Our Knowledge Is Not Primitive: Decolonizing Botanical Anishinaabe Teachings (The Iroquois and Their Neighbors)

Another book by Wendy Makoons Geniusz I wish I would give ten stars to. (Does anyone come up with better book titles than she does?) And then she delivers on her promises. This is a "technical" book written for academics and scholars, but it's very accessible. It addresses the question (my words, not hers): How do you remove the dreck from data "collected" by "superior cultures" so that the original broad and deep multi-dimensional source knowledge can be restored to its integrity? The focus of the book is on botanical studies.

I wish to offer a Chi Megwich to Wendy Makoons Geniusz for her huge effort to bring this material and this de-colonializing methodology into focus. Reading this book is like a visit to an Elders Gathering with attitude! The discussion about making an offering when collecting botanicals is worth is price of the book alone. So many sources; texts, interviews, letters and linages to combine into one fine book. Be sure to read it twice.Reminds me of the great disertation on Anishinaabe Mino-Bimaadiziwin, The Way of a Good Life by D'Arcy Rheaultblessings and balanceNiibwid Rob Curtner

This book is a bit academic and stiff in the writing style, but the information and view point is absolutely incredible.Ms Geniusz comes to us with generations of Native information and gives a real stiff shake to us non-natives who have never thought about the Indian culture in this way.Excellent read. I recommend it.

I studied with the Ojibwe at Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation tribal college. I am a graduate of the Woodlands Wisdom Nutrition Project. The information contained in this book is sacred because it represents the elders and their intimate knowledge of plants.

This book really makes you think about what the west has done to the Native American culture. It should be in every school library and on any summer reading list with teachers who deal with Native American topics.

Not just a treasure trove of traditional knowledge; this is a revolutionary approach to anthropology

Beautifully done! Thank You for this Resource!

I came upon this book while researching Ethnobotany. To be honest, I almost stopped reading after a few pages: it was not what I was looking for.I was looking for books on the medicinal and magical uses of plants by Natives. Instead, I found a scholarly text attempting to decolonized early ethnobotanical writings. Even so, something kept me from closing the book. I don’t know if it was Geniusz’s clear writings style, her personal experience growing up learning traditional uses, songs, and stories of the plants, or her exhaustive investigation into the colonizer's writings and approaches to recording early Native teachings.Whatever the reason, Our Knowledge is not Primitive, hooked me. While I did not gain much practical knowledge from Geniusz’s book, I did gain a deeper appreciation for Native Wisdom.Geniusz is attempting to decolonize early ethnobotanists’ works, while at the same time addressing the bigger issue of colonizing in general. She argues, and I agree, that rather than being subhuman and naïve as many early colonizers saw the Natives, their Wisdom merely reflected a different way of relating with the world: like comparing apples and oranges. One’s not inherently better than the other, they’re just different types of fruit. Although, it could be argued that the results of modern western thought is much more destructive on the Earth than the Native Way. In that regards, the Native Way is better.Although Geniusz’s book is not high on my suggested reading list, if you have some time, check it out, for there’s definitely a few gems worth knowing. For instance, her efforts at the end of her book on how we might go about decolonizing early Native Plant Teachings as well as how we can proceed from here was very insightful. Even though I imagine myself to be pretty liberal, I have to admit I’m a lot more scientifically orientated than the holistic approaches of the Natives. Thankfully, I am consciously seeking to find a balanced between the two so that I and all my relations can grow strong and thrive 2-gether.

Useful as a survey book for further research. Well written - she has a PhD - and interesting. If you are looking for a book to help decolonize high school science, this book is not terribly helpful. Arrived on time and in perfect condition. Nice illustrations.

cool book. great source of info.