As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock

This is a must-read for anyone who is fighting for environmental (in)justice and climate change. Dina Gilio-Whitaker examines the past and present, as well as contemplates ways to move forward. The atrocities against Native Americans and the Indigenous population are inextricably linked to environmental justice. I recommend reading with a friend because this book will hit on so many different levels. I plan to read again so that I can unpack more of what was discussed.

Good for today's youth who are still dealing with this abuse of our environment

It's exactly what my cousin was looking for.

This is packed full of history that is good for all people in America to know about. I am a white woman who lives on an Indian Reservation so that is the lens through which I read this book. I believe what the author wrote is very accurate but also quite one-sided. There is a problem of prejudice among whites and natives but it isn't only on the white side. And it isn't with all white or with all natives. She has painted a broad stroke against people groups -- an us vs. them mentality that will get us nowhere. Maybe she could give white people things they can do to change their mentality. Thre are all sorts of people who want to do the right thing, who want to treat everyone they meet with dignity. Reading this as a white person it seems it is impossible for a white person to ever understand. I don't think that is true, and I doubt if that is what the author meant to say. When we look to the government to solve our problems we are going to be very disappointed, no matter where we come from. Yes, the problem is that the U.S. Government is not based in a Native culture, but how can it be? We must have more natives in government for that to happen. It is as if the government doesn't speak the langugage of the Natives, so why should we expect the government to put the natives' needs where they need to be? If people want things to change they must get people in office who will speak for them. And the author shows many modern examples (like the Standing Rock situation with the pipeline not too long ago). I would like this book to give solutions to the problems, not just show what victims the Natives have been. And they have been, and it is an awful, awful horrendous tragedy. I would like a handbook for Natives and Whites to learn how to understand each other's culture. How can we honor it if we don't understand it? Often now fingers just point and blame rather tham coming alongside and explainiing stuff. I see speakers come into our schools and talk about how bad the white people are. Yes, horrible things have been done, but when we say "white people" the people listening will think that means all white people. This is an important book, but I don't think it is going to solve any problems. It will just continue to perpetuate the racist dialogue that is so rampant in our country. The Great Creator created each of us with the skin we have on -- He doesn't condemn any race. We shouldn't either. We can condemn actions, but then we need to take action and seek solutions with each other. I do raise a flag to the author's casual use of the word "Christian" and "religion." She calls "The Manifest Destiny" a Christian doctrine. It wasn't a Christian doctrine. And the Catholic church at large in the world today is a political machine. Of course there are thousands of real believers in the Catholic Church, but the Manifest Destiny is not a Christian tenant. And also Christianity at its core in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, is very much an equality Belief system. Men and women are created equal. Genesis 1:27 says, 'And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." A real Christian faith is based on relationship with Christ and our Creator and with our world and everyone and everything in it. We are called to be stewards for all belongs to God. The author knows her stuff. Also, this is written as a scholarly book. It isn't an easy read, but a necessary one.

Poor preformance by the reader makes it depressing to the point that one needs to take a break from listening. I rated the audio book.

A comprehensive and, to many communities involved in environmental issues, instructive history of the native peoples of North America and their relationships and conflicts with federal agencies and the environmental movement. It's a well-researched survey of their struggle, beginning with the early land confiscation, population displacement and outright genocide, and continuing to the present day. We learn of the native peoples' ties to the land and their separation from traditional food sources, cultural sites and habitation by major dam and irrigation projects, by national parks, by road and energy projects. We learn that instead of the fabled "pristine wilderness," the native peoples had tended the land for food (a concept the author describes as "food sovereignty") and to manage the landscape and foliage -- for instance, that Yosemite valley was better-tended before the park displaced its native inhabitants. It's also a valuable look at the interaction between native peoples and the environmental movement, not always beneficial to the former. We do learn that in recent years the causes coincided to fight egregious projects like a toll road at San Clemente that endangered both a popular surfing beach and a native cultural site, or like the Standing Rock pipeline battle. Even then, we find tensions and cultural misunderstandings between the native people fighting for their land and water rights and the non-native activists who moved in during the dispute. The author also notes the fact that Federal recognition of one tribe but not another could be arbitrary, and that the legal and social status of native women was far better in the original society than under U.S. citizenship. The author has researched a number of disciplines and made them understandable, everything from land and water law to the local controversies over casino development, tribal government and corporate-native joint food projects. In all, it's a work that can serve as a resource and a source of enlightenment for the environmental movement, for university departments and activists generally. Above all, it presents environmental justice as a concept that must not only address a threatened environment but the impacts and insights of the peoples who originally tended it. Given the latest struggles over the Bears Ears National Monument and the Dakota Access Pipeline, it's timely.

