Jim Corbett was not your typical rancher. Over the course of decades roaming the borderlands of the desert southwest, he developed a practice that he referred to as 'goatwalking' - a form of prophetic wandering and desert survival based on goat-human symbiosis. For Jim, 'goatwalking' provided both physical and spiritual sustenance, and allowed him to become at home, for a time, in wildlands.
To many, this modern-day Don Quixote would seem an unlikely figure to have sparked one of the most important social movements of the 20th century, but to those who knew him well, it was hardly a surprise. Even today, his influence is felt throughout the borderlands of the Southwestern United States, and beyond.
This is the story of a man behind a movement – the biographical first part of a 4-part series.
From Future Ecologies, this is Goatwalker, Part One: On Errantry.
– – –
For musical credits, citations, and more, https://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-3-7-goatwalker-pt-1-on-errantry (click here).
https://www.patreon.com/futureecologies (Support the show and join our Patreon community)
– – –
As of August 2021, Jim Corbett’s "Goatwalking" has been re-issued in a new 2nd edition. https://www.amazon.com/Goatwalking-Wildland-Living-Peaceable-Kingdom/dp/B09BLBRD77/ (You can purchase a hard copy or an e-book here)
A 2nd edition of "Sanctuary for All Life" is also now available from Cascabel Books on https://www.amazon.ca/Sanctuary-All-Life-Pastoralism-Kingdom/dp/1735441546/ (Amazon) or https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sanctuary-for-all-life-jim-corbett/1007779864?ean=9781735441542 (Barnes and Noble)