Echoes of the Earth by Gilbert G. Nichols
- Mission Point Press
- Feb 25
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 26
Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Challenges
Author presents bold vision for applying strength of Indigenous perspectives and cultures to present-day challenges
Traverse City, Michigan—Some children develop a fascination in their youth that lasts throughout their lifetime. For author, social scientist, and educator Gilbert Nichols that fascination was with Native America. His new book Echoes of the Earth, Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Challenges, Mission Point Press, (April 22, 2025), shares what he’s learned over his lifetime that could help us now.
Adopted into a Native American family over forty years ago, Nichols bridges ancient Indigenous wisdom with modern challenges. For perspective, he first outlines the nation-state qualities that evolved out of the Axial Age, then explores, in-depth, the Native traditions, spirituality, and sustainability that have endured for centuries. Subheads provide thoughtful background to guide readers and Native storytelling, through metaphors that stimulate depth of intellect, provide a blueprint to a more harmonious world.
On Eagle Feathers and Child-Rearing
A passage in Echoes of the Earth details a Kiowa Elder using an eagle feather at a meeting to encourage consensus building and positive outcomes. The feather, held by each speaker as they share their thoughts, is then passed to the person next to them. Time isn’t governed by a clock or buzzer but, rather, by the passed feather. Nichols explains, “Eliminating time restrictions and really listening to others reduces self-importance and ego. Listeners tend to pay respectful attention knowing they will be given the same courtesy.” From local community or school board meetings to national and global forums, readers see opportunities to parlay Indigenous practices to present-day challenges.
A lifelong educator in high schools and universities, Nichols also details the Indigenous value of nurturing children into adulthood. He shares, “It’s a process to produce self-confident, mature decision-making individuals. As an educator, I do not believe the importance of child-rearing can be over-emphasized … it’s the key to the health of today’s democracy.”
A Good Relative
Supporting his outlook is this endorsement from Brad Kincheloe, PhD, principal, Park Hill High School, Kansas City, Missouri, “In a time when governance in our nation is the outcome of ‘winner take all’ mindset, the Native American tradition of open communication described in the text builds a convincing case for rethinking the way we treat one another in our governance structure. I’ll be certain to secure this work for our school library.”
In agreement, Gaylene Crouser, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and executive director, Kansas City Indian Center wrote, “I met Gil Nichols fifteen years ago when he was on the board of the National Center for Indigenous American Cultures, an organization that served to honor, preserve, and protect the Native heritage of the region and its Native culture and traditions. We have since shared ties to a consortium of urban organizations and participated together in Lakota Sundances, Inipi ceremonies, and other rites. I know Gil to be a very thoughtful educator who has spent a lifetime seeking to understand Native culture through experience and relationships with Native people and leaders such as Rosebud spiritual leader, Leonard Crow Dog. Gil understands the variety of ways people learn, which equips him to share his expertise and knowledge with others. He is a longtime supporter of the Cheyenne River and Rosebud Reservations, always willing to learn more and "be a good relative,” (a traditional Indigenous worldview).”
The Author
Gil Nichols, a lifelong student of North American Indian cultures, was adopted by an Ihanktonwan Dakota family. For over forty years, he has participated in Lakota and Dakota ceremonies, including Sundances, vision quests, and purification rites. Nichols earned a BS in education, an MEd degree, and pursued post-graduate studies at multiple universities. He taught high school social sciences for thirty years, created a critical thinking curriculum, and later taught American Indian studies at William Jewell College and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He volunteered with Native American inmates at Kansas State Penitentiary and the Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth, KS. An avid traveler and art collector, Nichols resides in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Book
Echoes of the Earth, Indigenous Wisdom for Modern Challenges
Gilbert G. Nichols
216 pages, 6 x 9 inches, B/W
Social Science, Native American Studies, Political Science, Philosophy, Indigenous
ISBN: 978-1-965278-33-8, $27.95 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-965278-32-1, $16.95 (Softcover)
Mission Point Press, April 22, 2025
Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its
April 22 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For
information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at
.