Author Description

Surviving in Two Worlds brings together the voices of twenty-six Native American leaders. The interviewees come from a variety of tribal backgrounds - from Penobscot and Onondaga in the Northeast, to Tlingit and Inupiaq in Alaska, to the Pueblo and California tribes of the West - and range from traditional elders and healers to doctors, lawyers, artists, and college presidents. They include such national figures as Oren Lyons, Arvol Looking Horse, John Echohawk, William Demmert, Clifford Trafzer, Greg Sarris, and Roxanne Swentzell. Their interviews are divided into five sections, grouped around the themes of tradition, history and politics, healing, education, and culture. A brief biography and insightful photograph introduce each speaker. They take readers into their lives, their dreams and fears, their philosophies and experiences, and show what they are doing to assure the survival of their peoples and cultures, as well as the earth as a whole. Their analyses of the past and present, and especially their counsels for the future, are timely and urgent.