As an American, I don't think my countrypeople appreciate or understand enough about native culture, as a general rule and so I was very grateful for this sort of overview of modern day native life, as well as beautiful stories about the past. "Robin Wall Kimmerer is writer of rare grace. The way of natural history. In thinking through the ways the women in our lives stand guard, protect, and nurture our well-being, the idea for this set of four was born. In "Braiding Sweetgrass," she weaves Indigenous wisdom with her scientific training. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. When was the last time you experienced a meditative moment listening to the rain? Throughout the three-day field trip, Kimmerer was anxious to help the students forge a greater connection with nature and moved through a checklist of ecological sights without evoking much awe from her captive audience. "I close my eyes and listen to the voices of the rain. Her book reachedanother impressive milestone last weekwhen Kimmerer received a MacArthur genius grant. The last date is today's Braiding Sweetgrass. Dr. Kimmerer has taught courses in botany, ecology, ethnobotany, indigenous environmental issues as well as a seminar in application of traditional ecological knowledge to conservation. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. 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. Its author, an acclaimed plant scientist born and raised in the U.S., has been conditioned by the Western European culture were all heir to, and writes in full awareness that her audience will consist mainly of non-natives. So I stretch out, close my eyes, and listen to the rain. Do offering ceremonies or rituals exist in your life? Kimmerer describes the entire lifecycle of this intriguing creature to emphasize how tragic it is when their lives are ended so abruptly and randomly by passing cars. My mother is a veteran. I'm Melanie - the founder and content creator of Inspired Epicurean. 226 likes. I think that moss knows rain better than we do, and so do maples. By observing, studying, paying attention to the granular journey of every individual member of an ecosystem, we can be not just good engineers of water, of land, of food production but honourable ones. If there is meaning in the past and in the imagined future, it is captured in the moment. Burning Sweetgrass Windigo Footprints The Sacred and the Superfund Collateral Damage . At root, Kimmerer is seeking to follow an ancient model for new pathways to sustainability. Do you believe in land as a teacher? The artists' books made in a concertina format, bear witness to the events observed, as visual scales. Quote by Robin Wall Kimmerer. She is represented by. Please enter your email address to subscribe to this blog if you would like to receive notifications of new posts by email. Her book draws not only on the inherited wisdom of Native Americans, but also on the knowledge Western science has accumulated about plants. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. This was a wonderful, wonderful book. Five stars for introducing me to Sweetgrass, its many Native American traditions, and her message of caring for and showing gratitude for the Earth. When you have all the time in the world, you can spend it, not on going somewhere, but on being where you are. She served as Gallery Director and Curator for the All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis from 2011-2015. Order our Braiding Sweetgrass Study Guide. Can we agree that water is important to our lives and bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to the Water? Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a five-volume series exploring our deep interconnections with the living world and the interdependence that exists between humans and nonhuman beings. In: Fleischner, Thomas L., ed. It gives us knowing, but not caring. Specifically, this chapter highlights how it is more important to focus on growing a brighter future for the following generations rather than seeking revenge for the wrongs suffered by previous generations. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. know its power in many formswaterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans, snow and ice. She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental . Not what I expected, but all the better for it. I felt euphoric inhaling the intense fragrance, and truly understood why the author would name a book after this plant. Do any specific plants bring you comfort and connection? As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. Ask some questions & start a conversation about the Buffs OneRead. It takes time for fine rain to traverse the scabrous rough surface of an alder leaf. How can species share gifts and achieve mutualism? The poetry of nature does not escape this writer and she becomes a poet herself at times, as in the following paragraph from this chapter with which I will conclude. October 6, 2021 / janfalls. The reflecting surface of the pool is textured with their signatures, each one different in pace and resonance. Robin Wall Kimmerer is an American author, scientist, mother, professor, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. 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. Yet, this list of qualities could go on and on and each person carries multiple roles. Director Peter Weir Writers William Kelley (story by) Pamela Wallace (story by) Earl W. Wallace (story by) Stars Harrison Ford Consider the degree of attention you give to the natural world. "As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent . Afterward they want to create a creature who can speak, and so they try to make humans. If there is one book you would want the President to read this year, what would it be? What aspects did you find difficult to understand? That is the significance of Dr. Kimmerers Braiding Sweetgrass.. We can almost hear the landbound journey of the raindrops along with her. These people are beautiful, strong, and clever, and they soon populate the earth with their children. RECIPROCITY. LitCharts Teacher Editions. 5 minutes of reading. 