What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be?

John Hausdoerffer is dean of the School of Environment & Sustainability at Western Colorado University. Most recently, he is coeditor of Wildness: Relations of People and Place. For more information, visit www.jhausdoerffer.com. He lives in living in Gunnison, CO. Brooke Parry Hecht is president of the Center for Humans and Nature at www.humansandnature.org. Melissa K. Nelson (Anishinaabe/Métis [Turtle Mountain Chippewa]) is professor of Indigenous sustainability at Arizona State University and president of the Cultural Conservancy, a Native-led Indigenous rights organization. Most recently, she is coeditor of Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Learning from Indigenous Practices for Environmental Sustainability. Katherine Kassouf Cummings serves as managing editor at the Center for Humans and Nature and leads Questions for a Resilient Future.

• IntroductionPoem: Unsigned Letter to a Human in the 21st CenturyJamaal MayI. Embedded: Our ancestral responsibility is deeply rooted in a multigenerational relationship to place.a. Poem: Great GranddaddyTaiyon Colemanb. Essays: i. Ancestor of FireAaron A. Abeytaii. GroundedAubrey Streit Krugiii. My Home / It’s Called the Darkest WildSean Prentissc. Interview: Wendell BerryLeah Bayensd. Poem: To the Children of the 21st CenturyFrances H. KakugawaII. Reckoning: Reckoning with ancestors causing and ancestors enduring historical trauma.a. Poem: Forgiveness?Shannon Gibneyb. Essays: i. Sister’s StoriesEryn Wiseii. Of Land and LegacyLindsay Lunsfordiii. Cheddar ManBrooke Williamsiv. FormidableKathleen Dean Moorec. Interview: Caleen SiskBrooke Parry Hecht and Toby McLeodd. Poem: Promises, PromisesFrances H. KakugawaIII. Healing: Enhancing some ancestral cycles while breaking others.a. Poem: To Future KinBrian Calvertb. Essays:i. Moving with the Rhythm of LifeKatherine Kassouf Cummingsii. (A Korowai) For When You Are LostManea Sweeneyiii. To Hope of Becoming AncestorsPrincess Daazhraii Johnson and Julianne Warrenc. Interview: Camille T. Dungy and Crystal Williamsd. Poem: Yes I WillFrances H. KakugawaIV. Interwoven: Our descendants will know the kind of ancestor we are by reading the lands and waters where we lived.a. Poem: Alive in This CenturyLeora Gansworthb. Essays:i. What Is Your Rice?John Hausdoerfferii. Restoring Indigenous Mindfulness within the Commons of Human ConsciousnessJack Loeffleriii. Reading Records with Estella LeopoldCurt Meineiv. How to Be Better AncestorsWinona LaDukec. Interview: Wes JacksonJohn Hausdoerffer and Julianne Lutz Warrend. Poem: OmoiyareFrances H. KakugawaV. Earthly: Other-than-human beings are our ancestors, too.a. Poem: LEAFElizabeth Herronb. Essays:i. The City Bleeds Out (Reflections on Lake Michigan)Gavin Van Hornii. I Want the Earth to Know Me as a FriendEnrique Salmóniii. The Apple TreePeter Forbesiv. HumusCatroina Sandilandsv. Building Good SoilRobin Kimmererc. Interview: Vandana ShivaJohn Hausdoerfferd. Poem: Your InheritanceFrances H. KakugawaVI. Seventh Firea. Poem: Time TravelerLyla June Johnstonb. Essays: i. Seeds Native Youth Guardians of the Waters 2017 Participants and Nicola Wagenbergii. Onëö’ (Word for Corn in Seneca)Kaylena Brayiii. LandingOscar Guttierez iv. RegenerativeMelissa K. Nelsonv. NourishingRowen Whitevi. LightRachel Wolfgramm and Chellie Spillerc. Interview: Ilarion MerculieffBrooke Parry Hechtd. Poem: Lost in the Milky WayLinda HoganAcknowledgmentsNotesAbout the ContributorsIndex

"Consisting of a stunning array of essays, poems, and interviews, this collection makes the case that the actions and perspectives of a single person can have a ripple effect across generations of people and nature. . . .  Recommended for readers interested in environmentalism, anthropology, sociology, history, philosophy, and Indigenous peoples in the United States."