At its best, Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock was frustrating. At its worst, it was inaccurate and disappointing. A scholar of American Indian Studies, Gilio-Whitaker attempts to provide a compelling and timely argument for the indigenization of environmental justice. With the ever increasing focus on indigenous communities in the United States because of the No DAPL movement, this is an important and necessary topic, however this piece falls short. Overall, the book feels like a cursory literature review lacking justifications and anything that adds to the literature that already exists on the topics Gilio-Whitaker covers. Throughout the text it seems as though the author expects nearly every assertion made to be taken at face value without adequate references or evidence. As I was reading, nearly every time I read a passage that sounded interesting and merited further independent research, the author neglected to provide a single reference. When the author did provide citations, they were all too often from questionable or poor sources such as popular websites. I’m not by any means arguing that the only sources of knowledge can be from scholarly, academic sources, however when there is an abundance of research on a given topic it is good practice to provide at least of few references so your readers can learn more on their own. One of the most confusing instances of this occurs when the author cites Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to characterize the effects of damming on the Columbia River on indigenous populations in the surrounding area. Nevertheless, these critiques pale in comparison to one of Gilio-Whitaker’s most glaring errors. During a discussion on western expansion quite early in the book, the author incorrectly names the writer of the Doctrine of Discovery as Supreme Court Justice John Marshall (in 1823) and only mentions that this was justified by a series of “ancient” papal bulls. In fact, the Doctrine of Discovery was penned by Pope Alexander IV in 1493 and served as justification for the colonization of much of the world by Europeans, not just as a support for Manifest Destiny, as the author claims. This foundational error for any discussion surrounding any indigenous peoples around the world is inexcusable for anyone claiming to have an understanding of the role of Christianity in European colonization efforts. Furthermore, this mistake diminishes the effects of the Doctrine of Discovery on indigenous communities worldwide as it places its existence solely within the United States legal system. This mistake left me wondering who in fact reviewed this publication before it went to print and, further, how this mistake was not caught by editors/reviewers. In my opinion, her strongest chapter, explaining the role of women in indigenous environmental justice movements, even falls short. This chapter followed a discussion of the environmentalist movement’s tenuous relationship with indigenous communities and included a justifiable critique of the founders of this movement’s view of American Indians as “noble savages.” However, when Gilio-Whitaker discussed the influence of ideas about indigenous communities on the women’s rights movement less than fifty years later, she fails to offer the same critique of early women’s rights advocates. If this wasn’t enough to deter individuals seriously interested in indigenous peoples issues, even some of her language choices left me scratching my head. For instance, she describes the Pueblo peoples as having “evolved agricultural practices” after a series of environmental changes, relying on language akin to cultural evolution theory that served as justification for much of European colonialism the world over. Additionally, her capitalization of Indian Country (“Indian country”) and her constant use of the phrase “New World” as opposed to the “Americas” is unorthodox in the field of American Indian studies. When I saw that I had received a free review copy of As Long as Grass Grows, I was quite excited, but as I read I became increasingly disappointed. The authors tone of supreme authority, coupled with fatal errors in the text, left me skeptical of the entire piece even though I know about the plight of indigenous communities through my own research. While the topic of indigenous environmental justice is certainly ripe for new literature, this piece does not satisfy the expectations that some of its glowing reviews suggest.

