Yes, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Dr. Robin Kimmerer arrived on the New York Times Paperback Best Sellers list on January 31, 2020, six years after its publication. All rights reserved. What creates a strong relationship between people and Earth? Alex Murdaugh's sentence came down Friday, after a jury took less than three hours Thursday to convict him in his family's murders. What were your thoughts on the structure of the book and the metaphor of sweetgrass life cycle? What did you think of the juxtaposition between light and dark? I would have liked to read just about Sweetgrass and the customs surrounding it, to read just about her journey as a Native American scientist and professor, or to read just about her experiences as a mother. Follow us onLinkedIn,Twitter, orInstagram. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Sweetgrass, as the hair of Mother Earth, is traditionally braided to show loving care for her well-being. They feel like kindred spirits. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Braiding Sweetgrass is a nonfiction work of art by Dr. Robin Kimmerer. Rather than seeing the forest as a commodity to be harvested for profit, the Salish Indians who had lived in the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years preserved the forest intact. Dr. Kimmerer weaves together one of the most rich resources to date in Braiding Sweetgrass, and leaves us with a sense of hope rather than paralyzing fear. She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental . The belly Button of the World -- Old-Growth Children -- Witness to the Rain -- Burning Sweetgrass -- Windigo Footprints -- The Sacred and the Superfund -- People of Corn, People of . Do you feel rooted to any particular place? In Braiding. This article highlights the findings of the literature on aboriginal fire from the human- and the land-centered disciplines, and suggests that the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples be incorporated into plans for reintroducing fire to the nation's forests. moments of wonder and joy. All rights reserved. Witness to the Rain 293-300 BURNING SWEETGRASS Windigo Footprints 303-309 . In areas where it was ignored, it came back reduced in quantity, thus bearing out the Native American saying: Take care of the land and the land will take care of you.. We are approaching the end of another section inBraiding Sweetgrass. Burning Sweetgrass is the final section of this book. Link to other LTER Network Site Profiles. What literary devices are used in Braiding Sweetgrass? I don't know what else to say. I suppose thats the way we are as humans, thinking too much and listening too little. . Her book draws not only on the inherited wisdom of Native Americans, but also on the knowledge Western science has accumulated about plants. It offered them a rich earthly existence and their culture mirrored this generosity by giving their goods away in the potlatch ceremony, imitating nature in their way of life. What aspects did you find difficult to understand? The reflecting surface of the pool is textured with their signatures, each one different in pace and resonance. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerers "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants,". Then I would find myself thinking about something the author said, decide to give the book another try, read a couple of essays, etc. I also loved learning about the plants she mentions, and feel quite relieved to know that the proper pronunciation of pecan is peh-cahn, and not at all related to a way one might relieve themselves in the woods. Each print is individually named with a quality that embodies the ways they care for us all. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. October 6, 2021 / janfalls. As for the rest of it, although I love the author's core message--that we need to find a relationship to the land based on reciprocity and gratitude, rather than exploitation--I have to admit, I found the book a bit of a struggle to get through. Summary/Review: "An inspired weaving of indigenous knowledge, plant science, and personal narrative from a distinguished professor of science and a Native American whose previous book, Gathering Moss, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing. I'm Melanie - the founder and content creator of Inspired Epicurean. A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Bestseller Named a Best Essay Collection of the Decade by Literary Hub As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools . San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press: 187-195. In this chapter, Kimmerer recounts the journey of Nanabozho as he walks across the earth for the first time. Her book reachedanother impressive milestone last weekwhen Kimmerer received a MacArthur genius grant. eNotes.com Do you consider sustainability a diminished standard of living? These people are beautiful, strong, and clever, and they soon populate the earth with their children. Similarly, each moment in time is shaped by human experience, and a moment that might feel long for a butterfly might pass by in the blink of an eye for a human and might seem even shorter for a millennia-old river. Here in the rainforest, I dont want to just be a bystander to rain, passive and protected; I want to be part of the downpour, to be soaked, along with the dark humus that squishes underfoot. If you're interested in even more Braiding Sweetgrass book club questions, I highly recommend these discussion questions (best reviewed after reading the book) from Longwood Gardens. These questions may be posed to an entire class, to small groups, to online communities, or as personal reflective prompts. While the discursive style of, As we struggle to imagine a future not on fire, we are gifted here with an indigenous culture of. These Braiding Sweetgrass book club questions are intended to be used as discussion points post-reading, and not a guide during the reading itself. