Description
Honour Earth Mother was written in the hope that it would help restore some of the affection and reverence that the Indigenous people had for the land. For our ancestors the earth was a holy place, made so by the act of creation of the Great Mystery; it is the dwelling place of the manitous and spirits and is the repository of our grandparents' bones. It is a place of revelation that has yielded all that men and women have come to know and still has more secrets and mysteries to pass on to those who watch and listen.
Honour Earth Mother is an invitation to go into the woods and meadow, mountains, valleys and seaside, to watch miracles unfold, to listen to nature's symphonies, to feel the pulse of the earth, to take in the fragrances, to taste the nectars, and to sense the awesome.
About the author
Basil Johnston is cherished as an esteemed Anishinaabe writer, storyteller, language teacher and scholar. He was born in Wasauking First Nation in 1929, and was a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation. Basil wrote fifteen books in English and five in Ojibway.
For his work, Johnston received numerous awards including the Order of Ontario and three honourary doctorates. Basil's accolades include the 2013 Ontario Arts Council Aboriginal Arts Award, the 2007 Anskohk Aboriginal Literary Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2004 Aboriginal Achievement Award for Heritage and Spirituality and the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal.
Basil Johnston was one of the foremost Anishinaabe writers and storytellers, and his comedic stories about life in residential school, Indian School Days, is a classic. Candies is another of his delightful humourous works. In Think Indian, Basil highlights the critical importance of preserving Indigenous language and culture. Basil passed away at Wiarton, Ontario in 2015 at the age of 86.
