Dan

Wildcat

Nonfiction Writer

Indigenous Scholar

Travels from: Kansas City, MO

“What he shared was simple, straight forward and very impactful.” — Appalachian State University, 2021

Daniel R. Wildcat (dr. dan) is a Yuchi member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma. His service as teacher and administrator at Haskell spans 40 years. In 2013 he was the Gordon Russell visiting professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College. Dr. Wildcat received an interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. In 1994 he partnered with the Hazardous Substance Research Center at Kansas State University to create the Haskell Environmental Research Studies (HERS) Center and subsequently started the HERS summer undergraduate internship program with KU professor Dr. Joane Nagel.

Dr. Wildcat is currently the principal investigator of a 20M, 5 year, NSF-funded project to develop the Rising Voices Changing Coasts Research Hub at Haskell. His books include Power and Place: Indian Education In America, with Vine Deloria, Jr.; Destroying Dogma: Vine Deloria’s Legacy on Intellectual America, with Steve Pavlik. His book, Red Alert: Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge, suggests Indigenous ingenuity – Indigenuity – is required to reduce the environmental damage in the Anthropocene. He is a co-author of the Southern Great Plains chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment.

Dr. Wildcat’s most recent book, released in 2023, is entitled, On Indigenuity: Learning The Lessons Of Mother Earth.

Dan's Featured Titles

On Indigenuity: Learning the Lessons of Mother Earth

Fulcrum Publishing |

November 14, 2023

Environmentalism

An exploration of the concept of Indigenuity and Indigenous Thought. Leading Indigenous thinker Dan Wildcat synthesizes several related ideas, including science, the environment, biology and our culture, arguing that restoration of Native knowledge is essential for saving humankind and the planet. On Indigenuity is a part of the Publisher’s Speakers Corner Books series.

BIPOC Representation, Environmental Concerns, Native American & Indigenous Heritage, Natural World, Nonfiction

Red Alert! Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge

Fulcrum Publishing |

November 1, 2009

Nonfiction

What the world needs today is a good dose of indigenous realism, says Native American scholar Daniel Wildcat in this thoughtful, forward-looking treatise. Red Alert! seeks to debunk the modern myths that humankind is the center of creation.

Environmental Concerns, Native American & Indigenous Heritage, Natural World, Nonfiction, Science & Technology

What the world needs now: Indigenous knowledges (TEKs) OR Understanding a dangerous truth about the Anthropocene

Traditional Ecological Knowledges (TEKs) represent deep spatial experiential knowledges embedded in language, stories, songs, ceremonies, and everyday customs and habits emergent from the symbiotic relationship of Peoples and places. This brief reflection on TEKs and their application in exercises of Indigenous ingenuity or Indigenuity suggests the antidote to destructive features of the Anthropocene is the application of ancient Indigenous wisdom and knowledges.

“Dr. Dan Wildcat is able to present tough messages about the need for radical changes to our epistemological frameworks in the face of climate change in language accessible at various levels of education and to folks from multiple walks of life. Dr. Dan is a wonderfully engaging storyteller, and his advocacy of Indigenous knowledge and technology as necessary tools for shaping interventions into our climate crisis might be the most compelling story of all.” — Grinnell College, 2025

“Dr. Wildcat captured our attention with his perspectives on Indigenous Knowledges, Tribal engagement, the nature-culture nexus, and the land, air, water, biological, and policy issues facing Native nations. It was a memorable and enlightening event.” — U.S. Geological Survey, 2024

“In my opinion, Dan Wildcat was wonderful both as a personality and as a speaker. He was so friendly and easy to be with, and his talk was everything I hoped it would be, i.e., getting that indigenous perspective of life on Earth and how to live it. If we humans could follow his advice to live with an indigenous perspective, I believe the current dangers to human civilization would fade away.” — Sierra Club Kentucky, 2024

“We are honored that Dr. Wildcat spent time with us to share his insights from both his experiences and his book Red Alert: Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge. He was generous in sharing his knowledge and wisdom. Despite it being an online evet, Dr. Wildcat was so engaging that it made us feel as if we were in the same room with him. The event exceeded our expectations, and we received wonderful feedback on Dr. Wildcat and the material he discussed and presented.” — Jacobs, 2024

“Dr. Dan Wildcat was a vibrant presence at the University of Richmond’s workshop on sustainability. His talk brought tremendous insight and a sensitive rendering of the value of Indigenous perspectives on non-hierarchical human relationships with the earth. He was a gracious partner for the international community we’d gathered, and established strong relations with our partners from the Amazon rainforest. Dr. Wildcat’s most recent book, On Indigenuity: Learning the Lessons of Mother Earth, was a hot item for purchase at UR’s Sustainability Fair.” — U of Richmond, 2023

“We, at the Turchin Center, found Dr. Wildcat to be a generous guest speaker. He met with students in an informal setting and shared with our greater community in partnership with an exhibiting artist. What he shared was simple, straight forward and very impactful. I know many of us will remember his words for a long time to come.” — Appalachian State University, 2021

Haskell Environmental Research Studies

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Haskell Environmental Studies Center, Director
Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center, Co-Founder
American Indian and Alaska Native Climate Change Working Group, Member