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Braiding Sweetgrass. 2) Look back over the introductory pages for each section"Planting Sweetgrass", "Tending Sweetgrass", Picking Sweetgrass", "Braiding Sweetgrass"for each of these sections Kimmerer includes a short preface statement. Kimmerer criticizes those who gatekeep science from the majority of people through the use of technical language, itself a further form of exclusion through the scientific assumption that humans are disconnected from and above other living things. But they're gifts, too. Struggling with distance learning? Kimmerer also discusses her own journey to Kanatsiohareke, where she offered her own services at attempting to repopulate the area with native sweetgrass. When we take from the land, she wants us to insist on an honourable harvest, whether were taking a single vegetable for sustenance or extracting minerals from the land. The series Takes Care of Us honors native women and the care, protection, leadership and love the provide for their communities. As Kimmerer writes, "Political action, civic engagement - these are powerful acts of reciprocity with the land." This lesson echoes throughout the entire book so please take it from Kimmerer, and not from me. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. I can see my face reflected in a dangling drop. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. I read this book almost like a book of poetry, and it was a delightful one to sip and savor. Do offering ceremonies or rituals exist in your life? We can almost hear the landbound journey of the raindrops along with her. (LogOut/ How will they change on their journey? She is represented by. Kimmerer has often pointed out the importance of direct experience with the land and other living things. This nonfiction the power of language, especially learning the language of your ancestors to connect you to your culture as well as the heartbreaking fact that indigenous children who were banned from speaking anything from English in academic settings. Everything is steeped in meaning, colored by relationships, one thing with another.[]. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. She isnt going for a walk or gathering kindling or looking for herbs; shes just paying attention. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. The author reflects on how modern botany can be explained through these cultures. This quote from the chapter Witness to the Rain, comes from a meditation during a walk in the rain through the forest. . In "Braiding Sweetgrass," she weaves Indigenous wisdom with her scientific training. Drew Lanhamrender possibilities for becoming better kin and invite us into the ways . The various themes didn't braid together as well as Sweetgrass itself does. Her book draws not only on the inherited wisdom of Native Americans, but also on the knowledge Western science has accumulated about plants. . This chapter centers around an old Indigenous tradition wherein the people greeted the Salmon returning to their streams by burning large swathes of prairie land at Cascade Head. She relates the idea that the, In Witness to the Rain, Kimmerer noted that everything exists only in relationship to something else, and here she describes corn as a living relationship between light, water, the land, and people. After reading the book, what do you find yourself curious about? In the Bible Eve is punished for eating forbidden fruit and God curses her to live as Adam's subordinate according to an article on The Collector. How do you feel about solidity as an illusion? Throughout the three-day field trip, Kimmerer was anxious to help the students forge a greater connection with nature and moved through a checklist of ecological sights without evoking much awe from her captive audience. The way of natural history. Instead, settler society should write its own story of relationship to the world, creating its own. Kimmerer describes how the people of the Onondaga Nation begin every gathering with what is often called the "Thanksgiving Address.". Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. If this paragraph appeals to you, then so will the entire book, which is, as Elizabeth Gilbert says in her blurb, a hymn of love to the world. ~, CMS Internet Solutions, Inc, Bovina New York, The Community Newspaper for the Town of Andes, New York, BOOK REVIEW: Braiding Sweetgrass: indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer April 2020, FROM DINGLE HILL: For The Birds January 2023, MARK PROJECT DESCRIBES GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR LARGE TOWN 2023 BUDGET WAS APPROVED, BELOW 2% TAX CAP January 2022, ACS ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2018 TOP STUDENTS June 2018, FIRE DEPARTMENT KEEPS ON TRUCKING February 2017, FLOOD COMMISSION NO SILVER BULLET REPORT ADOPTED BY TOWN BOARD June 2018. What did you think of the Pledge of Interdependence? Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Why or why not? Hotchkiss All-School Read 2021 1 NOTA BENE: Kimmerer weaves together three major approaches to nature writing in this text: . How do we change our economy or our interaction within the economy that is destroying the environment? I had no idea how much I needed this book until I read it. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. This is an important and a beautiful book. Can we agree that water is important to our lives and bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to the Water? And we think of it as simply rain, as if it were one thing, as if we understood it. Already a member? In: Fleischner, Thomas L., ed. In In the Footsteps of Nanabozho: Becoming Indigenous to Place, Kimmerer compares Nanabozhos journey to the arrival of immigrant plants carried from the Old World and rehabilitated in American soil. What problems does Kimmerer identify and what solutions does she propose in Braiding Sweetgrass? Kimmerer occupies two radically different thought worlds. Inside looking out, I could not bear the loneliness of being dry in a wet world. The author has a flowery, repetitive, overly polished writing style that simply did not appeal to me. Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerers "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants," is a beautiful and thoughtful gift to those of us even the least bit curious about understanding the land and living in healthy reciprocity with the environment that cares for us each day. The fish-eye lens gives me a giant forehead and tiny ears. Next the gods make people out of pure sunlight, who are beautiful and powerful, but they too lack gratitude and think themselves equal to the gods, so the gods destroy them as well. Want more Water Words of Wisdom? Kimmerer imagines a kind of science in which people saw plants as teachers rather than as objects to be experimented on. Kimmerer begins by affirming the importance of stories: stories are among our most potent tools for restoring the land as well as our relationship to land. Because we are both storytellers and storymakers, paying attention to old stories and myths can help us write the narrative of a better future. Afterward they want to create a creature who can speak, and so they try to make humans. The Earth is but ONE country and all living beings her citizens. [Illustration offered as an anonymous gift :-)]. The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. What would you gather along the path towards the future? Every drip it seems is changed by its relationship with life, whether it encounters moss or maple or fir bark or my hair. From his origins as a real estate developer to his incarnation as Windigo-in-Chief, he has regarded "public lands"our forests, grasslands, rivers, national parks, wildlife reservesall as a warehouse of potential commodities to be sold to the highest bidder. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Milkweed Editions, 2013. The reflecting surface of the pool is textured with their signatures, each one different in pace and resonance. Her work is in the collections of the Denver Art Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Tweed Museum of Art, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Akta Lakota Museum among other public and private collections. On the other hand, Skywoman falls to Earth by accident, and lives in harmony with the animals she meets there. Its messagekeepsreaching new people, having been translated so far into nearly 20 languages. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.Kimmerer lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples . Written from a native American point of view, Braiding Sweetgrass (2013) is one of the most unusual books Ive read. Elsewhere the rain on . Through this symbiotic relationship, the lichen is able to survive in harsh conditions. This point of view isnt all that radical. In that environment, says Kimmerer, there was no such thing as alone. eNotes.com, Inc. 1) Bring some homage to rainit can be a memory of your most memorable experience ever walking in the rain, listening to rainfall, staying inside by a fire while it rained, etc.or a poem or piece of prose that captures something you feel about rainor a haiku you write tomorrow morning over your coffeeor best of all, a potent rain dance! How do we characterize wealth and abundance? Braiding Sweetgrass Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. This story is usually read as a history, but Kimmerer reminds the reader that in many Indigenous cultures time is not linear but rather circular. In. She is wrong. Traditional knowledge represents the outcome of long experimentation . Kimmerer, Robin Wall Summary "An inspired weaving of indigenous knowledge, plant science, and personal narrative from a distinguished professor of science and a Native American whose previous book, Gathering Moss, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing. What are your thoughts on the assertion of mutual taming between plants and humans? In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit . In "Witness to the Rain," Kimmerer noted that everything exists only in relationship to something else, and here she describes corn as a living relationship between light, water, the land, and people. This passage also introduces the idea of. -by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Nov 24 2017) However alluring the thought of warmth, there is no substitute for standing in the rain to waken every sensesenses that are muted within four walls, where my attention would be on me, instead of all that is more than me. How does Kimmerer use myths to illustrate her ideas in Braiding Sweetgrass? "Braiding Sweetgrass" Chapter 25: Witness to the Rainwritten by Robin Wall KimmererRead by Sen Naomi Kirst-SchultzOriginal text can be bought at:https://birc. Kimmerer occupies two radically different thought worlds. When you have all the time in the world, you can spend it, not on going somewhere, but on being where you are. Braiding Sweetgrass consists of the chapters In the Footsteps of Nanabozho: Becoming Indigenous to Place, The Sound of Silverbells, Sitting in a Circle, Burning Cascade Head, Putting Down Roots, Umbilicaria: The Belly Button of the World, Old-Growth Children, and Witness to the Rain. Here, Kimmerer delves into reconciling humanity with the environment, dwelling in particular upon the changes wrought between generations upon the way