A People's Ecology: Explorations in Sustainable Living [Paperback]

Gregory Cajete (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

This book presents a tapestry of perspectives on food and the interplay of health, cultural ecology, and environment, which are the fabric and foundation of all sustainable living It offers personal stories, documented information, traditional understandings, and speculations on future directions. Each contribution calls on us to reclaim our human heritage of "caring for our home fires" -- a metaphor that can inspire the revitalisation of our connections to the earth, all living things, and each other. The writers examine the underlying ecology of sustainable living rooted in the historical traditions, environmental practices, and a sense of place of peoples of the Southwest; and they describe the impact that disruption of this way of life continues to have on health, well-being, communal identity. Drawing on an indigenous paradigm of "healthy environment, healthy culture, healthy people," this book explores possibilities of applying the principles of sustainable living in both traditional and non-traditional communities.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This book contains a series of essays by Native Americans, Hispanics, and Anglos dealing primarily with the diet and health of the native peoples of the United States and Mexico. Several chapters contrast traditional diets with modern-day fare and its accompanying health problems. Traditional healing practices, or curanderismos, are also treated. Other chapters cover the raising and marketing of organic vegetables, the preservation of biodiversity, permaculture, traditional building practices, and the psychology of space and place. The book presents important facts, stories, and opinions regarding traditional diet and health but suffers from a lack of cohesiveness and some of the repetition common to collections with multiple authors. Editor Cajete, a Tewa Indian from the Santa Clara Pueblo, is an education professor at the University of New Mexico. For public and academic libraries.ATim McKimmie, New Mexico State Univ. Lib., Las Cruces
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Gregory Cajete, Editor

Product Details

• Paperback: 283 pages
• Publisher: Clear Light Pub (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574160281
• ISBN-13: 978-1574160284
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #976,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)