First Nations Faith and Ecology

John Steckley teaches in the Human Studies Program at Humber College in
Toronto.

This book, part of a series on world religions and ecology, touches on
the main themes of Native spirituality as they relate to the
environment, with particular emphasis on the sacred circle of life. The
author is an ordained minister of the United Church of Canada and a
Ph.D. who has lectured at universities in Canada, the University of the
South Pacific, and the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

The book has two strengths. First, Rajotte clearly recognizes that
there is diversity in Native culture, and she represents that diversity
well by drawing on a good number of different traditions. Second, her
book follows contemporary Native studies practice in focusing more on
the insights of contemporary Native teachings than on “dead
cultures” of the past.

On the back cover, the book is referred to as “a resource for
storytelling, artwork and discussion in schools, colleges and
churches.” It might be a useful resource for schools and churches, but
it has weaknesses that would make it unsuitable for postsecondary
education. First, although it rightfully speaks of the “oppression”
of aboriginal people in Canada, there is no reference to the residential
schools, a key contributor to that oppression; this omission may be
accounted for by the author’s links with one of the churches involved
in those schools.

Second, the referencing is weak. We are told nothing about the author,
a serious shortcoming in a contemporary book about Natives (the
biographical information above came from other sources). Stories told
are often presented without indications of their sources. Given the use
of some questionable sources (e.g., the 1978 Reader’s Digest
publication America’s Fascinating Indian Heritage), it’s not
surprising that factual errors do appear, as when the author states,
“Among the Iroquois are found Midewin secret lodges”: in fact, the
organization in question is Anishinabe (Ojibwa), and its ceremonies are
very much open to the public, Native and non-Native.