ABOUT THIS BOOK

Indigenous perspectives on sustainability, culture, and community

In this collection of twelve biographies, one from each of the Native nations in Wisconsin, author Patty Loew (Bad River Ojibwe) introduces readers to prominent figures in Native sustainability—people whose life’s work reflects the traditional ecological knowledge and cultural values of their people.   

Born out of Loew’s thirty years as a journalist and historian, Seventh Generation Earth Ethics highlights individuals who helped to sustain and nurture their nations.        

Walter Bresette, Red Cliff Ojibwe, community activist

Hilary Waukau, Menominee, environmental warrior

Frances Van Zile, Mole Lake (Sokaogon) Ojibwe, keeper of the water

James Schlender, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe, treaty rights guardian

Jose Rose, Bad River Ojibwe, elder, environmentalist, and scholar

Dorothy Davids, Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians, educator

William Gollnick, Oneida, culture keeper

Thomas St. Germaine, Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe, attorney

Truman Lowe, Ho-Chunk, organic sculpture artist

Jenny and Mary Thunder, Forest County Potawatomi, medicine women

Wanda McFaggen, St. Croix Ojibwe, Tribal Historic Preservationist

Caroline Andler, Brothertown Indian Nation, genealogist

The indigenous people whose lives are depicted in Seventh Generation Earth Ethics understood the cultural gravity that kept their people rooted to their ancestral lands and acted in ways that ensured the growth and success of future generations. 

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Bestselling author Patty Loew is Professor Emerita in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and recently retired as the inaugural director of NU’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research. She is a documentary film producer and former broadcast journalist in public and commercial television. A citizen of Mashkiiziibii (Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe), she is the author of several books, including Indian Nations of Wisconsin and Native People of Wisconsin, which is used by tens of thousands of Wisconsin school children as a social studies textbook.

REVIEWS

“We Anishinaabeg believe that all humans are born with a special gift to benefit and serve our first mother, the Earth, and all living beings. Seventh Generation Earth Ethics shares the biographies of twelve indigenous people whose lives provide pathways and inspiration for all to follow.”

— Lisa Poupart (Lac du Flambeau Anishinaabequay), associate professor of First Nations Studies, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay

“Patty Loew invites us to greet, sit down with, and stand alongside these Native activists, artists, educators, and healers who have shown us the way of making community with the land and with each other. These wonderfully told stories are for friends, allies, and all defenders of place and culture.”

— Rick Whaley, coauthor of Walleye Warriors: The Chippewa Treaty Rights Story

“By capturing the legacies of these inspiring and courageous people, Dr. Loew reminds us that history can be and indeed is made every day in our communities by those who remain true to indigenous ecological values and cultural sensibilities.”

— James E. Zorn, former executive administrator, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission

“In Loew’s capable hands these stories offer insight into the spiritual, ecological, and communal values of Native nations, into the cultural gravity that calls tribal people back to their home reservations, and into the Seventh Generation earth ethics that stand behind the grassroots movements founded by many of those featured in this volume.”

— Kimberly Blaeser (White Earth Ojibwe), author of Apprenticed to Justice and past Wisconsin Poet Laureate

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Foreword by Winona LaDuke

Preface

1. Community Activist: Walter Bresette - Red Cliff Ojibwe

2. Environmental Warrior: Hilary Waukau - Menominee

3. Keeper of the Water: Frances Van Zile - Mole Lake (Sokaogon) Ojibwe

4. Treaty Rights Guardian: James Schlender - Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe

5. Elder, Environmentalist, Scholar: Joe Rose - Bad River Ojibwe

6. Lifelong Educator: Dorothy Davids - Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians

7. Culture Keeper: William Gollnick - Oneida

8. Indian Attorney: Thomas St. Germaine - Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe

9. Organic Sculpture Artist: Truman Lowe - Ho-Chunk

10. Medicine Women: Jenny and Mary Thunder - Forest County Potawatomi

11. Tribal Historic Preservationist: Wanda McFaggen - St. Croix Ojibwe

12. Tribal Genealogist: Caroline Andler - Brothertown Indian Nation

Notes

Index