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It's difficult to rate this book, because it so frequently veered from two to five stars for me. What were your thoughts on the structure of the book and the metaphor of sweetgrass life cycle? The author has a flowery, repetitive, overly polished writing style that simply did not appeal to me. Elsewhere the rain on . Each print is individually named with a quality that embodies the ways they care for us all. Kimmerer describes how the lichen unites the two main sources of nourishment: gathering and hunting. Everything in the forest seems to blend into everything else, mist, rain, air, stream, branches. Robin Wall Kimmerer posed the question to her forest biology students at the State University of New York, in their final class in March 2020, before the pandemic sent everyone home. Will the language you use when referencing plants change? Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. The author does an excellent job at narration. How often do we consider the language, or perceptions, of those with whom we are trying to communicate? OK, this book was a journey and not a precisely pleasant one. 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. Because she made me wish that I could be her, that my own life could have been lived as fully, as close to nature, and as gratefully as hers. These are not 'instructions' like commandments, though, or rules; rather they are like a compass: they provide an orientation but not a map. Your email address will not be published. Kimmerer combines these elements with a powerfully poetic voice that begs for the return to a restorative and sustainable relationship between people and nature. 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?. to explore their many inspiring collections, including the artist we are highlighting in complement to the Buffs One Read Braiding Sweetgrass. Picking Sweetgrass includes the chapters Epiphany in the Beans, The Three Sisters, Wisgaak Gokpenagen: A Black Ash Basket, Mishkos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of Grass, Maple Nation: A Citizenship Guide, and The Honorable Harvest. This section dwells on the responsibilities attendant on human beings in relation to the earth, after Kimmerer already establishes that the earth does give gifts to humanity and that gifts are deserving of reciprocal giving. If so, how? 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 and the Environment. Visit the CU Art Museum to explore their many inspiring collections, including the artist we are highlighting in complement to the Buffs One Read Braiding Sweetgrass. She asks this question as she tells the stories of Native American displacement, which forever changed the lives of her . Do you feel we have created an imbalance with our symbiotic relationship with Earth? 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. Recent support for White Hawks work has included 2019 United States Artists Fellowship in Visual Art, 2019 Eiteljorg Fellowship for Contemporary Art, 2019 Jerome Hill Artists Fellowship, 2019 Forecast for Public Art Mid-Career Development Grant, 2018 Nancy Graves Grant for Visual Artists, 2017 and 2015 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellowships, 2014 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant, and 2013/14 McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship. 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. I must admit I had my reservations about this book before reading it. Kimmerer, Robin W. 2011. Robin Kimmerers relation to nature delighted and amazed me, and at the same time plunged me into envy and near despair. [], There are different kinds of drops, depending on the relationship between the water and the plant. "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 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. Which of the chapters immediately drew you in and why? Looking back through the book, pick one paragraph or sentence from each of these sections that for you, capture the essence of the statement that Kimmerer includes in the intro of each section. (LogOut/ These questions may be posed to an entire class, to small groups, to online communities, or as personal reflective prompts. What ceremonies are important to you, and serve as an opportunity to channel attention into intention? I don't know what else to say. Maybe there is no such thing as time; there are only moments, each with its own story. 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. She is a gifted speaker and teacher. The book is simultaneously meditative about the. Do any specific plants bring you comfort and connection? She writes about the natural world from a place of such abundant passion that one can never quite see the world the same way after having seen it through Kimmerer's eyes. Link to other LTER Network Site Profiles. What have you worked hard for, like tapping maples? I felt euphoric inhaling the intense fragrance, and truly understood why the author would name a book after this plant. Everything is steeped in meaning, colored by relationships, one thing with another.[]. The chapters reinforce the importance of reciprocity and gratitude in defeating the greed that drives human expansion at the expense of the earths health and plenitude. eNotes Editorial. 