From Publishers Weekly
How does one learn from the wisdom of Native American cultures without adding to the violence that has been done to the sacredness and integrity of those traditions? In this volume, Garrett, an Eastern Band Cherokee who teaches education at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, provides profound and beautiful answers to that question. As he notes, the book has two goals: to honor his people's vision of a balanced life and to share their accumulated wisdom about health and wellness with the larger, contemporary culture. Each chapter features delightful narratives of Cherokee stories and myths?the love of Moon for Sun, how the animals teach humanity to respect the harmony of nature, why possum's tail is bare, why turtle's shell is scarred, as well as recollections from Garrett's childhood. He notes that his father taught him that it was his task "to discover through the stories?the beauty and lessons offered to us through everyday experience." Garrett discusses lessons learned about how to make difficult choices, how to hear our intuitive sense of right and wrong and how to deal with painful experiences. Also included in this wide-ranging book are descriptions of the purposes of Pow-Wow, Iroquois False Face Societies, managing a modern kitchen in ways that respect the balance of nature and brief discussions about acid rain and greenhouse gases. Written in accessible language, Garrett's book is a useful primer on Native American spirituality.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"[Garrett's] blend of the traditional Cherokee stories and ways with that of science and psychology illustrates that both Native and non-Native peoples can learn to thrive together, and that they have a lot to learn from each other for the betterment of humankind."
(
Native Peoples magazine
)
"I am a traditional Cherokee mother and grandmother, and it is my responsibility to teach my children and grandchildren to be at peace with everyone and everything, and how to live as true Cherokee (Tsa la gi), in harmony with all living things. If the Creator (U ne tla nv hi) decided that he needed me more than my children and grandchildren needed me tomorrow, then I can go to him at peace knowing that this wonderful book, Walking on the Wind, was here to teach them the things I didn't get a chance to teach them."
(
Myrtle Driver Johnson, Eastern Band of Cherokee )
"For the souls of modern people, this book is Good Medicine."
(
Steven McFadden, author, Profiles in Wisdom: Native Elders Speak about the Earth )
"I wept as I read--so simple the stories, so powerful the messages! Great truths revealed through storytelling helps the reader see visions and dream dreams through Cherokee eyes."
(
Carol Locust, Ph.D., Native American Research and Training Center, University of Arizona )
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