in which one considers the land one lives on. Science is a painfully tight pair of shoes. This question was asked of a popular fiction writer who took not a moment's thought before saying, my own of course. For more reflective and creative activity prompts, please join the Buffs OneRead community course: Braiding Sweetgrass. Is it possible that plants have domesticated us? It also greatly touches upon how humans and nature impact one another and how we should appreciate the journey that food and nature have taken to get to our tables and backyards. Kimmerer says, "Let us put our . The source of all that they needed, from cradleboards to coffins, it provided them with materials for boats and houses, for clothing and baskets, for bowls and hats, utensils and fishing rods, line and ropes. She puts itwonderfully in this talk: Its not the land which is broken, but our relationship to the land.. San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press: 187-195. These are not 'instructions' like commandments, though, or rules; rather they are like a compass: they provide an orientation but not a map. 4 Mar. Learn how your comment data is processed. Was there a passage that struck you and stayed with you after you finished reading? Five stars for introducing me to Sweetgrass, its many Native American traditions, and her message of caring for and showing gratitude for the Earth. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Her students conducted a study showing that in areas where sweetgrass was harvested wisely (never take more than half) it returned the following year thicker and stronger. Braiding Sweetgrass explores the theme of cooperation, considering ways in which different entities can thrive by working in harmony and thereby forming a sense of mutual belonging. 5 minutes of reading. Robin Kimmerer, Potawatomi Indigenous ecologist, author, and professor, asks this question as she ponders the fleeting existence of our sister speciesspecies such as the passenger pigeon, who became extinct a century ago. When Kimmerer moves herself and her daughters to upstate New York, one of the responsibilities that she decides to take is to provide her daughters with a swimmable pond. Braiding sweetgrass : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants / Robin Wall Kimmerer. Visualize an element of the natural world and write a letter of appreciation and observation. But Kimmerer's intention is not to hone a concept of obligation via theoretical discussions from a distance but rather to witness its inauguration close up and Its about pursuing the wants and needs of humans, with less concern for the more-than-human world. How often do we consider the language, or perceptions, of those with whom we are trying to communicate? Dr. Kimmerer invites us to view our surroundings through a new lens; perhaps a lens we should have been using all along. These people are compassionate and loving, and they can dance in gratitude for the rest of creation. Her writing blends her academic botantical scientific learning with that of the North American indigenous way of life, knowledge and wisdom, with a capital W. She brings us fair and square to our modus operandi of live for today . I want to feel what the cedars feel and know what they know. He did so in a forty-acre plot of land where the old-growth forests had been destroyed by logging operations since the 1880s. What questions would you add to this list? Different animals and how the indigenous people learned from watching them and plants, the trees. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. And we think of it as simply time, as if it were one thing, as if we understood it. I wish that I could stand like a shaggy cedar with rain seeping into my bark, that water could dissolve the barrier between us. In this chapter, Kimmerer discusses the legacy of Indian boarding schools, such as Carlisle, and some of the measures that are being taken to reverse the damage caused by forcible colonial assimilation. Each raindrop will fall individually, its size and. What was most surprising or intriguing to you? That is the significance of Dr. Kimmerers Braiding Sweetgrass.. Listening to rain, time disappears. What concepts were the most difficult to grasp, if any? If you only read one science or nature book this year, this comes with my highest recommendations. Last Updated on March 23, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. It gives us knowing, but not caring. Yet we also have another human gift, language, another of our, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. If you embrace the natural world as a whole from microscopic organisms to fully-fledged mammals, where do you draw the line with sacrificing life for your greater good?. Dr. As she says: We are all bound by a covenant of reciprocity: plant breath for animal breath, winter and summer, predator and prey, grass and fire, night and day, living and dying. How does one go about exploring their own relationship with nature? Dr. Maples do their fair share for us; how well do we do by them? As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. Read it. Praise and Prizes As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. I share delicious vegan recipes (with a few flexitarian recipes from my pre-vegan days). Exactly how they do this, we don't yet know. . "Braiding Sweetgrass - Braiding Sweetgrass Summary and Analysis" eNotes Publishing How did this change or reinforce your understanding of gifts and gift-giving? Her rich use of metaphor and storytelling make this a nonfiction book that leaves an impression as well as a desire to reflect upon new perspectives. It's difficult to rate this book, because it so frequently veered from two to five stars for me. So I stretch out, close my eyes, and listen to the rain.