Disclaimer: I won a copy via a Librarything giveaway. I suppose I could just say that I was reading this on the way back from work and when I looked up, somehow, the trolley had gotten to one stop from mine without me knowing. It was that absorbing. Gilio-Whitaker makes what might have been a somewhat dull topic and engages the reader. But I suppose you want more than that. When I mentioned I was reading this book to my friend who teaches in the Urban Studies department and who has worked one various community environmental projects, he admitted he wasn’t sure about the term environmental justice. He believes that justice somewhat confuses the issue and prefers the term morality. In the opening section of the book, Gilio-Whitaker does take the time to defend what she means by environmental justice as well as statistics that show the impact on minority groups. Donald Trump JR’s inane comment aside, if you have read anything about cities and neighborhoods, you must know the truth of those statements. Gilio-Whitaker then separates Indigenous populations from other minority groups because, quite correctly, she deals with the issues of being dispossessed, broken treaties, and so on. What is more important is that for those not of Indigenous heritage or lack of knowledge, she clearly shows not only differences in belief systems, but also how Indigenous populations are more closely tied to the environmental – an environmental that they manipulated long before the arrival of European settlers. The section of the book that traces the history of the environmental movement as well as the development of national parks tying it to the issues of racism and white supremacy. There is a very good discussion about the devices used to terminate and move Indigenous populations – slavery, starvation far more than dieses. Particularly gutting wrenching is when the Federal government decided who and who wasn’t an Indigenous tribe, allowing them to take away even more and wrecking more destruction upon the culture. Gilio-Whitaker set out and wrote a good about environmental justice and the Indigenous population, but she also damns the education system in American that does not go into depth about the injustices committed to Indigenous populations. Most schools just mention the land stealing. But there is so much more. If Coates put forward an eloquent reason for reparations, Gilio-Whitaker puts forward an equally compelling one for Environmental Justice.

This is a great book to learn about the indigenous people and some of the things that they went through.

I found this an interesting book. That Native peoples have a long history with the land, and strong traditions of protecting it was not news, though there was some more detail. What I was not expecting in this book was for so much of it to be devoted to the historic wrongs done to the indigenous peoples of North America. I would have been thrilled to have found this when I was writing a high school term paper on the subject over 50 years ago, but I would have hoped for more at this point in time; though it appears that there are still many people who are unaware that there has still been no treaty the US government, and its colonial predecessors haven't broken. Unfortunately, the ability for government bodies to hide their transgressions appears only slightly diminished by the Freedom of Information Act. This book, in my assessment, was more about those issues than environmental justice. Both of those things said, it was inevitable oil companies would assume they can get away with disregarding Native rights to their land, and sacred places, and that Standing Rock would happen. I didn't really come away with as much information about the forces at play there as I would have liked. On the other hand, this is a subject I followed closely at the time it was happening, so perhaps others found more that was new to them.

This is a must-read for anyone who is fighting for environmental (in)justice and climate change. Dina Gilio-Whitaker examines the past and present, as well as contemplates ways to move forward. The atrocities against Native Americans and the Indigenous population are inextricably linked to environmental justice. I recommend reading with a friend because this book will hit on so many different levels. I plan to read again so that I can unpack more of what was discussed.

Good for today's youth who are still dealing with this abuse of our environment

It's exactly what my cousin was looking for.

This is packed full of history that is good for all people in America to know about. I am a white woman who lives on an Indian Reservation so that is the lens through which I read this book. I believe what the author wrote is very accurate but also quite one-sided. There is a problem of prejudice among whites and natives but it isn't only on the white side. And it isn't with all white or with all natives. She has painted a broad stroke against people groups -- an us vs. them mentality that will get us nowhere. Maybe she could give white people things they can do to change their mentality. Thre are all sorts of people who want to do the right thing, who want to treat everyone they meet with dignity. Reading this as a white person it seems it is impossible for a white person to ever understand. I don't think that is true, and I doubt if that is what the author meant to say. When we look to the government to solve our problems we are going to be very disappointed, no matter where we come from. Yes, the problem is that the U.S. Government is not based in a Native culture, but how can it be? We must have more natives in government for that to happen. It is as if the government doesn't speak the langugage of the Natives, so why should we expect the government to put the natives' needs where they need to be? If people want things to change they must get people in office who will speak for them. And the author shows many modern examples (like the Standing Rock situation with the pipeline not too long ago). I would like this book to give solutions to the problems, not just show what victims the Natives have been. And they have been, and it is an awful, awful horrendous tragedy. I would like a handbook for Natives and Whites to learn how to understand each other's culture. How can we honor it if we don't understand it? Often now fingers just point and blame rather tham coming alongside and explainiing stuff. I see speakers come into our schools and talk about how bad the white people are. Yes, horrible things have been done, but when we say "white people" the people listening will think that means all white people. This is an important book, but I don't think it is going to solve any problems. It will just continue to perpetuate the racist dialogue that is so rampant in our country. The Great Creator created each of us with the skin we have on -- He doesn't condemn any race. We shouldn't either. We can condemn actions, but then we need to take action and seek solutions with each other. I do raise a flag to the author's casual use of the word "Christian" and "religion." She calls "The Manifest Destiny" a Christian doctrine. It wasn't a Christian doctrine. And the Catholic church at large in the world today is a political machine. Of course there are thousands of real believers in the Catholic Church, but the Manifest Destiny is not a Christian tenant. And also Christianity at its core in the Bible and in Jesus Christ, is very much an equality Belief system. Men and women are created equal. Genesis 1:27 says, 'And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them." A real Christian faith is based on relationship with Christ and our Creator and with our world and everyone and everything in it. We are called to be stewards for all belongs to God. The author knows her stuff. Also, this is written as a scholarly book. It isn't an easy read, but a necessary one.

