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Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
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.
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Community Reviews
Absolutely beautiful! A wonderful illumination of indigenous tribes in the US, their culture, practices, and rituals. It is a true gift. Something everyone should read.
I enjoyed the various anecdotes she wrote, especially ones involving the linguistic differences of the Native Americans. I was really engaged during the first half of the book, but I started losing interest after the 70% mark or so because it felt really repetitive. I do think this book could have been shorter and I definitely think she has poetic prowess. It is overall beautifully written, albeit dense.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation, botanist, and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, is a treasure to us all.
Reading her book has changed my life, by offering a unique perspective that equally honors the traditions of the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (now commonly called the U.S.) and of the modern Western scientific method.
This ode to the world and Ishmael by Daniel Quinn educated me to see that the biggest error of humans in this age has been trying to conquer and dominate other cultures, to the extent of believing there is only one right way to live. By dividing the world into “civilized” and other—by Othering in general—we delude ourselves into self-importance, and increase our destructiveness and isolation.
In order to heal the world, we need not try to return to ancient ways, nor turn to new-fangled promises of technology-based solutions. We have indigenous wisdom and modern updates that can help us live in harmony with each other and Earth. It’s important we take the time and energy to learn the perspectives of those that work directly with the soil, the plants, the animals, and do not see these as separate from ourselves.
Thank you Robin for many experiences shared on these pages. I’ve laughed, cried, and learned so much from you and the stories passed on through your writing.
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