Author : Dr.Jennifer Grenz
DR. JENNIFER GRENZ has always felt a deep connection to the land. Which is why, after nearly two decades of working as a restoration ecologist in the Pacific Northwest, she became frustrated that she and her colleagues weren't making the meaningful change needed for plant, animal and human communities to adapt to a warming climate. After questioning the central conceit of restoration ecology—that somehow, we must return the natural world to an untouched, pristine state—Dr. Grenz came back to Indigenous histories of purposeful, reciprocal interaction with the environment and began a journey of joining her head (Western science) and her heart (Indigenous worldview) to find a truer path toward ecological healing.
Building on sacred stories, field observations and personal experience, Dr. Grenz invites readers to share in the teachings of the four directions of the medicine wheel: the North, which draws upon the knowledge and wisdom of elders; the East, where we let go of colonial narratives and see with fresh eyes; the South, where we apply new-old worldviews to envision a way forward; and the West, where a relational approach to land reconciliation is realized. Eloquent, inspiring and disruptive, Medicine Wheel for the Planet circles in on an argument that a multiplicity of worldviews are required to safeguard our Earth.