No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies

Indigenous human rights lawyer Julian Aguon issues an earnest call to action for collective and personal action toward justice in the moving memoir No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies. The Chamorro activist’s collection of prose and poetry focuses on the pervasive and interconnected issues affecting the Pacific Islands: colonization, militarization, degradation of the natural environment, and climate change. Aguon shares stories of grief and joy from his childhood in Guam, the incessant denudation of ancient forests by foreign interests, and the constant threat of nuclear war. To overcome powerlessness and despair, he calls on Indigenous peoples and those who support them to discover their purpose in the struggle for change.

Aguon delivers a powerful appeal to those of us who live in power-obsessed nations to heed the voices of Indigenous thinkers. Aguon professes that he wrote the book as a “love letter to young people.” Yet, the essays also have pertinent lessons for anyone who seeks to take action to promote Indigenous rights and the climate movement. Aguon appeals for collective awakening in a compact volume. What the book lacks in physical heft, it makes up for in its gargantuan spirit. By imparting the wisdom of Indigenous ancestors, he makes a compelling point about valuing our shared destinies to survive the climate crisis.