) the sections on indigenous agriculture, food, and recovering original seeds and crops were really beautiful and eye opening.
one of my big takeaways was how absolutely instrumental white science, academia, and museums have been in oppression of indigenous people. these are often thought as "nonpolitical" agents by the people practicing them - esp the scientists, who have an almost religious belief about the political "purity" of science ((there is a section on this belief in the book)). the sections on Native bodies, body parts, and people and their blood & genes held by these institutions against people's will and ability to properly bury, mourn, and see them off with proper rites and ceremonies had me at the verge of tears. how evil... blatant dehumanizing arrogance. LaDuke also shows how central indigenous rights over their own lands and ancestral customs and heritage and representation is to the fight against colonial expansion: which is through industry, especially the energy industry ((OIL)). this is a text I wish I had a class to work with in going slowly, to truly take in all LaDuke has to offer.
particularly powerful bits: LaDuke's opening and closing lines "How does a community heal itself from the ravages of the past? That is the question I asked in writing this book." ... "By democratizing power production, Native nations are providing the solutions that all of us will need in order to survive into the next millennium."
also, this bit from Robert Jensen got me thinking: "'Indians don't get to tell white people what to do. Why not? Polite white people won't say it in public, but this is what I think many white folks think: 'Whites won and Indians lost. It's our country now. Maybe the way we took it was wrong, but we took it. We are stronger than you. That's why we won. That's why you lost. So get used to it. You don't get to tell us what to do.'" -- I have absolutely encountered this sentiment unabashed & explicitly stated when talking to friends' parents whenever indigenous rights come up in conversation, news, etc ((in a community that owes its entire economic existence to the theft of desirable coastal Native land no less)). sometimes you can break through by making present day connections to Standing Rock, violated treaties, buried history of massacres that happened 20 minutes down the road. but some people do not want to & do not care to recognize the ruthless violence of that stance - moral conscience dead & buried
one of my big takeaways was how absolutely instrumental white science, academia, and museums have been in oppression of indigenous people. these are often thought as "nonpolitical" agents by the people practicing them - esp the scientists, who have an almost religious belief about the political "purity" of science ((there is a section on this belief in the book)). the sections on Native bodies, body parts, and people and their blood & genes held by these institutions against people's will and ability to properly bury, mourn, and see them off with proper rites and ceremonies had me at the verge of tears. how evil... blatant dehumanizing arrogance. LaDuke also shows how central indigenous rights over their own lands and ancestral customs and heritage and representation is to the fight against colonial expansion: which is through industry, especially the energy industry ((OIL)). this is a text I wish I had a class to work with in going slowly, to truly take in all LaDuke has to offer.
particularly powerful bits: LaDuke's opening and closing lines "How does a community heal itself from the ravages of the past? That is the question I asked in writing this book." ... "By democratizing power production, Native nations are providing the solutions that all of us will need in order to survive into the next millennium."
also, this bit from Robert Jensen got me thinking: "'Indians don't get to tell white people what to do. Why not? Polite white people won't say it in public, but this is what I think many white folks think: 'Whites won and Indians lost. It's our country now. Maybe the way we took it was wrong, but we took it. We are stronger than you. That's why we won. That's why you lost. So get used to it. You don't get to tell us what to do.'" -- I have absolutely encountered this sentiment unabashed & explicitly stated when talking to friends' parents whenever indigenous rights come up in conversation, news, etc ((in a community that owes its entire economic existence to the theft of desirable coastal Native land no less)). sometimes you can break through by making present day connections to Standing Rock, violated treaties, buried history of massacres that happened 20 minutes down the road. but some people do not want to & do not care to recognize the ruthless violence of that stance - moral conscience dead & buried
November 16, 2016
I bought this book years ago, probably shortly after it was published, when Winona LaDuke spoke in Buffalo. She signed my copy. I read a few of the essays but never got around to reading all of them. With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I figured this was a good time to revisit LaDuke's work.
This was fascinating. And sad. I found the chapters on food particularly powerful -- how big business has impacted health and environment.
That the National Academy of Sciences suggested some areas be deemed "National Sacrifice Areas" makes my heart hurt.
Also powerful is the lien that "In the end, it is question of who gets to decide your identity and how that will be reflected in dominate society.
Again and again, LaDuke illustrates the competing world views of Native Americans and white men: Native Americans see people as part of nature, as a a mutually beneficial relationship. The "white men" see nature as something to be dominated. I find myself challenged to approach the natural world as a relationship rather than something to be controlled.
