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The Earth is providing many valuable gifts for us, including fresh air, water, lands and many more natural resources to keep us alive. The gods send disasters to strike them, and they also give the rest of creation their own voices to speak out against their mistreatment. What concepts were the most difficult to grasp, if any? What are your thoughts regarding the concepts of: The destruction resulting from convenience, Do you agree with the idea that killing a who evokes a different response from humans than killing an it?. As an American, I don't think my countrypeople appreciate or understand enough about native culture, as a general rule and so I was very grateful for this sort of overview of modern day native life, as well as beautiful stories about the past. She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental . I wish that I could stand like a shaggy cedar with rain seeping into my bark, that water could dissolve the barrier between us. What can benefit from the merging of worlds, like the intersection of Western science and Indigenous teachings? Do you consider sustainability a diminished standard of living? Kimmerer says, "Let us put our . Did you recognize yourself or your experiences in it? Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass. When a young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder while visiting Philadelphia with his mother, police detective John Book tries to protect the boy until an attempt on Book's life forces him into hiding in Amish country. I really enjoyed this. She's completely comfortable moving between the two and their co-existence within her mind gives her a unique understanding of her experience. Ask some questions & start a conversation about the Buffs OneRead. How does the story of Skywoman compare to the other stories of Creation? As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. Corn, she says, is the product of light transformed by relationship via photosynthesis, and also of a relationship with people, creating the people themselves and then sustaining them as their first staple crop. For example, Kimmerer calls a spruce tree strong arms covered in moss (p.208) and describes vine maples as a moss-draped dome (296). How does Kimmerer use plants to illustrate her ideas in Braiding Sweetgrass? If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance In thinking through the ways the women in our lives stand guard, protect, and nurture our well-being, the idea for this set of four was born. The ultimate significance of Braiding Sweetgrass is one of introspection; how do we reciprocate the significant gifts from the Earth in a cyclical fashion that promotes sustainability, community, and a sense of belonging? The book the President should read, that all of us who care about the future of the planet should read, is Robin Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass. Kimmerer occupies two radically different thought worlds. If so, how can we apply what we learn to create a reciprocity with the living world? "As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent . I choose joy. Burning Sweetgrass is the final section of this book. First, shes attracted by the way the drops vary in size, shape, and the swiftness of their fall, depending on whether they hang from a twig, the needles of a tree, drooping moss, or her own bangs. [Illustration offered as an anonymous gift :-)]. What did you think of the juxtaposition between light and dark? date the date you are citing the material. Do you feel we have created an imbalance with our symbiotic relationship with Earth? Tragically, the Native people who upheld this sacred tradition were decimated by diseases such as smallpox and measles in the 1830s. In this chapter, Kimmerer describes another field trip to the Cranberry Lake Biological Station, where she teaches an ethnobotany class that entails five weeks of living off the land. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two . Order our Braiding Sweetgrass Study Guide. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. For more discussion prompts and facilitation tips,or to join the conversation, please join the Buffs OneRead community course: Braiding Sweetgrass. It is a book that explores the connection between living things and human efforts to cultivate a more sustainable world through the lens of indigenous traditions. 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. It is hyporheic flow that Im listening for. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. 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. -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. At Kanatsiohareke, he and others have carved out a place where Indigenous people can gather to relearn and celebrate Haudenosaunee culture. a material, scientific inventory of the natural world." It invokes the "ancient order of protocols" which "sets gratitude as the highest priority." Parts of it are charming and insightful. