On the Swamp

“In On the Swamp, Emanuel uses his scientific training to gauge his homeland’s inscrutability to white settlers. . . . Hope is a rare commodity, but if there is hope for the earth, generally it has to do with acknowledging indigenous sovereignty in the face of insatiable resource extraction.”—New York Review of Books

“Emanuel, a member of the Lumbee Tribe and a hydrologist at Duke Univer­sity, is uniquely positioned to tell this story. . . . [On the Swamp illuminate[s] cyclical patterns of environmental injustice, rendered through deeply personal storytelling and vivid locality—down to the color of the water in seemingly every last rivulet in the county.”—Sierra

“In writing that’s both affectionate and candid, On the Swamp is a warning about, and a celebration of, eastern North Carolina.”—Grist

“On the Swamp is a key text for readers interested in working with tribes, both federally recognized and non federally recognized, within environmental planning and cultural resource management. The book not only highlights Indigenous perspectives on the environment and land stewardship but also provides important recommendations for shifting tribal collaboration from consultation toward consent.”—Journal of the American Planning Association

“Emanuel richly describes the rivers, streams, and swamps of what is now eastern North Carolina.”—Due South WUNC

“The story of the Lumbee and their fight for environmental justice is not complete without understanding their relations to lands and waters that Ryan Emanuel details in this powerful and erudite book.”—Water Alternatives

“An engaging, informative, and deeply personal book that offers significant insights regarding the intersectionality of environmental justice, Indigenous rights, the brutal legacy of colonialism and racism in the United States, and the importance of place.”—Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture

“Ryan Emanuel takes you on a fascinating journey through time on his Lumbee homelands, focusing on contemporary tribal environmental protections efforts. The Lumbee tribe’s quest to preserve their natural environment and water is a valuable story of how many tribes try to mitigate the risk of climate change while knowing they’ll bear a greater burden of ecological harm for all of society. Emanuel captures in beautiful detail how tribes use traditional values around caretaking the environment while asserting their sovereignty.”—Karen Diver, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

“This book is an extraordinary study of environmental and Indigenous history. Exhaustively researched and truly captivating.”—Steven Semken, Arizona State University