GRANDMOTHERS' WISDOM

Elder Indigenous women from across the world offer advice, stories and spiritual guidance in a series of autobiographical accounts, edited by Méndez and Rosencranz.

The 13 women featured in this volume met for the first time in in New York City in 2004, when they initially formed the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. They come from Lakota, Tamang, Havasupai, Omyènè, and other heritages, and live in India, Nepal, Brazil, Gabon, Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Their shared mission is to travel to one another’s home regions to learn, share wisdom, and advocate for peace, environmental stewardship, and the sharing of cultural heritages. All were born in the early 20th century, and the accounts collected here by editors Méndez and Rosencranz offer rich and often harrowing insights into their lives as they recount times of upheaval. Tsering Dolma Gyaltong recounts her exile from China and the Chinese government’s repression of Tibetan language and culture. Margaret Behan, a Cheyenne woman, tells of experiencing abuse and alienation in boarding schools and family struggles with alcohol before finding spiritual growth with the Native American Church. Bernadette Rebienot discusses her long journey through illness—she suffered from severe headaches—and how she came to be a teacher and traditional healer in Libreville, Gabon. Although the stories are highly specific in their contexts, they effectively share common themes—difficulties with alcohol, abusive husbands, active repression of language and culture, and precarious work—which inform their perseverance, spiritual practices and family ties. Many use entheogens like mushrooms, peyote, and ayahuasca in their spiritual practices; some adhere to syncretic religious beliefs and show an openness to wisdom from the past and other cultures. The interviews clearly reveal how the women are firmly rooted in place but also highly mobile; many travel in search of work, enlightenment, or connection. The stories also feature extensive editorial commentary, but the editors are careful to leave room for their subjects’ individual voices, specific details, and practical insights into their lives and philosophies.

Informative stories from female elders that focus on the intersection of cultural specifics and universal experiences.