Poor preformance by the reader makes it depressing to the point that one needs to take a break from listening. I rated the audio book.

A comprehensive and, to many communities involved in environmental issues, instructive history of the native peoples of North America and their relationships and conflicts with federal agencies and the environmental movement. It's a well-researched survey of their struggle, beginning with the early land confiscation, population displacement and outright genocide, and continuing to the present day. We learn of the native peoples' ties to the land and their separation from traditional food sources, cultural sites and habitation by major dam and irrigation projects, by national parks, by road and energy projects. We learn that instead of the fabled "pristine wilderness," the native peoples had tended the land for food (a concept the author describes as "food sovereignty") and to manage the landscape and foliage -- for instance, that Yosemite valley was better-tended before the park displaced its native inhabitants. It's also a valuable look at the interaction between native peoples and the environmental movement, not always beneficial to the former. We do learn that in recent years the causes coincided to fight egregious projects like a toll road at San Clemente that endangered both a popular surfing beach and a native cultural site, or like the Standing Rock pipeline battle. Even then, we find tensions and cultural misunderstandings between the native people fighting for their land and water rights and the non-native activists who moved in during the dispute. The author also notes the fact that Federal recognition of one tribe but not another could be arbitrary, and that the legal and social status of native women was far better in the original society than under U.S. citizenship. The author has researched a number of disciplines and made them understandable, everything from land and water law to the local controversies over casino development, tribal government and corporate-native joint food projects. In all, it's a work that can serve as a resource and a source of enlightenment for the environmental movement, for university departments and activists generally. Above all, it presents environmental justice as a concept that must not only address a threatened environment but the impacts and insights of the peoples who originally tended it. Given the latest struggles over the Bears Ears National Monument and the Dakota Access Pipeline, it's timely.

