Thinking in Indian: A John Mowhawk Reader

by John Mohawk (Editor), José Barreiro (Editor)

These essays, produced and published over thirty years, are prescient in the prophetic tradition yet current. They reflect consistent engagement in Native issues and deliver a profoundly indigenous analysis of modern existence. Sovereignty, cultural roots and world view, land and treaty rights, globalization, spiritual formulations and fundamental human wisdom coalesce to provide a genuinely indigenous perspective on current events.

Genres: Indigenous, Nonfiction, Native American

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

John Mohawk, a leading scholar and spokesman for the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy, was a leading advocate for the rights of the Iroquois Confederacy and of indigenous people worldwide. He served as director of Indigenous Studies at the Center for the Americas at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Mohawk was also director of the Iroquois White Corn Project, which promoted and sold Iroquois white corn products and foods and supported contemporary indigenous farmers. John Mohawk was the editor of Akewsasne Notes, a columnist at Indian Country Today and his last book was "Utopian Legacies: A History of Conquest & Oppression in the Western World."

Reviews

[Sean Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave me a new outlook on a lot of things in regards to Native American thought, but really blew my mind in regards to his thoughts on Anxiety and "illness" in the naturalization of Western thought. Helluva read. I'm in the UB American Studies Ph.D program at the moment and I would have loved to have been able to meet him before his passing. Awesome book, brilliant man.

[Russell McOrmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed to read this series of essays slowly, and pause to think after each one.

The world feels different today than it did before reading this book. There are ideas I've been trying to come to terms with for decades that were articulated by John Mohawk in essays written before I began to think about them.

Example: Marxism - Perspectives From A Native Movement (Originally published in 1981 as part of Akwesasne Notes vol. 13 no. 1).

While I haven't been any more interested in Marxism as I am in Capitalism, as I have problems with any economic theories built on Anthropocentrism or Androcentrism, I find I'm able to share ideas much more easily with those who have studied Marxist theory (and Systems Theory more generally). This essay articulates that complexity very well.

I am so happy these ideas were written down, and that this compilation was made.

[Zachary Ransom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I am interested in learning about local peoples and different cultural and oral traditions. I've read a bit about the Salish people out West. This was a great way to learn of the history and ways of the people local to NW PA. It was a little more academic than I was expecting but that proved informative in itself. John Mowhak's wisdom of the people's ways combined with his academic prowess to formulate arguments against Western ideologies made this an invigorating read. I can't wait to read more of his writing and more about the legends of the Haudonsaunee and other local peoples.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this collection of talks and essays that John Mohawk wrote. I had not been familiar with his work and now that I am - my life and my involvement in community is made better. His perspective is healthy and whole and wise. It gave me a lot to chew on.

[Alexandra Steves · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s up there with Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass. A must-read for those who aspire to become better people. Thankful for this book for changing my life!

[Marion Delaronde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Someone actually shedding some light on all the philosophical questions I had. In hindsight, he does tiptoe around some of the more religious/spiritual questions, but that's what I'd expect I guess. The part about what kind of sustainable economic system that could help Haudenosaunee achieve greater sovereignty is probably the single most important essay. He goes everywhere that is important to go, and says enough.