Touching the Earth Again [1]

By Steve Taylor [2] Ph.D

Guest writer for Wake Up World

What We Can Learn from Native Americans’ Attitude to Nature?

I’ve just been reading a fantastic book called Touch the Earth [3] – originally published in 1971 – which is a collection of statements and writings by native Americans, from the 17th century onwards. One of the most striking things about the book is the great gulf that seems to lie between the native- and European-Americans. The two peoples seem to have different ways of relating to the world, which aren’t just the result of different cultures and traditions, but of fundamental psychological differences.

This manifests itself most strongly in the two peoples’ attitude to nature. Many of the statements in the book express bemusement and anger at the ‘white man’s’ lack of respect for nature. The Native Americans clearly felt a powerful connection to their land, and to all natural phenomena...