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. For example, Kimmerer calls a spruce tree strong arms covered in moss (p.208) and describes vine maples as a moss-draped dome (296). She thinks its all about restoration: We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands, but also for our relationship to the world. Maples do their fair share for us; how well do we do by them? The second date is today's Praise and Prizes Does anything in your life feel like an almost insurmountable task, similar to the scraping of the pond? A wonderfully written nonfiction exploring indigenous culture and diaspora, appreciating nature, and what we can do to help protect and honor the land we live upon. Yet, this list of qualities could go on and on and each person carries multiple roles. Do you feel a connection to the Earth as reciprocal as the relationships outlined in this chapter? What have you overlooked or taken for granted? After reading the book, what do you find yourself curious about? But her native heritage, and the teachings she has received as a conscious student of that heritage, have given her a perspective so far removed from the one the rest of us share that it transforms her experience, and her perception, of the natural world. Even the earth, shes learned from a hydrologist, is mixed with water, in something called the hyporheic flow.. In the Indigenous worldview, however, humans are seen as the younger brothers of Creation who must learn from those who were here before us: the plants and animals, who have their own kinds of intelligence and knowledge. But they're gifts, too. Robin Wall Kimmerer begins her book Gathering Moss with a journey in the Amazon rainforest, during which Indigenous guides helped her see an iguana on the tree branch, a toucan in the leaves. 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. Does the act of assigning scientific labels halt exploration? Five stars for the beauty of some of Robin Wall Kimmerer's writing in many essays/chapters. What are ways we can improve the relationship? As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. Does embracing nature/the natural world mean you have a mothers responsibility to create a home? In. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. We are approaching the end of another section inBraiding Sweetgrass. Her use of vibrant metaphor captures emotion in such a way that each chapter leaves us feeling ready to roll up our sleeves and reintroduce ourselves to the backyard, apartment garden, or whatever bit of greenspace you have in your area. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Its not about wisdom. The way of natural history. He did so in a forty-acre plot of land where the old-growth forests had been destroyed by logging operations since the 1880s. They all join together to destroy the wood people. Alex Murdaugh's sentence came down Friday, after a jury took less than three hours Thursday to convict him in his family's murders. know its power in many formswaterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans, snow and ice. 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. A graceful, illuminating study of the wisdom of the natural world, from a world-renowned indigenous scientist. We will discuss it more soon on their podcast and in the meantime I'll try to gather my thoughts! Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling collection of essays Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. They feel like kindred spirits. And we think of it as simply rain, as if it were one thing, as if we understood it. How does Kimmerer use myths to illustrate her ideas in Braiding Sweetgrass? The drop swells on the tip of the of a cedar and I catch in on my tongue like a blessing. The fish-eye lens gives me a giant forehead and tiny ears. Kimmerer who recently won a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant used as an example one successful project at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where she directs the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. Braids plated of three strands, are given away as signs of kindness and gratitude. Can you identify any ceremonies in which you participated, that were about the land, rather than family and culture? Did you recognize yourself or your experiences in it? What did you think of the perspective regarding the ceremony of life events; in which those who have been provided with the reason for the celebration give gifts to those in attendance. Kimmerer describes how the people of the Onondaga Nation begin every gathering with what is often called the "Thanksgiving Address.". 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. I appreciated Robin Wall Kimmerers perspective on giving back to the land considering how much the land gives to us. In Oregon, on the West Coast of the United States, the hard shiny leaves of salal and Oregon grape make a gentle hiss of "ratatatat" (293). Consider the degree of attention you give to the natural world. From time to time, we like to collect our favourite quotes, sayings, and statistics about water and share them with readers. Was there a passage that struck you and stayed with you after you finished reading? . Looking at mosses close up is, she insists, a comforting, mindful thing: "They're the most overlooked plants on the planet. What did you think of the Pledge of Interdependence? She speaks about each drops path as completely different, interacting with a multitude of organic and inorganic matter along the way, sometimes becoming bigger or smaller, sometimes picking up detritus along the way or losing some of its fullness. 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. From his land, Dolp can see the remains of an old-growth forest on top of a nearby peak, the rest of the view being square patches of Douglas fir the paper companies had planted alternating with clear cut fields.