Defending Mother Earth amplifies crucial Native voices confronting environmental devastation affecting indigenous communities throughout the Americas. The essays illuminate pressing ecological threats like mining, nuclear power, and water pollution, often dangerously close to Indian territories, exposing systemic environmental racism. This anthology offers a captivating exploration of the current environmental crisis, presenting academic and administrative viewpoints from within the Native American community. Authors fervently advocate for sovereignty and cultural preservation, highlighting the Earth's maternal importance to these nations. George Tinker's insights emphasize the crucial role of Indian spiritual values in protecting our planet. Featuring contributions from Russell Means, Margaret Sam-Cromarty, and Phyllis Young, among others, this anthology offers impassioned yet scholarly viewpoints. It stands as a unique and eloquent examination of environmental challenges through a Native American perspective.

Editor Jace Weaver, an attorney and theologian, directs the Institute of Native American Studies at the University of Georgia. His books include Other Words: American Indian Literature, Law, and Culture and The Red Atlantic: American Indigenes and the Making of the Modern World 1000-1927.