At its best, Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock was frustrating. At its worst, it was inaccurate and disappointing. A scholar of American Indian Studies, Gilio-Whitaker attempts to provide a compelling and timely argument for the indigenization of environmental justice. With the ever increasing focus on indigenous communities in the United States because of the No DAPL movement, this is an important and necessary topic, however this piece falls short. Overall, the book feels like a cursory literature review lacking justifications and anything that adds to the literature that already exists on the topics Gilio-Whitaker covers. Throughout the text it seems as though the author expects nearly every assertion made to be taken at face value without adequate references or evidence. As I was reading, nearly every time I read a passage that sounded interesting and merited further independent research, the author neglected to provide a single reference. When the author did provide citations, they were all too often from questionable or poor sources such as popular websites. I’m not by any means arguing that the only sources of knowledge can be from scholarly, academic sources, however when there is an abundance of research on a given topic it is good practice to provide at least of few references so your readers can learn more on their own. One of the most confusing instances of this occurs when the author cites Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to characterize the effects of damming on the Columbia River on indigenous populations in the surrounding area. Nevertheless, these critiques pale in comparison to one of Gilio-Whitaker’s most glaring errors. During a discussion on western expansion quite early in the book, the author incorrectly names the writer of the Doctrine of Discovery as Supreme Court Justice John Marshall (in 1823) and only mentions that this was justified by a series of “ancient” papal bulls. In fact, the Doctrine of Discovery was penned by Pope Alexander IV in 1493 and served as justification for the colonization of much of the world by Europeans, not just as a support for Manifest Destiny, as the author claims. This foundational error for any discussion surrounding any indigenous peoples around the world is inexcusable for anyone claiming to have an understanding of the role of Christianity in European colonization efforts. Furthermore, this mistake diminishes the effects of the Doctrine of Discovery on indigenous communities worldwide as it places its existence solely within the United States legal system. This mistake left me wondering who in fact reviewed this publication before it went to print and, further, how this mistake was not caught by editors/reviewers. In my opinion, her strongest chapter, explaining the role of women in indigenous environmental justice movements, even falls short. This chapter followed a discussion of the environmentalist movement’s tenuous relationship with indigenous communities and included a justifiable critique of the founders of this movement’s view of American Indians as “noble savages.” However, when Gilio-Whitaker discussed the influence of ideas about indigenous communities on the women’s rights movement less than fifty years later, she fails to offer the same critique of early women’s rights advocates. If this wasn’t enough to deter individuals seriously interested in indigenous peoples issues, even some of her language choices left me scratching my head. For instance, she describes the Pueblo peoples as having “evolved agricultural practices” after a series of environmental changes, relying on language akin to cultural evolution theory that served as justification for much of European colonialism the world over. Additionally, her capitalization of Indian Country (“Indian country”) and her constant use of the phrase “New World” as opposed to the “Americas” is unorthodox in the field of American Indian studies. When I saw that I had received a free review copy of As Long as Grass Grows, I was quite excited, but as I read I became increasingly disappointed. The authors tone of supreme authority, coupled with fatal errors in the text, left me skeptical of the entire piece even though I know about the plight of indigenous communities through my own research. While the topic of indigenous environmental justice is certainly ripe for new literature, this piece does not satisfy the expectations that some of its glowing reviews suggest.

Disclaimer: I won a copy via a Librarything giveaway. I suppose I could just say that I was reading this on the way back from work and when I looked up, somehow, the trolley had gotten to one stop from mine without me knowing. It was that absorbing. Gilio-Whitaker makes what might have been a somewhat dull topic and engages the reader. But I suppose you want more than that. When I mentioned I was reading this book to my friend who teaches in the Urban Studies department and who has worked one various community environmental projects, he admitted he wasn’t sure about the term environmental justice. He believes that justice somewhat confuses the issue and prefers the term morality. In the opening section of the book, Gilio-Whitaker does take the time to defend what she means by environmental justice as well as statistics that show the impact on minority groups. Donald Trump JR’s inane comment aside, if you have read anything about cities and neighborhoods, you must know the truth of those statements. Gilio-Whitaker then separates Indigenous populations from other minority groups because, quite correctly, she deals with the issues of being dispossessed, broken treaties, and so on. What is more important is that for those not of Indigenous heritage or lack of knowledge, she clearly shows not only differences in belief systems, but also how Indigenous populations are more closely tied to the environmental – an environmental that they manipulated long before the arrival of European settlers. The section of the book that traces the history of the environmental movement as well as the development of national parks tying it to the issues of racism and white supremacy. There is a very good discussion about the devices used to terminate and move Indigenous populations – slavery, starvation far more than dieses. Particularly gutting wrenching is when the Federal government decided who and who wasn’t an Indigenous tribe, allowing them to take away even more and wrecking more destruction upon the culture. Gilio-Whitaker set out and wrote a good about environmental justice and the Indigenous population, but she also damns the education system in American that does not go into depth about the injustices committed to Indigenous populations. Most schools just mention the land stealing. But there is so much more. If Coates put forward an eloquent reason for reparations, Gilio-Whitaker puts forward an equally compelling one for Environmental Justice.

This is a great book to learn about the indigenous people and some of the things that they went through.