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. Living out of balance with the natural world can have grave ecological consequences, as evidenced by the current climate change crisis. Witness to the rain Published December 15, 2017 Title Witness to the rain Authors: Kimmerer, Robin W. Secondary Authors: Fleischner, Thomas L. Publication Type Book Section Year of Publication: 2011 Publisher Name: Trinity University Press Publisher City: San Antonio, TX Accession Number: AND4674 URL Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. If your book club is about to read "Braiding Sweetgrass" and has limited time for discussion, consider sticking with these ten general questions that are intended to instigate conversation about the book as a whole. This is an important and a beautiful book. This list is simply a starting point, an acknowledgement and gesture of gratitude for the many women in my life that have helped Create, Nurture, Protect, and Lead in ways that have taught me what it means to be a good relative. Kimmerer occupies two radically different thought worlds. Already a member? That's why Robin Wall Kimmerer, a scientist, author and Citizen Potawatomi Nation member, says it's necessary to complement Western scientific knowledge with traditional Indigenous wisdom. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 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?. If time is measured by the period between events, alder drip time is different from maple drip. Not because I have my head. These Braiding Sweetgrass book club questions are intended to be used as discussion points post-reading, and not a guide during the reading itself. What did you think of the juxtaposition between light and dark? When people are in the presence of nature, often no other lesson is needed to move them to awe. Rather, we each bear a responsibility to gain understanding of the land in which we live and how its beauty is much greater than a blooming tree or manicured lawn. Visualize an element of the natural world and write a letter of appreciation and observation. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. The completed legacy of colonialism is further explored in the chapter Putting Down Roots, where Kimmerer reflects that restoration of native plants and cultures is one path towards reconciliation. These questions may be posed to an entire class, to small groups, to online communities, or as personal reflective prompts. help you understand the book. Algae photosynthesizes and thus produces its own nutrients, a form of gathering, while fungi must dissolve other living things in order to harness their acids and enzymes, a form of hunting. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Her writing about the importance of maintaining indigenous language and culture also elicited feelings of tenderness and sadness from me. moments of wonder and joy. Maybe there is no such thing as rain; there are only raindrops, each with its own story.. What concepts were the most difficult to grasp, if any? Cheers! The leaching of ecological resources is not just an action to be compartmentalized, or written off as a study for a different time, group of scientists, or the like. 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. Note what the gods valued most in the people of corn: their ability to be grateful and to live in community with each other and the earth itself. Looking at mosses close up is, she insists, a comforting, mindful thing: "They're the most overlooked plants on the planet. Finally, the gods make people out of ground corn meal. How has this book changed your view of the natural world and relationships? They provide us with another model of how . Many of her arguments rely on this concept of honour, which is what she thinks weve abandoned in our publicpolicies. Does anything in your life feel like an almost insurmountable task, similar to the scraping of the pond? Dr. Kimmerer invites us to view our surroundings through a new lens; perhaps a lens we should have been using all along. What were your thoughts on the structure of the book and the metaphor of sweetgrass life cycle? Witness to the rain. She is the co-founder and past president of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge section of the Ecological Society of America. In that environment, says Kimmerer, there was no such thing as alone. I wish Robin Wall Kimmerer had written three short books instead of one long book. And, when your book club gets together, I suggest these Triple Chocolate Chickpea Brownie Bites that are a vegan and more sustainable recipe compared to traditional brownies. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of "Braiding Sweetgrass" Sweet Briar College is thrilled to welcome Robin Wall Kimmerer on March 23, 2022, for a special in-person (and livestream) presentation on her book "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.". In: Fleischner, Thomas L., ed. She relates the idea that the, 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. After reading the book, what do you find yourself curious about? 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. "Braiding Sweetgrass - Braiding Sweetgrass Summary and Analysis" eNotes Publishing The idea for this suite of four dresses came from the practice of requesting four veterans to stand in each cardinal direction for protection when particular ceremonies are taking place. What were your thoughts surrounding the Original Instructions?. As she says: We are all bound by a covenant of reciprocity: plant breath for animal breath, winter and summer, predator and prey, grass and fire, night and day, living and dying. By paying attention we acknowledge that we have something to learn from intelligences other than our own. 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. Which were the most and least effective chapters, in your opinion? The questionssampled here focus on. . Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs The following questions are divided by section and chapter, and can stand independently or as a group. The story focuses on the central role of the cattail plant, which can fulfill a variety of human needs, as the students discover. Do you consider sustainability a diminished standard of living? In this chapter Kimmerer again looks toward a better future, but a large part of that is learning from the past, in this case mythology from the Mayan people of Central America. Instant PDF downloads. Read the Epilogue of Braiding Sweetgrass, Returning the Gift. It teaches the reader so many things about plants and nature in general. She is a gifted speaker and teacher. At Kanatsiohareke, he and others have carved out a place where Indigenous people can gather to relearn and celebrate Haudenosaunee culture. Braiding Sweetgrass Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to I also loved learning about the plants she mentions, and feel quite relieved to know that the proper pronunciation of pecan is peh-cahn, and not at all related to a way one might relieve themselves in the woods. 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. If not, what obstacles do you face in feeling part of your land? Christelle Enault is an artist and illustrator based in Paris. 1976) is a visual artist and independent curator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Everything in the forest seems to blend into everything else, mist, rain, air, stream, branches. If you only read one science or nature book this year, this comes with my highest recommendations. How does one go about exploring their own relationship with nature? What can you do to promote restoration over despair? Even a wounded world holds us, giving us. Her book of personal observations about nature and our relationship to it,Braiding Sweetgrass, Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants,has been on theNYTimes bestseller list as a paperback for an astounding 130 weeks. 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. Her first book, published in 2003, was the natural and cultural history book Gathering . What would you gather along the path towards the future? 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. These qualities also benefited them, as they were the only people to survive and endure. Begun in 2011, the project, called Helping Forests Walk, has paired SUNY scholars with local Indigenous people to learn how to . 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. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. But Kimmerer's intention is not to hone a concept of obligation via theoretical discussions from a distance but rather to witness its inauguration close up and How do we characterize wealth and abundance? The address, she writes, is "a river of words as old as the people themselves, known more . Kimmerer imagines a kind of science in which people saw plants as teachers rather than as objects to be experimented on. How does Kimmerer use plants to illustrate her ideas in Braiding Sweetgrass? Hotchkiss All-School Read 2021 1 NOTA BENE: Kimmerer weaves together three major approaches to nature writing in this text: . I think that moss knows rain better than we do, and so do maples. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses.She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental . Kimmerer also discusses her own journey to Kanatsiohareke, where she offered her own services at attempting to repopulate the area with native sweetgrass. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. I had no idea how much I needed this book until I read it. Throughout his decades-long journey to restore the land to its former glory, Dolp came to realize the parallel importance of restoring his personal relationship to land. Take some time to walk about campus or some other natural space. Alder drops make a slow music. It has created powerful tools for ravaging the planets ecosystems, creating a hard path for our descendants. (LogOut/ I'm sure there is still so much I can't see. Clearly I am in the minority here, as this book has some crazy high ratings overall. This idea has been mentioned several times before, but here Kimmerer directly challenges her fellow scientists to consider it as something other than a story: to actually allow it to inform their worldviews and work, and to rethink how limited human-only science really is. Witness to the Rain Robin Wall Kimmerer | Last.fm Search Live Music Charts Log In Sign Up Robin Wall Kimmerer Witness to the Rain Love this track More actions Listeners 9 Scrobbles 11 Join others and track this song Scrobble, find and rediscover music with a Last.fm account Sign Up to Last.fm Lyrics Add lyrics on Musixmatch 1) Bring some homage to rainit can be a memory of your most memorable experience ever walking in the rain, listening to rainfall, staying inside by a fire while it rained, etc.or a poem or piece of prose that captures something you feel about rainor a haiku you write tomorrow morning over your coffeeor best of all, a potent rain dance! Her book draws not only on the inherited wisdom of Native Americans, but also on the knowledge Western science has accumulated about plants. tags: healing , human , nature , relationship , restoration. We need to restore honor to the way we live, so that when we walk through the world we dont have to avert our eyes with shame, so that we can hold our heads up high and receive the respectful acknowledgment of the rest of the earths beings.. Witness to the rain. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer . The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Kimmerer, Robin Wall. In this chapter, Kimmerer discusses Franz Dolps attempts to regenerate an old-growth forest. Kimmerer believes that the connections in the natural world are there for us to listen to if were ready to hear them. Link to other LTER Network Site Profiles. How do you show gratitude in your daily life; especially to the Earth? What can we offer the environment that supplies us with so much? Shes completely comfortable moving between the two and their co-existence within her mind gives her a unique understanding of her experience. Robin Wall Kimmerer . Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. I refrain from including specific quotes in case a reader does take a sneak peak before finishing the book, but I do feel your best journey is one taken page-by-page. People who lived in the old-growth forest belonged to a community of beings that included humans, plants, and animals who were interdependent and equal. In 2013, Braiding Sweetgrass was written by Robin Wall Kimmerer. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.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 . . Your email address will not be published. Why? If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance The fish-eye lens gives me a giant forehead and tiny ears. nature, rain, pandemic times, moments of life, garden, and light. I would catch myself arguing with her for idealizing her world view, for ignoring the darker realities of life, and for preaching at me, although I agree with every single thing she advocates. If so, which terms or phrases? Dr. Kimmerer invites us to view our surroundings through a new lens; perhaps a lens we should have been using all along. The Earth is providing many valuable gifts for us, including fresh air, water, lands and many more natural resources to keep us alive. The Skywoman story, shared by the original people's throughout the Greak Lakes, is a constant star in the constellation of teachings we call the Original Instructions. Where will the raindrops land? Kimmerer describes how the lichen unites the two main sources of nourishment: gathering and hunting. One such attempt at reclaiming Indigenous culture is being made by Sakokwenionkwas, or Tom Porter, a member of the Bear Clan. Did you consider this a melancholy chapter? Book Synopsis. Here in the rainforest, I dont want to just be a bystander to rain, passive and protected; I want to be part of the downpour, to be soaked, along with the dark humus that squishes underfoot. Enjoy! Abstract. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Inside looking out, I could not bear the loneliness of being dry in a wet world. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. They are wise enough to be grateful. Out of all the gods experiments, only the corn people respect the world that sustains themand so they were the people who were sustained upon the earth.. Kimmerer occupies two radically different thought worlds. What literary devices are used in Braiding Sweetgrass? Mediums and techniques: linoleum engravings printed in linen on both sides. But just two stars for the repetitive themes, the disorganization of the book as a whole, the need for editing and shortening in many places. First, shes attracted by the way the drops vary in size, shape, and the swiftness of their fall, depending on whether they hang from a twig, the needles of a tree, drooping moss, or her own bangs. Welcome! The Andrews Forest (AND) Program is part of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network established by the National Science Foundation. 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. The chapters therein are Windigo Footprints, The Sacred and the Superfund, People of Corn, People of Light, Collateral Damage, Shkitagen: People of the Seventh Fire, Defeating Windigo, and Epilogue. These chapters paint an apocalyptic picture of the environmental destruction occurring around the world today and urge the reader to consider ways in which this damage can be stemmed. If you embrace the natural world as a whole from microscopic organisms to fully-fledged mammals, where do you draw the line with sacrificing life for your greater good?. Her writing blends her academic botantical scientific learning with that of the North American indigenous way of life, knowledge and wisdom, with a capital W. She brings us fair and square to our modus operandi of live for today . Privacy | Do not sell my personal information | Cookie preferences | Report noncompliance | Terms of use| 2022 Autodesk Inc. All rights reserved, Braiding Sweetgrass, Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants. a material, scientific inventory of the natural world." It invokes the "ancient order of protocols" which "sets gratitude as the highest priority." Did this chapter change your view on the inner workings of forests? In this chapter, Kimmerer recounts the journey of Nanabozho as he walks across the earth for the first time. Kimmerer traces this theme by looking at forest restoration, biological models of symbiosis, the story of Nanabozho, her experiences of teaching ethnobotany, and other topics. Does the act of assigning scientific labels halt exploration? They all join together to destroy the wood people. A fairly gentle, love-based look at ecology and the climate crisis with lots of educational value. San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press: 187-195. 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. Maples do their fair share for us; how well do we do by them? Change). Kimmerer's claim with second and even third thoughts about the contradic-tions inherent in notions of obligation that emerge in the receiving of gifts. Even the earth, shes learned from a hydrologist, is mixed with water, in something called the hyporheic flow.. 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. How do we change our economy or our interaction within the economy that is destroying the environment? Yet we also have another human gift, language, another of our, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. (LogOut/ How can we create our own stories (or lenses) to view sacred relationships? She honors the "humility rare in our species" that has led to developments like satellite imagery . 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. 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. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. Did the Depression-era reference hit home with you? Braiding Sweetgrass is a nonfiction work of art by Dr. Robin Kimmerer. She puts itwonderfully in this talk: Its not the land which is broken, but our relationship to the land.. Last Updated on March 23, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. The way of natural history. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two . Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Kimmerer writes about a gift economy and the importance of gratitude and reciprocity. If so, what makes you feel a deeper connection with the land and how did you arrive at that feeling? Written from a native American point of view, Braiding Sweetgrass (2013) is one of the most unusual books Ive read.