Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future

If you were expecting a phenomenal book on native american philosophy and spirituality, you'll be pleasantly surprised, if you were expecting something else, you may be disappointed. I've got so many bookmarks in this bad boy. It's surprisingly not very "woo-woo", either - a good, well-researched book, unlike some that basically infantalize their culture.

This is readable, informed, insightful, unassuming and powerful all at once. It dispels myth, fiction and misperception about what it is to live, think and view the world as indigenous cultures in America had done for millennia. It breaks down, delves into and informs a number of key insights from a variety of tribal perspectives. On top of all of this, it just feels good, even soul-nourishing to read. The chapters are often short and encompass one specific topic or series of topics. There are those that jump around, weaving multiple threads together, and there are those that are less than a full page in length. None are easy to put down. Read this book and you'll be thanking yourself for taking the time to do so. If everyone could incorporate small amounts of such perspectives to their worldviews, we would live in a much different place.

Good book. Great points, but do be careful to note the bias. Personally I agree with a great deal but there are a few problematic articles included.

I highly recommend this book to leadership of all kinds. To respect the Earth and each other in these ways is to live in abundance and harmony. Isn’t that what we all truly want anyway? This book is an absolute blessing for us.

This collection of essays seems profound at times. In truth there is probably nothing really new, just wise addages that have been lost in time. Each speaker's voice and style is quite different, making each chapter, each essay seem like a new book to me. I read through it slowly, finishing one at a time ... with some I was taken by the speaker's voice so much that I went and researched other writings. The one common thread is (no surprise) respect for the Earth and all living creatures, so for those readers seeking something totally new, this is not it. Yet again, each voice has a particular angle, making this collection a rarity in a single volume.

These are stories of peoples who have lived for hundreds of thousands of years in their places on the Earth without destroying themselves or the other beings who shared their places. We all need to return to the earth-view and respect that these peoples successfully nurtured until the rest of us came along and trashed just about every place there is to live. If we want humans to survive ourselves, we don't have to re-invent the wheel. The guides are there. And they really want to help us. I unreservedly recommend this reading to anyone who loves the Earth and wants to work for its survival.

Wow this is awesome and I got it really fast!!!

VERY important book for the future of “Western” civilization (built on the backs of Indigenous people who we now, karmically, rely on for learning how to live!) Highly recommended, a terrific and very well selected group of writers who contributed. I hope there will be more so it can be a collection of volumes—so many more voices could add to this, not just sustainability as we think of it in eco terms, but political, educational, and many others as well.

I read many chapters of this book to help a lecturer in his research project and I enjoyed reading the stories written by different contributors

thanks

Got it as a present for sister, she liked it. Its a book, that much I can guarantee.