If you know me, you know that reading is one of my favorite things to do. I want to share books that I think are worthy of your precious time. Once again I have a book that I think everyone should read. It is called Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
I loved this book so much. It is beautifully written. It is almost a compilation of stand-alone stories. Each chapter or section may or may not be related to the previous one. It was the perfect combination of art and science, beauty and truth, new information and ancient wisdom, and folklore and lived stories. This book evoked a desire in me to do better with words of resilience and hopefulness for both nature and people.
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a scientist, decorated professor, and member of the Potawatomi Nation. She tells indigenous folklore stories and pulls out the lessons and highlights how they apply and can be used today.
She starts the book with the story of Skywoman Falling. This is the story of the beginning of our world and how the animals came and helped her, an immigrant invading their realm. Skywoman brought gifts with her that provided grasses, trees, flowers, and medicines that helped make the world green and provided food for all.
A major theme of the book is reciprocity. How we can help each other? Plants and animals help us (like Skywoman) and humans can and should help them and mother earth too. Nature promotes win / win, to support and benefit each other, all of us over the long term. We, humans, are part of nature. We should not be taking without giving back. We have an important role to play on our planet. Plants take our CO2 and create our required oxygen. We all depend on the land and if humans are responsible and treat the land and the animals with respect, things, would be better.
Yes, we need things from the earth and from other beings to survive. Animals take only what they need. The Native ways taught this and focused on not taking the first fish, plants, and seeds to make sure there are some for the future and only took what they needed. How can we stop the waste? Too many of us don’t even consider the consequences of our actions and what we do to the world around us. We take much more than we need thoughtlessly. We are so distanced from nature that we take it for granted and are not thinking about the future of our planet.
The book talks about how in the Western tradition, humans are at the top of the hierarchy and plants are at the bottom. (The author is a botanist). In the Native tradition, humans are referred to as “the younger brothers of Creation.” “Humans, have the least experience with how to live and thus the most to learn – we must look to our teachers among the other species for guidance. Their wisdom is apparent in the way that they live. They teach us by example. They’ve been on the earth far longer than we have been, and have had time to figure things out…Plants know how to make food and medicine from light and water and then they give it away.” It is a miracle. We as humans should respect and appreciate these ancient gifts more.
I have always enjoyed taking pictures of trees. To the point that I am self-conscious about my unusual number of tree pictures. In this book, the author talks about how trees should be viewed as a type of person too. I think I have always viewed trees that way but she made it much more real and logical, not just my imagination or fantasy. I like to take tree pictures because I am making tree portraits. I think trees are gorgeous. If our culture shifted our perspective of trees, plants, and animals to be more like us, as valuable as us, as an equal to us, what a difference it would make.
I like how the author contrasts the western Biblical story of Adam and Eve with the story of Skywoman Falling. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. Humans were no longer a part of and assimilated with the plants and the trees and the animals. We separated or were separated from this natural bountiful, heavenly garden.
The Native tradition focuses on and presents a story of Skywoman creating a garden that helps ALL beings. The garden and animals helped her and her descendants. The Native story presents and reinforces a generous story of being part of the living world. The Biblical story is one of exile and punishment from the natural world. Adam and Eve had to work to get food and survive instead of enjoying the ease of goods offered and available in nature. (Part of me wonders if humans were banished because of how we were treating the garden and the rest of the world. Because humans were not doing their part and reciprocating with the plants and animals.) In one story humans are trying to “tame” and control nature after being exiled from it. The Native story presents humans learning from it, being part of it, and enjoying it responsibly and with reciprocity.
There are many interesting and memorable stories and lessons in this book. I could go on but I have said enough for today. This book made me think, made me question, made me notice, and want to change. It taught me new things, all with poetic language and beautiful imagery. I hope you give Braiding Sweetgrass a try and enjoy it as much as I did.
P.S. I heard about this book from a few people whose opinions I think of very highly. Currently, it has a 4.8 rating with 16,641 reviews on Amazon. It was published 10 years ago and is a wonderful example of a book that sold gradually and achieved a tipping point of popularity primarily from word-of-mouth recommendations. It is a long book. There is now a young adult version that I just bought for my sons. 🙂
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