Robin Wall Kimmerer
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a lyrical and impassioned plea for healing the planet. Through a blend of science, personal insights, indigenous wisdom, mythology, and culture, Kimmerer articulates the lessons of healing and reciprocity we can garner from plants. She provides a plethora of examples to make her case.
An academic scientist and a member of the Potawatomi Nation, Kimmerer describes her own journey to reconnect with her roots. She takes classes to learn the Potawatomi language in an effort to resist attempts at erasure and to allow the culture imbedded in the language to flourish. It is a culture of gratitude for what the earth has to offer and is based on reciprocal relations, healing, and restoration. To achieve this, Kimmerer argues for what she terms a “grammar of intimacy.” This means viewing nature not as a resource to be exploited for profit, not as an “it,” but as a living entity with whom we have kinship. If we begin to view nature as our other-than-human relatives, we will want to nurture and protect it. It will reciprocate by nurturing and protecting us.
Kimmerer aims to instill a compassionate ecology, one based on interdependence, connection, and humility. In addition to viewing plants through the lens of a scientist, she interprets their sacred role and spiritual significance. Actions and words have symbolic value. As an example, she narrates the stories of Windigo, the monster in children’s stories designed to teach them behavior in a sacred manner. Windigo becomes a metaphor for ravenous consumption and greed. Children are taught from an early age to take only what they need, to reciprocate and share, and to be respectful toward one another and toward nature. Otherwise, they risk fueling Windigo’s insatiable appetite.
Kimmerer’s diction is lyrical and inspiring. Her words are a wake-up call to recognize the devastation we are causing our environment and a plea to use our creative gifts to raise awareness and combat environmental disasters. Her chapter on the damage done to Onondaga Lake by chemical companies is particularly heart-breaking.
With profound compassion, Kimmerer urges readers to see our natural environment through the lens of reciprocity, inclusivity, and gratitude. She makes a compelling case for the adoption of a culture of gratitude and respect toward all life, a culture which will not only transforms our relationship with nature but which will, ultimately, transform our relationship with ourselves and with one another.