Honoring Tradition, Wisdom, and Knowledge

 The Seven Circles: Indigenous Teachings for Living Well by Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins

The Seven Circles book cover

Before reading this book, I came across an interview with Chelsey Luger and Thosh Collins about the book. It was interesting to learn about how both writers worked to incorporate more indigenous ways into their lives and how the pandemic allowed them to do more of this by engaging with more outdoor activities. Although I just read this book recently, I felt similarly about the pandemic and although it was not always a pleasant experience, I found myself outside with my kids a lot, visiting larger parks, trail hiking, and going to local creeks, all the types of activities we didn’t too often in the pre-pandemic days. I loved this book, and I think it is a really great read for so many people, especially so many of my friends who are trying to manage hectic lives. I loved how Luger and Collins share their own experiences and offer tips and suggestions for implementing some of these methods in their lives. Not only do their recommendations have physical and mental health benefits, but they also promote more sustainability. I also loved that they recognize that not everyone can make these kinds of changes, but that there are different degrees and ways to implement these kinds of changes in one’s life. However, I really appreciated that they felt a kind of need to educate the public about appropriating Indigenous ways. It is really important to respect the traditions and cultures that have used these methods and not just pull out some sage because it was on sale at Whole Foods. What I really liked the most about this book was how Luger and Collins present the elements of life in different ways, yet show how they are all interrelated in the seven circles. I really appreciated this kind of conceptualization for life and how they presented these different ideas, sharing their experiences and practices with them and how they came to the understanding of reintroducing their indigenous ways into their lives. I’m looking forward to more books that maybe delve into the specifics, especially about child rearing or education—I recently taught an article by Helen Thomas about indigenous knowledge and how school systems often overlook this way of thinking, and Luger and Collins’s book reminded me a lot of the ideas that Thomas shares about the importance of community, traditions and the kind of knowledge that elders pass onto the younger generation. I hope that they are able to explore more of the circles in more depth and continue to share their experiences and wisdom. Also, I hope that they have more opportunities to contribute to shows like Reservation Dogs. It was really great to see Thosh Collins on that flashback episode in the 70s.