Teachers in the Forest - New Lessons from an Old World

"A rewarding and enriching fusion of traditional wisdom, science and first-hand experience." -Tristan Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator, and How to Read Nature

Drawing from a similar
lifestyle and environmental ethic as Henry D. Thoreau and Aldo Leopold, Babcock
has lived more than two decades off-grid deep in the forest near the headwaters
of the Mississippi River. Here he has discovered a balance in the interconnectedness
of all life in the woods, and derived his sustenance from hunting, fishing,
gardening, gathering wild food, providing water from a hand-pump well and
minimal electricity from the sun. He befriended an Ojibwe Elder, Chi-Ma'iingan
(Big Wolf), from whom he learned the Seven Grandfather Teachings (Wisdom, Love,
Respect, Courage, Honesty, Humility, and Truth). Each of these seven teachings are represented by an animal. In this collection, Babcock
shares his love of the natural world through a unique land ethic that combines
the ideology of Thoreau and Leopold, and that which he learned from
Chi-Ma'iingan.

Babcock proposes a radical
shift in how Americans support our environment and wildlife. He was recently
featured in the documentary films: MEDICINE OF THE WOLF,
and WOLF SPIRIT.

From these pages: ?We
must stop seeing the natural world as a commodity and start seeing it as we
would see a family member?something to love, protect, care for, and cherish.?

List of contents

My Dream                   
Henry Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, and Chi Ma’iingan
Gijigijigaaneshiinh, the little bird that says gijigij
Waawaashkeshi, the Spiked Buck
Trash Trees
Our Relatives
Living with Wolves
Grosbeak Woods
Old Man Biboon
Beaver Lake
Migizi and the trip to Gichi Gami
The Sugar Bush
The Land Where Food Grows on Water 
Anishinaabeg: The Keepers of Manoomin
The Historical Importance of Manoomin to Gichi Mookomaan (White Man)
Snags, Disease, Cavities and Dead Trees
Canoes and Snowshoes (Jiimaanan and Aagimag)
Tonics of the Wilderness
Black Wolf 
Makwa, the Grandfather of Courage and Healing  
Economy
Bird Relatives
The Tribe of Cranes
Fierce Hawks of the Northwoods
Tweety Birds
A Curious Transfusion of Courage 
Jacob V. Brower, Father of Itasca State Park 
The Last Remaining Wilderness on the Infant Mississippi River 
Approaching the Fork in the Road 

About the author

Babcock lives off the grid in the Mississippi Headwaters country of northern Minnesota. His lifestyle is one of simple and self-sustaining existence. He gathers what he needs from the land by gardening, hunting, harvesting, and his only electricity is harnessed from the sun, his water from a well which is pumped daily by hand. He lives an intimate balance with the natural world.
He has pursued a way of life distanced from the economic and consumptive norms which he believes can hinder a person's connection to the natural world. He truly lives on the perimeter of society.

Summary

“A rewarding and enriching fusion of traditional wisdom, science and first-hand experience.” —Tristan Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator, and How to Read Nature


Drawing from a similar
lifestyle and environmental ethic as Henry D. Thoreau and Aldo Leopold, Babcock
has lived more than two decades off-grid deep in the forest near the headwaters
of the Mississippi River. Here he has discovered a balance in the interconnectedness
of all life in the woods, and derived his sustenance from hunting, fishing,
gardening, gathering wild food, providing water from a hand-pump well and
minimal electricity from the sun. He befriended an Ojibwe Elder, Chi-Ma’iingan
(Big Wolf), from whom he learned the Seven Grandfather Teachings (Wisdom, Love,
Respect, Courage, Honesty, Humility, and Truth). In this collection, Babcock
shares his love of the natural world through a unique land ethic that combines
the ideology of Thoreau and Leopold, and that which he learned from
Chi-Ma’iingan.

Babcock proposes a radical
shift in how Americans support our environment and wildlife. He was recently
featured in the documentary films: MEDICINE OF THE WOLF,
and WOLF SPIRIT.

From these pages: “We
must stop seeing the natural world as a commodity and start seeing it as we
would see a family member—something to love, protect, care for, and cherish.”

Additional text

“This book is a deeply poetic account of one man’s quest to live off the land and his battle-cry to protect
it.” —Julia Huffman, Director of Medicine of the Wolf and Wolf Spirit

“The teachings contained within this book belong to the
author’s decades afield as both hunter and self-provider and are also strongly
influenced by his close ties to the Ojibwe people and their connection to the
land and its animals.”  —Traditional
Bowhunter Magazine

"This book will heighten the way you interpret and
value our remaining wild places.” —Daniel J. Rice, author of The Unpeopled
Season

“Babcock is a curious, persistent, conscientious man who
cares deeply about the land.” —Katie Carter, KAXE Radio

Product details

• Authors: Barry Babcock, Barry W. Babcock
• Assisted by: Daniel J. Rice (Editor)
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 10.05.2022, delayed
• EAN: 9781736089439
• ISBN: 978-1-73608-943-9
• No. of pages: 268
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; Non-fiction book > Nature, technology > Nature: general, reference works; Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, NATURE / Animals / Wolves, Environmentalist thought & ideology