Healing, honoring, transforming: The power of spiritual activism in Marilou Awiakta's work

Abstract

Marilou Awiakta, author of Selu: Seeking the Corn-Mother's Wisdom, is a Cherokee/Appalachian author whose work reveals the web that connects all life and demonstrates how important it is to protect and honor every living thing. I believe that poet/author Marilou Awiakta's work exposes the interconnections between all living things—her work is part of the heartbeat that initiates spiritual activism. I define spiritual activism as creating concrete positive transformation that benefits all life. When one is a spiritual activist, one respects and works to sustain all living things, becoming an agent of change for people, nature, and animals—protecting the interconnections between all forms of life. In this thesis I will discuss what spiritual activism is, the ways in which Awiakta's work demonstrates and calls for spiritual activism, the potential transformation that can occur with spiritual activism, and how Women's Studies can benefit from increased awareness of and attention to Awiakta's work.