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Book Synopsis. Inside looking out, I could not bear the loneliness of being dry in a wet world. The way of natural history. If time is measured by the period between events, alder drip time is different from maple drip. We are showered every day with the gifts of the Earth, gifts we have neither earned nor paid for: air to breathe, nurturing rain, black soil, berries and honeybees, the tree that became this page, a bag of rice and the exuberance of a field of goldenrod and asters at full bloom. People who lived in the old-growth forest belonged to a community of beings that included humans, plants, and animals who were interdependent and equal. I'm Melanie - the founder and content creator of Inspired Epicurean. This idea has been mentioned several times before, but here Kimmerer directly challenges her fellow scientists to consider it as something other than a story: to actually allow it to inform their worldviews and work, and to rethink how limited human-only science really is. Hundreds of thousands of readers have turned to Kimmerer's words over the decades since the book's first publication, finding these tender, poetic, and respectful words, rooted in soil and tradition, intended to teach and celebrate. When people are in the presence of nature, often no other lesson is needed to move them to awe. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. The reflecting surface of the pool is textured with their signatures, each one different in pace and resonance. On the other hand, Skywoman falls to Earth by accident, and lives in harmony with the animals she meets there. Observe them and work to see them beyond their scientific or everyday names. One of the most beautiful books I've ever read. Alder drops make a slow music. Sweetgrass, as the hair of Mother Earth, is traditionally braided to show loving care for her well-being. OK, this book was a journey and not a precisely pleasant one. Tending Sweetgrass includes the chapters Maple Sugar Moon, Witch Hazel, A Mothers Work, The Consolation of Water Lilies, and Allegiance to Gratitude. This section more closely explores the bounty of the earth and what it gives to human beings. In. RECIPROCITY. In Old-Growth Children Kimmerer tells how Franz Dolp, an economics professor, spent the last part of his life trying to restore a forest in the Oregon Coastal Range. Looking at mosses close up is, she insists, a comforting, mindful thing: "They're the most overlooked plants on the planet. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. It also means that her books organizational principles are not ones were accustomed to, so instead of trying to discern them in an attempt to outline the book, I will tell you about the two chapters that left the deepest impression. Did you consider this a melancholy chapter? Sign In, Acknowledgements text to use in a publication. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive the One Water blog newsletter and acknowledge the Autodesk Privacy Statement. It edges up the toe slope to the forest, a wide unseen river that flows beneath the eddies and the splash. Why or why not? What do you consider the power of ceremony? Her book of personal observations about nature and our relationship to it,Braiding Sweetgrass, Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants,has been on theNYTimes bestseller list as a paperback for an astounding 130 weeks. 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. What about the book resonated the most with you? This passage also introduces the idea of ilbal, or a seeing instrument that is not a physical lens or device but a mythology. "Witness to the Rain" is the final chapter of the "Braiding Sweetgrass" section of RWK's beautiful book. "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. Was the use of animals as people in various stories an effective use of metaphor? 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. . Kimmerer has often pointed out the importance of direct experience with the land and other living things. It takes time for fine rain to traverse the scabrous rough surface of an alder leaf. Braiding sweetgrass : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants / Robin Wall Kimmerer. If you only read one science or nature book this year, this comes with my highest recommendations. Copyright 20112022 Andrews Forest Program. "Robin Wall Kimmerer is writer of rare grace. She highlights that at the beginning of his journey, Nanabozho was an immigrant, arriving at an earth already fully populated with plants and animals, but by the end of his journey, Nanabozho has found a sense of belonging on Turtle Island. Adapting Fearlessness, Nonviolence, Anarchy and Humility in the 21st century. Then I would find myself thinking about something the author said, decide to give the book another try, read a couple of essays, etc. While the discursive style of, As we struggle to imagine a future not on fire, we are gifted here with an indigenous culture of. Through this symbiotic relationship, the lichen is able to survive in harsh conditions. That is the significance of Dr. Kimmerers Braiding Sweetgrass.. What can we offer the environment that supplies us with so much? 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. Read the Epilogue of Braiding Sweetgrass, Returning the Gift. . Vlog where I reflected daily on one or two chapters: Pros: This non-fiction discusses serious issues regarding the ecology that need to be addressed. Is it possible to stay quiet long enough to hear/learn? Inside looking out, I could not bear the loneliness of being dry in a wet world. Maples do their fair share for us; how well do we do by them? What did you think of Robins use of movement as metaphor and time? In fact, these "Braiding Sweetgrass" book club questions are intended to help in the idea generation for solutions to problems highlighted in the book, in addition to an analysis of our own relationship with our community and the Earth.