Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Summary)

(Audiobook playlist below)

Summary:
– The author is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and believes that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. She tells a story mixed with teachings of her people, mythology, parables, memoirs, scientific technicalities and has a poetic feel to it. I loved her idea of using the term braiding to also connect science with all the above.

– Talks a lot about Skywoman. (Paras note: I had to do some research on this and in short she fell from the sky onto a turtle, known as turtle island, and brought along wit her plants and nature from the skies trying to hold onto them when she fell. She was pregnant. Sounds similar to the Hindu concept of Akupara. I love connecting these things!!!) More here.

– Her people have a set of instructions or roadmap.

– Plants know how to make food and medicine from light and water and then give it away.

– History of nuts, how pecan nuts got their name and how rich the nut embryo is that they’re protected in layers.

– Sweetgrass is sacred, used for ceremony and cannot be exchanged for money.

– The etiquette of the gift economy and reciprocity of the natives sharing vs. the new settlers having property and possessions.

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– The native people have 130 plus languages/dialects and how it’s hard to comprehend or speak English the way it’s forced on others. (Related: The Thing About English)

– Lots of folklore, ceremonies, funny anecdotes and observations connected to nature.

– Talks about the 3 sisters of companion planting and the science behind it. 3 sister planting is growing corn, bean and squash together and I learned about it through permaculture. They all help each other grow nice and strong.

– A lot of focus is on connecting with the land and nature. Equates happiness to gardening for many reasons. Another interesting bit is her focus on Cedars which I’ve read in another book Anastasia (The Ringing Cedars Series, Book 1) by Vladimir Megre

– Goes into name dropping and finger pointing to companies and people who hurt or heal the land and politics or news events related to these subjects.

– Plants came before us so they are considered our elders and sacred so scientist should be listening to them, observing them and how they keep giving, how they know the underground and over.

4 Kinds of Fire
1 Campfire.
2 Thunderbird fires from lightning.
3 Sacred fire for ceremonial fire keepers.
4 Spirit fire, life force.
(It also signifies places some tribes lived. Extra fires like maintenance and art fire.)

If you enjoyed this you may like Juliette of the Herbs – Herbalist and natural healer

Contents

1 – Skywoman Falling
2 – The Council of Pecans
3 – The Gift of Strawberries
4 – An Offering
5 – Asters and Goldenrods
6 – Learning the Grammar of Animacy
7 – Maple Sugar Moon
8 – Witch Hazel
9 – A Mother’s Work
10 – The Consolation of Lilies
11 – Allegiance to Gratitude
12 – Epiphany in the Beans
13 – The Three Sisters
14 – Wisgaak Gokpenagen / A Black Ash Basket
15 – Mishkos Kenomagwen – The Teachings of Grass
16 – Maple Nation – A Citizenship Guide
17 – The Honorable Harvest (Part 1)
18 – In The Footsteps of Nanabozho
19 – The Sound of Silverbells
20.1 – Sitting In A Circle
20.2 – Sitting In A Circle
21 – Burning Cascade Head
22 – Putting Down Roots
23 – Umbilicaria – The Belly-button of the World
24 – Old Growth Children
25 – Witness to the Rain
26 – Windigo Footprints
27.1 – The Sacred and the Superfund
27.2 – The Sacred and the Superfund
27.3 – The Sacred and the Superfund
28 – Children of Light, Children of Corn
29 – Collateral Damage
30 – Shkitagen – People of the Seventh Fire
31 – Defeating Windigo
32 – Epilogue – Returning the Gift

Braiding Sweetgrass written by Robin Wall Kimmerer and Read by Sen Naomi Kirst-Schultz