Cherokee Earth Dwellers: Stories and Teachings of the Natural World - Paperback

by Christopher B. Teuton (Author), Loretta Shade (With), Hastings Shade (Author)

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.

Author Biography

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.