Kimmerer teaches by storytelling, and I was captivated over and over.

And Kimmerer explains how vital sweetgrass was and still is to indigenous communities.īraiding Sweetgrass is full of essays like this. The sweetgrass needed the human interaction of harvesting-no matter the method-to be healthy. The student found that the first two plots thrived, and the control plot didn’t. They didn’t harvest the third plot at all. One was harvested with one method, the second with another. As they designed the study, the student created three plots of the indigenous plant. One of the author’s graduate students was studying sweetgrass, particularly whether one harvesting method was better than another. It’s a timely theme, as we Americans can’t agree on much these days, much less actually do simple things for another.Īs I’ve talked with friends about this book, I tell the same story repeatedly. Her theme is reciprocity-the idea that we all can and should give freely and receive freely from each other. Most of all, Kimmerer focuses on the relationship between all beings. There are plenty of sad moments, but she balances them with stories of resilience.

She talks about how hard it is to maintain and rebuild the knowledge and connectedness of the native cultures. Some topics are tough, because Kimmerer doesn’t shy away from the injustice wrought upon America’s indigenous tribes by the white settlers. They talk about the history of the land and its people. The combination of ancient ideas and present moments brought me a measure of peace. Kimmerer takes indigenous wisdom and marries it with both science and social commentary. It’s the perfect antidote and balm for the world of 2020. Extra help connecting and participating is available.From indigenous American botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass is absolutely beautiful in concept and execution. Register by e-mailing Jacquie Owens or on this calendar, or call the library at 31. Participants can attend on Zoom or in person. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth and learning to give our own gifts in return.” (GoodReads) In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants, and animals are our oldest teachers. 'As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. This month's title: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer The Brown Bag Book Club will be discussing the monthly book on Zoom and in person.

Braiding sweetgrass goodreads