The only reason I gave this three stars was because it was dated. North Dakota, for instance, has retired the Fighting Sioux nickname. That does not change the fight or the history. But I had to Google a lot of things to find out where they stood now.
Also it was very factual. Which is good. From a reading standpoint, at times it felt too much like work.
This was fascinating. And sad. I found the chapters on food particularly powerful -- how big business has impacted health and environment.
That the National Academy of Sciences suggested some areas be deemed "National Sacrifice Areas" makes my heart hurt.
Also powerful is the lien that "In the end, it is question of who gets to decide your identity and how that will be reflected in dominate society.
Again and again, LaDuke illustrates the competing world views of Native Americans and white men: Native Americans see people as part of nature, as a a mutually beneficial relationship. The "white men" see nature as something to be dominated. I find myself challenged to approach the natural world as a relationship rather than something to be controlled.
The only reason I gave this three stars was because it was dated. North Dakota, for instance, has retired the Fighting Sioux nickname. That does not change the fight or the history. But I had to Google a lot of things to find out where they stood now.
Also it was very factual. Which is good. From a reading standpoint, at times it felt too much like work.
August 21, 2018
LaDuke deftly weaves powerful metaphors and image rich anecdotes into the legal logic and hard facts and figures throughout every essay in this collection. She at once mourns the Native American cultural losses and bring sharp pointed condemnation down upon those perpetrators of genocide both past and current. She suceeds with a cool beautiful prose that resists over-wrought pathos appeals (which are plentifully available—but she’s not taking the cheap shots)
While she relays the losses and injustices to the indigenous tribes currently within the borders of the USA, she celebrates their continued resistance and champions their hardwon successes.
This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Native American perspective in this modern era and it is a testament to the promise of the Indigenous people of the North America and their culture. They just may be the saviors of us all.
While she relays the losses and injustices to the indigenous tribes currently within the borders of the USA, she celebrates their continued resistance and champions their hardwon successes.
This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Native American perspective in this modern era and it is a testament to the promise of the Indigenous people of the North America and their culture. They just may be the saviors of us all.
October 18, 2018
Absolutely comprehensive; chock-full of information that I'm still processing. The book definitely presents evidence and expects the reader to draw their own big-picture conclusions, and I'm trying to live up to the task.
February 10, 2018
Winona LaDuke should be president of the U.S.
December 5, 2023
“In this extremely detailed book, Native American activist Winona Duke honors the vision and capability of Indigenous peoples as they work to recover from the ravages of the past, and to create a path forward toward ecological and cultural integrity.” — from the synopsis
To say this book was eye opening is an understatement. The author deep dives into the history of several Tribes and Nations who have had their land stolen and destroyed. She explains how their sacred items, and even body parts of ancestors were stolen by the US government for use in museums and gene research. She talks of the sacredness of food, and how the major cooperations of the world are destroying our biodiversity and ultimately our Home. 🌎
It was a hard book to read. I shook my head in disgust many times. The Native American people have been here for thousands of years, and for 500 of those millennia they have been ethnically cleansed, genocided, and forced to give up their ancient sacred ways in order to “civilize” them. It’s abhorrent. Accountability must be taken, and reparations must be paid. LAND BACK!
To say this book was eye opening is an understatement. The author deep dives into the history of several Tribes and Nations who have had their land stolen and destroyed. She explains how their sacred items, and even body parts of ancestors were stolen by the US government for use in museums and gene research. She talks of the sacredness of food, and how the major cooperations of the world are destroying our biodiversity and ultimately our Home. 🌎
It was a hard book to read. I shook my head in disgust many times. The Native American people have been here for thousands of years, and for 500 of those millennia they have been ethnically cleansed, genocided, and forced to give up their ancient sacred ways in order to “civilize” them. It’s abhorrent. Accountability must be taken, and reparations must be paid. LAND BACK!
January 8, 2022
I think I read this book a little more critically than maybe LaDuke intends for it to be read so I do apologize.
While this book is incredibly well researched, incredibly well written, and does an incredible job at highlighting LaDuke’s work as an activist and as a scholar, I fear that some readers (namely settlers, and those unfamiliar with Indigenous notions of environmentalism) will read this and be discouraged by its slight inaccessibility.
