About this item
Native Americans are lauded for their profound spirituality and deep understanding of the land. Kent Nerburn here draws on his three decades living and working among Native peoples to offer stories and reflections that reveal what the ways of Native Americans have to teach us all - about giving, sharing, grieving, and celebrating. Nerburn takes readers inside a Native feast that highlights respect for elders, to a nearly forgotten Nez Perce battlefield, and to both the traditional burial of a young man and the reinterment of the ancient bones of two teen-aged girls. At a dusty roadside caf he introduces us to an elder who remembers when his ancestors could talk to animals. Whether moving and dramatic, delightfully humorous, or all of the above, these vignettes remind us that as common children of a common land, we have much to learn from each other - if only we have the heart to listen.
About the Author
My work has been a constant search, from various perspectives, for an authentic American spirituality, integrating our western Judeo-Christian tradition with the other traditions of the world, and especially the indigenous spirituality of the people who first inhabited this continent. Someone once called me a "guerilla theologian," and I think that is fairly accurate. I am deeply concerned with the human condition and our responsibility to the earth, the people on it, and the generations to come. I believe that we are, at heart, spiritual beings seeking spiritual meaning, and I try to honor this search in my work and my daily life.If there is a quote I live by, it is the entreaty of the Lakota Chief, Sitting Bull, who said to the U.S. government that was trying to eradicate his people, "Come, let us put our minds together to see what kind of life we can create for our children."Much more about me and my work can be found at my website, www.kentnerburn.com.
