Very few studies have examined the worldview of the Anishinaabeg from within the culture itself and none have explored the Anishinaabe worldview in relation to their efforts to maintain their culture in the present-day world. This book fills that gap. Focusing mainly on the Minnesota Anishinaabeg, Lawrence Gross explores how their worldview works to create a holistic way of living. However, as Gross also argues, the Anishinaabeg saw the end of their world early in the 20th century and experienced what he calls 'postapocalypse stress syndrome.' As such, the book further explores how the values engendered by the worldview of the Anishinaabeg are finding expression in the modern world as they seek to rebuild their society.
Contents: Foreword; Preface; Introduction. Part I The Anishinaabe Apocalypse: Encounter with apocalypse; Postapocalypse stress syndrome. Part II The Foundations of the Anishinaabe Worldview: Silence and the Anishinaabe worldview; The quantum nature of the Anishinaabe language. Part III The Anishinaabe Mind: The comic vision of the Anishinaabeg; The comic mind of the Anishinaabeg. Part IV The Anishinaabe Heart: Storytelling in the Anishinaabe context; Anishinaabe rhetoric. Part V The Anishinaabe Spirit: Bimaadiziwin, or the good life of the Anishinaabeg; Spiritual; growth in Anishinaabe society. Part VI Beyond Postapocalypse Stress Syndrome: Cultural sovereignty and the sacred stories of the Anishinaabeg. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
Biography
Dr Lawrence Gross (Anishinaabe) is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa tribe, enrolled on the White Earth reservation. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and his Master’s degree from Harvard University. He holds a Master’s degree and Doctor of Philosophy degree from Stanford University in Religious Studies. Dr Gross’s primary research area is Anishinaabe culture and religion, with numerous publications in the field. His article, 'Assisting American Indian Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Cope with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Lessons from Vietnam Veterans and the Writings of Jim Northrup', won the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers Writer of the Year, Academic Article 2006-2007 award. He has also published on using American Indian pedagogical methods in the university setting. He has been nominated for numerous teaching awards. He currently serves as the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Endowed Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California.
’Anishinaabe Ways of Knowing and Being delivers fresh perspective and deep thought about the first people of the Great Lakes. Full of insight, it's an essential reference to the historical and contemporary experience of the Anishinaabe. Historians, anthropologists, and everyday citizens will find a wealth of knowledge here. And the Anishinaabe people themselves will find a useful tool to help them retrace their roots, understand their ancestors, and chart a path forward.’ Anton Treuer, Bemidji State University, USA ’This is a remarkable book: keen in insight, refreshingly witty, and unique for the way it integrates the multiple registers in which Gross is deeply learned. Gross synthesizes his academic training in Japanese Zen Buddhism and Native Studies as well as a life-long body of indigenous knowledge entrusted to him by Anishinaabe mentors, teachers, and relatives. The result is a methodologically forthright, well written, and creative consideration of Anishinaabe ways of knowing and their importance for community well-being. Readers will remember this book for the analytical and writerly space it creates in Native American studies.’ Michael D. McNally, Carlton College, USA