The text is quite dense, and while LaDuke provides incredibly in-depth analysis of historical events and the like, it reads a little bit dry. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there are other books on this topic which are more easily readable. Winona LaDuke is an incredible woman and I wish more of her personal experiences had been narrated into the text.
All this to say, I’m obviously citing this book when I start revisions on my thesis. I’m just more looking to read for fun lately and so maybe I should lighten up my book choices.
While this book is incredibly well researched, incredibly well written, and does an incredible job at highlighting LaDuke’s work as an activist and as a scholar, I fear that some readers (namely settlers, and those unfamiliar with Indigenous notions of environmentalism) will read this and be discouraged by its slight inaccessibility.
The text is quite dense, and while LaDuke provides incredibly in-depth analysis of historical events and the like, it reads a little bit dry. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there are other books on this topic which are more easily readable. Winona LaDuke is an incredible woman and I wish more of her personal experiences had been narrated into the text.
All this to say, I’m obviously citing this book when I start revisions on my thesis. I’m just more looking to read for fun lately and so maybe I should lighten up my book choices.
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February 25, 2020wonderful. helps you understand the complex injustices that have impeded on tribal rights and their stance for survival against those injustices. The way LaDuke writes is not hard to read and she puts it in a way that anyone can understand, not just the scholarly but all people. and all people in this country should read this.
March 30, 2023
Powerful text by a powerful woman that is foundational to environmental justice. This book fundamentally forces us to reconsider our North American treatment of "named" indigeneity and our relationship to those ever-evolving modern narritives we perpetuate. LaDuke's most potent work that I will continue coming back to in the years ahead.
March 23, 2020
Great historical and contemporary review of the injustices committed against indigenous tribes in the United States, and how tribes and tribal advocates are currently working towards regaining control and sovereignty.
June 29, 2022
We do prayers at the center of the world here, but they are not just for us. It is for the whole world. We are trying to save the world. —Jeanerette Jacups-Johnny, Karuk Tribe, Klamath Basin
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March 12, 2023DNF 26%
May 21, 2008
Winona LaDuke covers a wide range of struggles to recover sacred places - Apache resistance to University of Arizona and the Vatican's project to build a telescope on Mount Graham - and objects and human remains from Museums. LaDuke is a great writer, and the whole book is interesting. Reclaiming sacred objects from federally funded institutions through NAGPRA was of strong relevance to me as I work in one of the museums that LaDuke discusses. I also found struggles to recover blood that non-indigenous (white? I can't remember) scientists collected on false pretenses - supposedly to help study diabetes but really to profit off of indigenous genetics - and traditional food as a means to heal very interesting.
April 2, 2012
Amazing.
This is one of the best histories (to use the term loosely - it's way more than that) I've read in a very long time. Winona LaDuke manages to balance infuriating and terrible things with a cautious positivity towards steps being taken to reclaim land that was taken and and changes in energy usage, all in a well-written, well-sourced, but totally accessible text. This was hugely refreshing to read after a long stretch of being disappointed by nonfiction.
This is one of the best histories (to use the term loosely - it's way more than that) I've read in a very long time. Winona LaDuke manages to balance infuriating and terrible things with a cautious positivity towards steps being taken to reclaim land that was taken and and changes in energy usage, all in a well-written, well-sourced, but totally accessible text. This was hugely refreshing to read after a long stretch of being disappointed by nonfiction.
March 2, 2008
Fascinating . . . particularly the theme of biodiversity in crops, how we´re losing this and how our health problems show it. (LaDuke focuses on the way Native American communities are affected, but I think its a problem for us all.)
April 3, 2010
Many of the truths that Ms. LaDuke talks about in this book are really universal truths that all humans need. I learned a lot about what the Native Americans of this country have lost and how they are going about to recover it.
January 26, 2015
An excellent overview of recent cases of resistance of indigenous communities and cultures against the cultural hegemony which is destroying their way of life and the environment upon which we all depend.
August 22, 2007
Why isn't this woman president?
November 5, 2016
Should be required reading for all people.
December 1, 2016
Stories of the difficult legacy of colonialism (and neo-colonialism) told with wit and wisdom.
April 8, 2019
In this book Winona LaDuke, a member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg of the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota, relates a number of ways Native Americans are pursuing the reclamation of land, resources, history, memory and nomenclature in the United States. The sum total of victories so far has been unjustly few, and decidedly rage-inducing, but LaDuke finishes on a somewhat hopeful note in the final chapters.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews