Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land

by N. Scott Momaday

A beautifully written and poignant tribute to the Earth, from Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and poet N. Scott Momaday.

One of the most distinguished voices in American letters, N. Scott Momaday has devoted much of his life to celebrating and preserving Native American culture, especially its oral tradition. A member of the Kiowa tribe who was born and grew up on Indian reservations throughout the Southwest, Momaday has an intimate connection to the land he knows well and loves deeply. 

In Earth Reflections on an American Land, Momaday reflects on his native ground and its influence on his people. “When I think about my life and the lives of my ancestors, I am inevitably led to the conviction that I, and they, belong to the American land. This is a declaration of belonging. And it is an offering to the earth.” he writes.

Earth Keeper is a story of attachment, rooted in oral tradition. Momaday recalls stories of his childhood that have been passed down through generations, stories that reveal a profound and sacred connection to the American landscape and a reverence for the natural world. 

In this moving work, he offers an homage and a warning. Momaday reminds us that the Earth is a sacred place of wonder and beauty; a source of strength and healing that must be protected before it’s too late. As he so eloquently yet simply reminds us, we must all be keepers of the Earth.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Nature, Indigenous, Memoir, Essays, Native American

68 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2020

About the author

N. Scott Momaday's baritone voice booms from any stage. The listener, whether at the United Nations in New York City or next to the radio at home, is transported through time, known as 'kairos"and space to Oklahoma near Carnegie, to the "sacred, red earth" of Momaday's tribe.

Born Feb. 27, 1934, Momaday's most famous book remains 1969's House Made of Dawn, the story of a Pueblo boy torn between the modern and traditional worlds, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize and was honored by his tribe. He is a member of the Kiowa Gourd Dance Society. He is also a Regents Professor of Humanities at the University of Arizona, and has published other novels, memoir, plays and poetry. He's been called the dean of American Indian writers, and he has influenced other contemporary Native American writers from Paula Gunn Allen to Louise Erdrich.

Momaday views his writings, published in various books over the years, as one continuous story. Influences on his writing include literature of America and Europe and the stories of the Kiowa and other tribal peoples.

"Native Americans have a unique identity," Momaday told Native Peoples Magazine in 1998. "It was acquired over many thousands of years, and it is the most valuable thing they have. It is their essence and it must not be lost."

Momaday founded The Buffalo Trust in the 1990s to keep the conversations about Native American traditions going. He especially wanted to give Native American children the chance to getting to know elders, and he wanted the elders to teach the children the little details of their lives that make them uniquely Native American. Once the Buffalo Trust arranged for Pueblo children to have lesson from their elders in washing their hair with yucca root as their ancestors did for as long as anyone can remember.

"In the oral tradition," Momaday has said, "stories are not told merely to entertain or instruct. They are told to be believed. Stories are realities lived and believed."

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who would know and wonderfully convey the specialness of our Earth, more than a native American? A member of the Kiowa tribe, Momaday reflects on the many ways we are connected to all things that inhabit with us, this amazing world. In short vignettes his musings contains thoughts on grasshoppers, horses, dogs, eagles, among others. Their oral tradition in how they first appeared on this earth and other creation stories. A special read.

"All things are taken back by the earth, for all things belong to it. And all things can be container in a story."

ARC from Netgalley.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ours is a damaged world. We humans have done the damage and must be held to account. We have suffered a poverty of the imagination, a loss of innocence. There was a time when ‘man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent,’ this New World, ‘commensurate to this capacity for wonder.’ I would strive with all my strength to give that sense of wonder to those who will come after me.”

Navarre Scott Momaday is the Poet Laureate of the Kiowa tribe, now centered in Oklahoma, where Momaday was born. He was an English professor for many years, and clearly continues to teach through his poetry. There are a variety of prose poems in this collection, and I found them all thoughtful and gentle and inspiring. It is a collection that makes you crave nature and forces you to slow down and think deeply.

His wisdom is very subtle, but this little book is packed with it.

[Erin || erins_library · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Gifted from Harper Collins)

Earth Keeper by N Scott Momaday is a short collection that reflects on the author’s (and in turn our) responsibility to the Earth. To take care of it and to amend the destructive path we’ve gone down, by reconnecting with the Earth. The book is broken into two sections between Dawn and Dusk. Dawn is set in a pre-contact world in which our care for and connection with the world around us was much deeper and reciprocal. Dusk introduces industrialization, colonization, and our disconnect. It’s abrupt and a stark contrast to the first half of the book. It’s Momaday’s reflection on his life, and his ancestors’ lives, as an Earth Keeper and I felt like he was passing the responsibility on to us. To remind us.

Some favorite quotes:
-“We were ashamed, but the earth does not want shame. It wants love.”
-“How many lifeless things are placed each day between us and the living earth?”
-“Will I give my children an inheritance of the earth? Or will I give them less than I was given?”

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, poet, and Kiowa tribe member, Momaday cherishes the earth, Native American culture, and the oral tradition. In stories he provides a homage and warning of our role to preserve this land. If we tend the earth, treat it kindly, and believe in it, it will thrive. Unfortunately, the anecdotes mainly failed to engage me despite my interest in Indian culture and the earth. Halfway, I was ready to quit reading this short book despite the quality of the writing. I loved the abstract drawings. 2.5 stars.

[Care · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earth Keeper is a quick one, perhaps too short for my liking. A lot of the stories and themes he touched on could have been expanded and would have been more impactful to me if they'd been fleshed out and expounded upon. This reads like a conversation or a lecture being given which for some might be more approachable.

Momaday is a prolific author, poet, and scholar and he makes a great case for the connectedness between people and nature and our need to act with respect respect in order to reciprocate the resources and gifts given to us by the land. This is both a meditation on our relationship (more specifically the Kiowa relationship rather than that of "humankind") with the earth and a warning for the future. If you are looking for eco-critical works and Indigenous knowledge in short form, this is for you.

Beautiful, abstract illustrations by the author himself are included and I think add to the message and themes of the text. This is a very giftable book.

[Michelle Huber · Rating 5 out of 5]

**THANK YOU to Harper Collins, ya'll are some of the most thoughtful publishers!

I found this collection by N. Scott Momaday SO POWERFUL! I felt like I was sitting with my unci (grandpa) with a cup of hot drink and listening to him talk. I felt so much reading this book, everything I've read from Momaday, I've been so satisfied with. My oral interperatation self would be glowing from all of the content she'd be able to recite.

I'm hoping that I can read more from him, I loved this so much.

[Federica Rampi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Lotterò con tutte le mie forze per trasmettere quel senso di meraviglia a quelli che verranno dopo di me.”

Una raccolta di brevi saggi poliedrici e maestosi come il paesaggio, il grande protagonista.
Una difesa appassionata una supplica una storia di appartenenza.
N. Scott Momaday che fa parte del popolo Kiowa, è nato e cresciuto nelle riserve indiane del sud-ovest e ha un legame intimo con la terra che conosce e ama profondamente. 

Momaday ha definito Custode della terra una sorta di autobiografia spirituale, una poetica lettera d'amore che sfuma e supera i confini tra generi, tempi e luoghi, facendoci vedere il collegamento tra la vita fisica e tutto ciò che va oltre il tangibile, in uno scambio profondo.
Anima e terra, legati indissolubilmente perché chiunque osi negare la forza di questa profonda connessione, negherebbe la stessa umanità

“La terra è viva, è dotata di spirito. ”

Le storie tribali, l'esperienza umana e il mondo spirituale non possono essere separati dalla terra, che va accudita come lei si è presa cura di noi.
Ci sono pagine profondamente tristi sul male che le abbiamo arrecato per colpa della nostra disattenzione e proprio per questo dobbiamo risponderne.

Custode della terra raccoglie memoria, meditazione, prosa, poesia, preghiera potente e accorata e in questa ciclicità di generi la breve opera sembra tendere le braccia al mondo chiedendo di essere letta ancora e ancora.

Una prosa bellissima, illuminante piena di rispetto e speranza, tra celebrazione e avvertimento su ciò che rischiamo di perdere con i cambiamenti climatici

Leggere Momaday significa leggere la terra, sentire tra le pagine il vento e la luce del sole: è un invito a guardarsi intorno, ad usare i nostri sensi per sognare, ed impegnarsi, perché “la terra è una casa di storie.”

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world needs indigenous stories. It is a blessing that this author was able to write down the stories that he has to tell, and that were passed down to him. Imagine if all indigenous people had this opportunity - all the knowledge we would possess.

Seeing what humanity has done to the earth through his eyes is somehow even more heart-wrenching. When the people who have lived off the land their entire lives cry out in warning, why don’t we listen? If only we all viewed the earth with the importance and respect indigenous people give it.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers of House Made of Dawn or other Momaday works will recognize some of the legendry included in his latest offering, Earth Keeper. A small volume of prose poems interspersed with original artwork, it centers on the symbiotic relationship of humanity and the earth. Momaday’s linguistic art and visual art share a style of distilled beauty, where each word and each brushstroke are pregnant with meaning. They encourage a slower pace, a deeper, richer contemplation than contemporary Americans normally undertake.

Passages of pure imagery resonate deeply, while sections, few though they are, of overt commentary seem to break the spell and become the least effective vehicles of meaning. Nevertheless, Earth Keeper will easily find its place alongside the rest of Momaday’s canon in quintessential American Literature.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an Advance Release Copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Denver Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t let the length of this essay collection mislead you. Pulitzer Prize Winning author N. Scott Momaday manages to encompass the complexity and wonder of the natural world along with his peoples’ connection to the American landscape in a mere 65 pages. Each essay acts as “an offering to the earth,” and “a declaration of belonging.” Momaday shares the stories of his childhood with generosity and tenderness. Blending reverence with warning, Momaday reminds us of the unending gifts these landscapes offer and our role in honoring and protecting them. I can’t tell you how many quotes from this collection I wrote down, carefully folded in my pocket to carry with me into the world.

[Stacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

N. Scott Momaday (the first indigenous American author to win a Pulitzer) passed in late January. Having never read his work, today I read Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land.

In honor of Momaday & my mom (today is the second anniversary of her passing) & all of those to whom we have had to say goodbye, I will share these quotes:

There is no earth without the sun and moon. There is no earth without the stars. When we die, Dragonfly says, we go to the farther camps. Death is not the end of life. There is life in the farther camps. The stars are fires in the farther camps.

and

May my heart hold the earth all the days of my life. And when I am gone to the farther camps, may my name sound on the green hills, and may the cedar smoke that I have breathed drift on the canyon walls and among the branches of living trees. May birds of many colors encircle the soil where my steps have been placed, and may the deer, the lion, and the bear of the mountains be touched by the blessings that have touched me. May I chant the praises of the wild land, and may my spirit range on the wind forever.

I would be pleased to have that second quote be the totality of what might be read when I pass.

While this is a small & seemingly simple book, I think Momaday has written as James Baldwin suggested, "You want to write a sentence as clean as a bone."

[Gianni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le opere dei nativi americani rappresentano bene, in generale, l’essenza della cosiddetta nature writing, non solo perché ne rispecchiano le caratteristiche, ma perché la cultura e la società di questi popoli sono parte integrante della natura stessa e non da un punto di vista antropocentrico. Ciò significa che l’uomo è parte consapevole della rete ecologica che connette gli organismi tra loro e con l’ambiente fisico.

“Sono un anziano, e custodisco la terra. Da ragazzo iniziai a essere consapevole della bellezza del mondo in cui vivevo. Era un mondo di colori intensi - canyon scarlatti e mese turchine, distese verdi e sabbie giallo-ocra, nuvole argentee, montagne che cambiavano dal nero all’antracite, dal porpora al grigio ferro. Era un mondo di enormi distanze. Il cielo era così profondo da non avere confini, e l’aria era attraversata da uno sfavillio di luce. Era un mondo in cui io ero vivo con tutto me stesso. Anche allora sapevo che mi apparteneva e che lo avrei custodito per sempre nel cuore. Era essenziale per il mio essere. Mi porto il polline al viso. Mi passo volute di fumo sul corpo. Io sono un Kiowa. Il mio nome kiowa è Tsoai-talee, ‘Ragazzo dell’albero di roccia’. Sono queste le parole per Tsoai-talee.

La consapevolezza fa sì che non vi sia rassegnazione alle forze della natura, né prevaricazione degli equilibri da parte dell’uomo. È un alto esempio di etica ambientale. Qualsiasi abitante della terra merita rispetto e considerazione.

“Sulla prateria a erba corta dove sono nato, e prima di me generazioni della mia famiglia, in estate c’è un numero immenso di cavallette. Nelle onde scintillanti della calura d’agosto formano una nuvola densa giallo-verdastra sopra la terra rossa. Il loro è un moto lento, talvolta esitante, come di sciame che si alza, ed è irresistibile. Passeggiando, si è costantemente colpiti da queste creature scattanti. Ne prendi una e l’avvicini agli occhi, e vedi che sembra molto vecchia, vecchia come la terra stessa, forse, e che il suo diritto di permanenza risale alle origini come il tuo.

In un’intervista, Scott Momaday sottolinea che ”I nativi americani hanno sempre avuto una profonda comprensione e apprezzamento del paesaggio e della natura. I nativi americani sono presenti sul continente nordamericano da, non lo sappiamo, forse 30.000 anni. In questo arco di tempo, ha imparato a essere un conservazionista che fa un uso multiplo e ha acquisito una grande comprensione del mondo naturale e di come vivere in armonia con esso e proteggerlo. E questo, oggi, è un aspetto che mi interessa molto. Voglio fare il possibile per preservare la Terra perché la Terra è in pericolo. Penso che la mia scrittura contribuisca a questo compito, e ne sono orgoglioso e voglio continuare a farlo.”

”C’era un albero a Rainy Mountain. Era l’albero di Dragonfly. Sotto quell’albero mi parlò a Daw-kee, il Grande Mistero. E lì l’uomo santo fu fatto santo. Gli fu detto che doveva pregare ogni giorno non solo per dare testimonianza dell’apparizione del sole, ma proprio per far sorgere il sole, per assicurarsi della nascita del sole in cielo, che ogni giorno originasse dalla grazia delle parole di Dragonfly. Era una grande responsabilità, e Dragonfly la prese tutta su di sé. E sotto quell’albero sacro gli fu detto della terra.
Noi umani dobbiamo venerare la terra, per il nostro benessere. La terra ci garantisce sempre ciò di cui abbiamo bisogno. Se la trattiamo con gentilezza, ci tratterà gentilmente. Se crediamo nella terra, lei crederà in noi. Non c’è benedizione più grande che essere creduti. Ci son quelli che credono che la terra sia morta. S’ingannano. La terra è viva, è dotata di spirito. Riflettiamo sull’albero sacro. Possiamo fargli conoscere la sete. Possiamo abbatterlo.
Peggio di tutto, possiamo negargli la nostra fede, non credere in lui. Ma se gli parliamo, se preghiamo, crescerà rigoglioso.”

Così declinata, l’etica ambientale è un’assunzione di responsabilità, anche nei confronti delle generazioni future ("Penso che mi abbiano immaginato prima che nascessi, e abbiano preparato la via davanti a me, riposto fede e speranza in me e nelle generazioni che seguirono e seguiranno ancora. Consegnerò ai miei figli un’eredità della terra? O gli consegnerò meno di quanto io abbia avuto?”) e appare in tutta la
sua portata a contatto con quella distruttiva della società e della
cultura dell’uomo bianco.