I found this an interesting book. That Native peoples have a long history with the land, and strong traditions of protecting it was not news, though there was some more detail. What I was not expecting in this book was for so much of it to be devoted to the historic wrongs done to the indigenous peoples of North America. I would have been thrilled to have found this when I was writing a high school term paper on the subject over 50 years ago, but I would have hoped for more at this point in time; though it appears that there are still many people who are unaware that there has still been no treaty the US government, and its colonial predecessors haven't broken. Unfortunately, the ability for government bodies to hide their transgressions appears only slightly diminished by the Freedom of Information Act. This book, in my assessment, was more about those issues than environmental justice. Both of those things said, it was inevitable oil companies would assume they can get away with disregarding Native rights to their land, and sacred places, and that Standing Rock would happen. I didn't really come away with as much information about the forces at play there as I would have liked. On the other hand, this is a subject I followed closely at the time it was happening, so perhaps others found more that was new to them.

This is a detailed look at the history of the US government taking land from Native Americans, and for that it gets 4 stars. However, I did not find the book to focus on the environment or environmentalism, other than to demonstrate the ways that the National Park Service and private conservation groups have not respected Native land rights and uses. As Gilio-Whitaker points out, environmental justice is defined by the EPA as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” I instead found this book to focus on land rights, which are not the same. Certainly, these are tied together in some ways, but it was the land right and Native rights that seemed to be the main focus of this book. I highly recommend several of William Cronin’s books that are related to this topic: Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature; Changes In the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England (it’s importance goes much further than New England); and Under an Open Sky: Rethinking America’s Western Past. But that’s JustMe.

Indigenous peoples have had a rough time, not just in the US, but in most of the world and throughout history, after encounters with others who possess greater military capability, and sometimes just from different diseases or cultural practices. To survive they need to adapt, but also they need allies. In the case of American Indians, many treaties were negotiated, but they have often meant little without allies among the dominant culture. Gilio-Whitaker describes how, after centuries of devastation, environmentalists have become some of the principle allies, though not without some issues. She puts a heavy emphasis on the value of place in “Indian Country”– both in terms of sacred sites and of reciprocity with nature. She seeks greater legal recognition for both. Many environmentalists welcome native co-management of eco-systems as far superior to that of the extractive industries, especially mining, clearcut logging, and overgrazing. With the decline of Christian hegemony, sacred sites are also gaining traction. Where she comes up short is in strategies for gaining the necessary political allies. Unfortunately the world is awash with admirable constitutions, treaties, and human rights documents which are routinely violated by powerful vested interests, who often hold sway even over the courts. Overcoming such abuse requires careful strategizing and coalition building, noting that “politics makes for strange bedfellows”. Gilio-Whitaker gives one example of an unexpected, but very fruitful, coalition – “The Cowboy Indian Alliance”, which fought the Keystone XL pipeline. But she fails to follow up, not seeming to realize that well-meaning environmentalists are simply not enough, as the current federal leadership demonstrates in abundance. Regrettably she has adopted language and endorsed strategies that will alienate potential allies. The problem comes from toxic doctrines arising from Critical Race Theory which flip anti-black racism to anti-white. Potential allies must be treated with respect, as was superbly demonstrates by Martin Luther King, Jr., despite the history that preceded them, in this case a history of “settler colonialism”. Yet Gilio-Whitaker defends the disaster (“relationships were strained and broken) when an inexperienced colleague talked to the Black Bear Commune in northern California, a self-sufficient eco-friendly endeavor on the site of an old gold mine. This colleague described the commune as exhibiting “settler fragility”, recalling the highly controversial doctrines of race in DiAnglo’s book on “White Fragility”. These doctrines posit “whiteness” as a kind of original sin, where all “whites” are labeled as inherently racist or white supremacist. Any who object, instead of confessing their sin, are labeled as having a pseudo moral / medical defect called white fragility (a “Heads I win, Tails you lose” tactic). Yes, some may be successfully guilt-tripped, but the vast majority will feel insulted by these incendiary racial terms, because few meet their commonly understood meanings. For example a recent University of Virginia study concluded that only 3 to 4% of the adult US population is regarded as white nationalist or supremacist by close associates, certainly far less in progressive communities. And in northern California the Indian population could be seeking common ground among, or at least talking respectfully to, the “State of Jefferson” supporters, despite their settler mind set (I once overheard a disturbing conversation in the Seiad Valley Café’ blaming Indians for blocking a gold mine). For example, some settler types may be willing to share hunting and fishing rights and may value sustainable grazing, forestry, and water management. Also, some hunting and gathering rights could be extended into certain national parks and wilderness areas, even with co-management (last summer I talked to a nice woman from the Colville tribe picking huckleberries near Stampede Pass east of Seattle – she had to drive a long way). Indian lawyers who learn how to work the politics will be far more successful – showing the settler types that there will be some mutual benefits from living up to treaties and human rights conventions. And ethnic / cultural misunderstandings and clashes need to be treated as such, not as accusatory “micro-aggressions”. On another point, “food sovereignty” has gained momentum in Indian country, aiming for healthier diets. Yet Gilio-Whitaker does not seem to be aware of the primary role of sugar and refined carbs in producing obesity, diabetes, etc. Read Gary Taubes.

