THE SEVEN CIRCLES

How Indigenous traditions can shape a healthy lifestyle.

Wellness advocate Luger is Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and photographer Collins is On Akimel O'odham, Seneca-Cayuga, and Osage. “The teachings in this book represent a diverse swath of Indian Country,” they write, “which reflects the makeup of our family.” Drawing on both Western and Indigenous insights into healthy behaviors and mindsets, the authors focus on seven circles, or interdependent topics: movement, land, community, ceremony, sacred space, sleep, and food. Luger and Collins rightly point out that Indigenous wellness practices are not widely known in America, and they argue convincingly that these practices “indeed have something to teach the world in the way of conjuring resilience.” The authors frame each chapter with eloquent commentary on their own spiritual growth, which illustrates the benefits, as well as challenges, of adopting and adapting specific traditions. These sections consistently defy stereotypes about Indigeneity, particularly regarding the all-too-common expectation that Indigenous peoples must eschew all Western influences in order to be “authentic.” The chapters devoted to movement and sacred space are particularly compelling, and they suggest dimensions to well-being that are typically overlooked in similar guides—e.g., the importance of integrating self-help practices into everyday life rather than thinking of them as separate activities with discrete ends. Perhaps the book’s most important contribution to the genre, however, is the emphasis on communal modes of healing and the importance of sustaining networks of personal bonds rather than, as is more typical in Western self-help, cultivating a concern for the self as responsible only for and to itself alone. A few of the authors’ generalizations about Indigenous practices are idealized, and their advice is sometimes marred by clichés. Nevertheless, Luger and Collins provide a range of sensible, informed, accessible guidance for both small- and large-scale lifestyle changes. The book also features a nice selection of bright photographs.

An appealing short manual for healing the self through Indigenous traditions.