"In Earth Keeper: Reflections on an American Land, Momaday reflects on his native ground and its influence on his people. 'When I think about my life and the lives of my ancestors, I am inevitably led to the conviction that I, and they, belong to the American land. This is a declaration of belonging. And it is an offering to the earth,' he writes. Earth Keeper is a story of attachment, rooted in oral tradition. Momaday recalls stories of his childhood that have been passed down through generations, stories that reveal a profound and sacred connection to the American landscape and a reverence for the natural world. In this moving work, he offers a homage and a warning. Momaday reminds us that the Earth is a sacred place of wonder and beauty; a source of strength and healing that must be protected before it's too late. As he so eloquently yet simply reminds us, we must all be keepers of the Earth." --
In this collection of essays and poems (most one page in length), Momaday reflects on his native ground and its influence on his people. A member of the Kiowa tribe who grew up on Navajo, Apache, and Pueblo reservations, he recalls stories of his childhood that have been passed down through generations, stories that reveal a profound and sacred connection to the American landscape and a reverence for the natural world. In doing so, Momaday offers an homage and a warning: the Earth is a sacred place of wonder and beauty; a source of strength and healing that must be protected before it's too late. We must all be keepers of the Earth. --Adapted from jacket.