Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
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Summary
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As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on “a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise” (Elizabeth Gilbert).
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings―asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass―offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.
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1 - 4 of 4 reviews
One of the most beautiful
Books I have read
We all have much to learn and embrace from it
Yes, was grateful to hear about our connection with the Earth
If you love nature you will love this book. Native Americans have words in their language to express some of mysteries of life that do not exist in English. You never look at nature the same after reading this book. There is so much wisdom from other cultural to learn from. It is all about relationships, relationship, relationships.
For anyone who is seeking the heart and soul of science this book is a visceral, revelatory journey. Robin Wall Kimmerer brings intimacy to a very austere, impersonal modern Western discipline, shows that we are all scientists if we are willing to interact and study our interactions. She also helps us see how European culture has exploited and polluted science in the interest of exploiting Nature and each other. If you are truly interested in the relations/workings of science, read this book.
