Ecocide of Native America: Environmental Destruction of Indian Lands and Peoples

Since their first encounter with Europeans, Native Americans have seen their lands taken and their lives disrupted. Here, Grinde and Johansen (coauthors of Exemplar of Liberty: Native Americans and the Evolution of Democracy) describe the ecological consequences of those encounters. They examine native ecological practices before and during early colonization in the Southeast (Yamasees) and Southwest (Pueblos). Part two looks at recent environmental crises among Indians: fishing rights in the Northwest and Wisconsin; forced livestock reduction; coal and uranium mining on Navajo lands; severe pollution on a Mohawk reservation. The authors report on the plight of the James Bay Cree and the Lacondon Mayas in the Central American rain forest, and on radioactive waste dumping in Alaska. They call for reevaluation of current ecological practices and for acceptance of the Indian environmental ethic of living harmoniously with nature. The text, heavily laced with quotations and references, leans toward the academic. Illustrations. (Mar.)