Second place for the 2023 Chicago Folklore Prize

A celebration of the Cherokee cosmos through creature names, stories, cultural concepts, and reflections

Ayetli gadogv-to "stand in the middle"-is at the heart of a Cherokee perspective of the natural world. From this stance, Cherokee Earth Dwellers offers a rich understanding of nature grounded in Cherokee creature names, oral traditional stories, and reflections of knowledge holders. During his lifetime, elder Hastings Shade created booklets with over six hundred Cherokee names for animals and plants. With this foundational collection at its center, and weaving together a chorus of voices, this book emerges from a deep and continuing collaboration between Christopher B. Teuton, Hastings Shade, Loretta Shade, and others.

Positioning our responsibilities as humans to our more-than-human relatives, this book presents teachings about the body, mind, spirit, and wellness that have been shared for generations. From clouds to birds, oceans to quarks, this expansive Cherokee view of nature reveals a living, communicative world and humanity's role within it.

A celebration of the Cherokee cosmos through creature names, stories, cultural concepts, and reflections

About the Author

Christopher B. Teuton (Cherokee Nation) is professor of American Indian studies at the University of Washington. He is author of Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liars' Club. Hastings Shade (1941-2010) was deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation (1999-2003) and named a Cherokee National Treasure in 1991. Loretta Shade (1946-2021) was a master level speaker of the Cherokee language and named a Cherokee National Treasure in 2018. Larry Shade (Cherokee Nation) is an educator and cultural traditionalist. MaryBeth Timothy (Cherokee Nation) is an accomplished artist noted for depictions of Native life and the natural world.

Reviews

"Cherokee Earth Dwellers imparts a full, rich, and exciting vision of a living Cherokee cosmos that fosters balance, health, maturity, and awareness of the interconnection of all that is."

* Foreword Reviews *

"Found throughout the book are stories and illustrations that are of immense value in Cherokee culture and that are still told today."

* Cherokee Phoenix *

"An immensely rich volume that will prove valuable to both scholars in Indigenous studies and Cherokee communities as they continue Shade's work of cultural education and language revitalization."

* Pacific Northwest Quarterly (PNQ) *

"Unprecedented in its scope. . . Cherokee Earth Dwellers is a powerful and foundational text of the Cherokee language and culture. . . A beneficial read for anyone looking to reconnect to, or build a relationship with, the Cherokee language and culture. The beauty and power of Cherokee Earth Dwellers, however, is that no expertise in the Cherokee language or natural world is needed, only a passion for the storytelling tradition"

-- Jewel Cummins * American Indian Culture & Research Journal *


Awards
Runner-up for Chicago Folklore Prize 2023 (United States).



Book Information
ISBN 9780295750187
Author Christopher B. Teuton
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint University of Washington Press
Publisher University of Washington Press
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 16mm