Only the power to define what is sacred—and access it—will enable Native American communities to remember who they are.
The indigenous imperative to honor nature is undermined by federal laws approving resource extraction through mining and drilling. Formal protections exist for Native American religious expression, but not for the places and natural resources integral to ceremonies. Under what conditions can traditional beliefs be best practiced?
Recovering the Sacred features a wealth of native research and hundreds of interviews with indigenous scholars and activists.
Winona LaDuke was named by Time in 1994 as one of America's fifty most promising leaders under forty. In 1996 and 2000, LaDuke served as Ralph Nader's vice presidential running mate in the Green Party.
"Through the voices of ordinary Native Americans, writer and full-time activist Winona LaDuke is able to transform highly complex issues into stories that touch the heart."
—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of Indigenous People's History of the United States