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LaDonna Harris, Stephen M. Sachs, and Barbara Morris, eds. Re-creating the Circle: The Renewal of American Indian Self-Determination. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2011. 528 pp. Cloth, $75.00.
In 1931 Black Elk commented that "the nation's hoop is broken and scattered." But perhaps it is as the principal contributing authors, LaDonna Harris, Stephen M. Sachs, and Barbara Morris, state in the introduction to a new book titled Recreating the Circle: The Renewal of American Indian Self-Determination: "Today the hoop, or circle, of many Native nations is in the process of rejuvenation" (x). This monumental yet digestible work on Indigenous renewal encompasses the idea of "returning American Indian and Alaska Native peoples to sovereignty, self-sufficiency, and harmony so they can be more effective as partners in American federalism and society" (xiv). More specifically, the book addresses ways Indian nations can return to traditional principles in the context of the twentyfirst century in ways that enhance continuing positive development.
Linking past and present yet pointing to the future, a beautiful tapestry is woven as this collection integrates complex historical, political, and cultural information with real-life examples to create multifaceted constructs from multiple voices. Much like the circular meaning in conjunction with the Native medicine wheels, within this volume we get the sense of integrating the different directions, each with its own quality and a different way of seeing the whole, combining for the purpose of greater understanding and evolution. Today Indian nations are freer to exercise their sovereignty, including adapting political and educational structures, judicial processes, economic development, and government relations to be consistent with the changing values of their community members. While weaving the traditional Native elements of consensus decision making, individual autonomy, harmony, and respect into each section as crucial to...