This is a timely read, considering the situation we find ourselves in. The wealthy and greedy continue to destroy the environment for their own personal gain. Native cultures have always had a close relationship with Mother Earth, and if more of us followed their practices and beliefs we would be happier and healthier and so would the planet. There is also the issue of the history that has been taught for generations has ignored the treatment and plight of the indigenous people of this country, and that needs to be made right. These and other issues are addressed in the compelling read.

This is a well-written book, which often provides an informative and insightful view of Indigenous environmental justice, from a point of view seldom heard. I would have given it 5 stars, however the author repeatedly slips into progressive political ideology, which unfortunately sounds at times more European colonialist than Indigenous. Also, people of European ancestry are referred to as "white," while Indigenous peoples are correctly not referred to by the supposed color of their skin ("red"). I'd prefer we don't label anyone by skin color, but society isn't quite ready for that. Still, the book is valuable for promoting a better understanding of Indigenous views on the environment.

"As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock" by Dina Gilio-Whitaker is realistic and thoughtful. Thoughtful in the sense that it covers a range of issues and the cost but also realistic in the sense that Ms Gilio-Whitaker doesn't soften anything. That can make for dry reading but it is clear eyed reading. It is a streamlined read as well so once I sat down to read it, it went by faster than I had expected. This is a good presentation on the topic of Native Americans and the Environment. Again, it is thoughtful and realistic.

I very became hooked very quickly by this book. I love that Dina Gilio-Whitaker goes into so much detail about the different concepts she references and describes. Up until picking up this book, I was not aware of how widespread the genocide towards the land was and is linked to the genocide towards indigenous people. Something she makes evident when describing the growing amounts of deadly obstacles that impeded and impede indigenous people from accessing their food and water sources. I am glad that she introduces environmental injustice towards indigenous people by connecting it to the genocide committed against the people of Turtle Island during the ongoing years of colonialism because genocide inflicted on the people is genocide committed against the land and water. Furthermore, she makes known the need for a more indigenous paradigm on environmental justice by specifically coining a term IEJ (Indigenous Environmental Justice). Something that’s been sorely lacking during the period of the environmental justice concept coming to fruition. I’m not yet finished with this book, but after being taken deeper into the historical and contemporary contexts of indigenous environmental justice, I highly recommend that people read Dina Gilio-Whitaker’s “As Long as Grass Grows.”

"As Long as Grass Grows" is one of those books we've been waiting for someone to write - and we are so lucky that Ms. Gilio-Whitaker was the one to do so. Following in the style of "All the Real Indians Died Off," Dina carries complex histories, scientific research, and varying perspectives into concise, thoughtful, and well-rounded prose that is easy to digest, even for readers who are unfamiliar with various concepts of Indigeneity, and the far reaching tentacles of capitalism and settler-colonialism. This book is a beautiful spark to the much needed Indigenous perspective on American exceptionalism as it relates to the "good guys" of the environmental justice movements. There is no doubt that "As Long as Grass Grows" will carry forth the tough conversations EJ folks of settler descent need to have for years to come (myself included), as well as a much needed course-correct to the narratives that blind us to the past, present, and future of relationships with land and the lives that have lived on them for thousands of years.

As Long as Grass Grows is a comprehensive look at our environment and what we are doing to it. The Earth is our home and yet we treat it like a huge trash dump. From the desecration of our lakes, rivers, streams and oceans to the devastation of the very trees that keep us breathing, we have to act now or lose our planet. From the view of Native Americans, environmentalists and other experts, this book shows us just how close we are to losing everything. It's a sad and deadly road we travel, and if you want to help do something about it, this book is a MUST READ! A grass roots movement needs to start now, all over the world.