”Quando le grandi mandrie di bisonti vagavano come una vasta marea di acqua piovana per le verdi pianure, era una cosa magnifica a vedersi. Ma arrivò il giorno in cui il territorio fu disseminato dei resti scuoiati e in putrefazione di quegli innumerevoli animali, massacrati per sport o solo per le loro pelli. I Kiowa ne soffrirono molto e patirono la fame, ma fu lo spirito umano a essere maggiormente colpito. Fu un tempo di profonda vergogna e, cosa ancora peggiore, gli assassini non provarono alcuna vergogna. Incuranti andarono per la loro strada dopo aver inferto una grave ferita alla terra.
Noi provammo vergogna, ma la terra non vuole vergogna. Vuole amore.”
[...]
”C’era una cosa assai peculiare a lato dell’autostrada, un cartellone pubblicitario senza neanche una parola. Era un dipinto, un’ampia e precisa replica del paesaggio dietro di esso. Sulla superficie del dipinto si scorgeva ciò che si sarebbe visto se non ci fosse stato, non la somiglianza, ma la realtà. Iniziai a pensarci. Era un buono spunto di conversazione, una messinscena intelligente, ma comunque una messinscena. Se vogliamo, un segno dei tempi.
Quante cose senza vita vengono poste ogni giorno tra noi e la terra che invece è viva? Un amico di Brooklyn mi ha detto che il figlioletto era uscito a osservare gli operai che facevano a pezzi un marciapiedi. Era affascinato nel vedere la terra sotto il cemento. Non l’aveva mai vista prima.”

[Sabrina Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. The description indicates this is a book of essays and stories, but I would classify it more as poetry. (Each “story” is a single paragraph.) At well under an hour to read, this was a quick one, but it still managed to be lyrical, insightful and rich.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Momaday is just not an author for me. I felt similarly 'meh' about his Pulitzer prize winning novel, House Made of Dawn, when I read it in graduate school. His stuff just does not resonate with me.

This is a book of prose poems centered on Momaday's contemplation of the natural world, and in specific the American West, where he has lived his entire life. It's a small book, focused on Momaday's own feelings toward the earth, and eventually, humanity's. No surprise, the central message is one of union with the earth, and the poems often express regret that humans have lost their connection to the earth, and are directly causing it so much harm.

I just didn't really care much at all for the poems themselves. I almost two starred this, but I feel it's a me issue here, not one of quality. There were only a couple of instances in here where what he wrote made me feel much of anything at all.

[2.5 stars]

Read Harder Challenge 2021: Read a book of nature poems.

[Acordul Fin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When we dance the earth trembles. When our steps fall on the earth we feel the shudder of life beneath us, and the earth feels the beating of our hearts, and we become one with the earth. We shall not sever ourselves from the earth. We must chant our being, and we must dance in time with the rhythms of the earth. We must keep the earth.”

A beautiful little collection of meditations reflecting on humans' relationship with and impact on nature from the perspective of a Kiowa elder deeply connected to his ancestor's values.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mistakenly thought this was poetry, but it didn't feel like poetry to me. I think it is just as it describes on the cover, reflections, or musings. It's mainly about respecting the earth and Momaday reflecting on memories and giving us a peek into the Kiowa. I found a few parts of this particularly poignant when Momaday talks about the first humans and his descriptions of nature.

"I traveled on a great river through a canyon. The walls of the canyon were so old as to be timeless. There came a sunlit rain, and a double rainbow arched the river. There was mystery and meaning in my passage. I beheld things that others had beheld thousands of years ago. The earth is a place of wonder and beauty." pg 16

"Dragonfly is a throwback. His view of the world is ancient. It was fashioned in darkness by those who had no language, who were struggling in the agony of birth, the miracle of becoming human. Those ancients were bereft, but there was a spirit within them and they expressed their spirit by shaping images on the walls of a cave. They were in sacred relation with the animals they painted. In their profound art was the construction of a primitive belief, a faith in the essence of earth." pg 24

Overall it was a fine and quick read. I think I had expectations of it being something else. I wasn't let down by this book, but it didn't have a huge impact on me either. I think it's an important perspective on the treatment of the earth, but I think I am already weighed down with many messages to conserve mother nature that this wasn't read at the appropriate time in my life.

[Geoff Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful prose. Quite lyrical. The author writes of the importance of loving and being respectful of the earth.

[Stephanie Barko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the July 2023 selection of South Austin Spiritual Book Group.

Several quotes stand out from this volume.

"The earth is a house of stories."
"We must keep the earth."
"Will I give my children less of an inheritance of the earth than I was given?"
"I belong to the land."

[Sammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There are those who believe that the earth is dead. They are deceived. The earth is alive, and it is possessed of spirit.“

A beautiful series of short stories about our connection to the earth, that each build on each other and read more like poetry. I appreciated the simplicity of it all, the language is beautiful and it all flows so smoothly.

“The sky was so deep that it had no end, and the air was run through with sparkling light.”

Part one describes the beauty of the earth & how deep our connection with it is and should be with nature. The stories are soothing and beautiful, it makes you feel at peace.

Part two makes you feel more uncomfortable. It takes a look at modern culture at construction and changes humans have implemented that blemish nature. It reads as plea to not ruin the beauty and importance of the Earth.

I knew from the beginning that he was describing Arizona because I could picture the exact landscapes he painted. I appreciated this love letter to the landscape, animals, and his community.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Write little, write well.” Such a quick read and I know many may be upset with that (as I would totally read more) but that is point. Such a direct message can only be said so many times, we all belong to the land and need to take care of it. The author combined his personal stories with a very vivid description of nature. I don’t think the message could be anymore clear.

[Carissa Zaffiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this. So rich and important. I found my view of land, nature, belonging and earth shift as I steeped in Momaday's experience and worldview. 10/10 recommend as a book of prose.

[Andee DeVore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful. “Something of our relationship to the earth is determined by the particular place we stand at a given time. If you stand still long enough to observe carefully the things around you, you will find beauty, and you will know wonder. If you see a leaf carried along on the flow of a river, you might ponder its journey. Where did it begin, and where will it end? What will be the story of its passage? You will discover a thousand ways in which the leaf is connected to the water, the banks, the near and farther distances, the sky and the sun. Your mind, your spirit will be nourished and grow. You will become one with what you see. Consider what is to be seen.”

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels impossible to review a book like Earth Keeper, Reflections on the American Land. It doesn't feel right, to give an opinion on a book so full of personal things.

I believe this book is best savored slowly, with chances to step out side and breath in the earth

[Ariel (ariel_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful collection of poems/prose about the value of land and the connection the author has with the earth.

[Lathram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sitting with an Elder. Please let me not be ashamed before the earth.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider this collection of compressed, gemlike writing to be a collection of poems. If you approach the book thinking it prose, you will zip through too quickly, too effortlessly. Each page contains a poem that dives deeply into nature, prayer, myth, history, and memoir. Beautifully written, it will make you understand the true wealth of Momaday's homeland and traditions. You will wish that you, too, could call yourself a keeper of the earth.

[Just_ann_now · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle, thoughtful book, almost a prose poem. I read it immediately after Robert MacFarlane's "Underland" and felt the books were almost in conversation with each other, sharing a deep love of the earth and its mysteries, and concern for its future.

[Christina McCleary · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I believe that they imagined me before I was born, that they prepared the way for me, that they placed their faith and hope in me and in the generations that followed and will follow them. Will I give my children an inheritance of the earth? Or will I give them less than I was given?”

Powerful little book with lots to think about.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic short read. A spiritual elegy of sorts to a lost Earth. An Earth that has suffered greatly from wanton destruction at the hands of man: “The house and arbor are falling into ruin.”

Yet there is possibly a faint glimmer of hope. Perhaps the beautiful blue butterfly will continue to return.

I will return to this book again and again.

[Reynold Witmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is as close to poetry as I'm generally comfortable. I mean it's not poetry. But it is carefully crafted, and succinct reflections. The first quarter of the book I felt ambivalent, by mid point I was interested, and by the end I felt rather warm toward the book and author. Not a life changer, but I may read again.