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=                        Braiding_Sweetgrass                         =
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                            Introduction
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'Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the
Teachings of Plants' is a 2013 nonfiction book by Potawatomi professor
Robin Wall Kimmerer, about the role of  Indigenous knowledge as an
alternative or complementary approach to Western mainstream scientific
methodologies.

'Braiding Sweetgrass' explores reciprocal relationships between humans
and the land, with a focus on the role of  plants and botany in both
Native American and Western European traditions. The book received
largely positive reviews, and has appeared on several bestseller
lists. Kimmerer is known for her scholarship on traditional ecological
knowledge, ethnobotany, and moss ecology.


                              Contents
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'Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the
Teachings of Plants' is about botany and the relationship to land in
Native American traditions. Kimmerer, who is an enrolled member of the
Citizen Potawatomi Nation, writes about her personal experiences
working with plants and reuniting with her people's cultural
traditions. She also presents the history of the plants and botany
from a scientific perspective.

Kimmerer begins with the myth of Skywoman, adapted from oral
tradition, that explains "where we came from, but also of how we can
go forward." In the same chapter, Kimmerer explains that the
significance of sweetgrass according to this myth is that it is
believed to be the first plant to grow on earth. Kimmerer also relates
the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address. In some Native American
religions, such as the Potawatomi's, certain beliefs are not meant to
be shared with outsiders, so she asked Oren Lyons, who manages
spiritual matters for the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee, for
permission to print the address. Lyons heartily agreed.

The series of essays in five sections begins with "Planting
Sweetgrass", and progresses through "Tending", "Picking", "Braiding",
and "Burning Sweetgrass". James Hatley says that this progression of
headings "signals how Kimmerer's book functions not only as natural
history but also as ceremony, the latter of which plays a decisive
role in how Kimmerer comes to know the living world."

Kimmerer describes 'Braiding Sweetgrass' as "[A] braid of stories ...
woven from three strands: indigenous ways of knowing, scientific
knowledge, and the story of an Anishinabeckwe scientist trying to
bring them together in service to what matters most." She also calls
the work "an intertwining of science, spirit, and story."

'American Indian Quarterly' writes that 'Braiding Sweetgrass' is a
book about traditional ecological knowledge and environmental
humanities. Kimmerer combines her training in Western scientific
methods and her Native American knowledge about sustainable land
stewardship to describe a more joyful and ecological way of using our
land in 'Braiding Sweetgrass'.

Kimmerer has said about the book that, "I wanted readers to understand
that Indigenous knowledge and Western science are both powerful ways
of knowing, and that by using them together we can imagine a more just
and joyful relationship with the Earth." Plants described in the book
include squash, algae, goldenrod, pecans and the eponymous sweetgrass.
She describes the book as "an invitation to celebrate the gifts of the
earth."


                         Honors and awards
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Kimmerer received the 2014 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for
her book 'Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific
Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants'. The book has also received
best-seller awards amongst the 'New York Times' Bestseller, the
'Washington Post' Bestseller, and the 'Los Angeles Times' Bestseller
lists. It was named a "Best Essay Collection of the Decade" by
Literary Hub and a Book Riot "Favorite Summer Read of 2020"


                             Reception
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On February 9, 2020, the book first appeared at No. 14 on the 'New
York Times Best Sellers' paperback nonfiction list; at the beginning
of November 2020, in its 30th week, it was at No. 9. In 2021, 'The
Independent' recommended the book as the top choice of books about
climate change. In 2024, the book was one of the most borrowed titles
in American public libraries.

'Native Studies Review' writes that 'Braiding Sweetgrass' is a "book
to savour and to read again and again." Heather Sullivan writes in the
'Journal of Germanic Studies' that "one occasionally encounters a text
like an earthquake: it shakes one's fundamental assumptions with a
massive shift that, in comparison, renders mere epiphanies bloodless:
Robin Wall Kimmerer's 'Braiding Sweetgrass' is one of these kinds of
books."

Sue O'Brien in 'Library Journal' wrote "Kimmerer writes of
investigating the natural world with her students and her efforts to
protect and restore plants, animals, and land. A trained scientist who
never loses sight of her Native heritage, she speaks of approaching
nature with gratitude and giving back in return for what we receive."
O'Brien expresses that anyone "who enjoys reading about natural
history, botany, protecting nature, or Native American culture will
love this book".

The 'Appalachian Review' notes that Kimmerer's writing does not fall
into "preachy, new-age, practical bring-your-own-grocery-bags
environmental movement writing" nor "the flowing optimism of pure
nature writing." The reader is compelled to act and change their view
of the environment as the book "challenges the European immigrant
ecological consciousness" through "Native American creation stories
and details of sustainable, traditional, ecological management
practices of Native Americans."

Kathleen D. Moore in 'The Bryologist' says that 'Braiding Sweetgrass'
"is far more than a memoir or a field guide. I would call it a wisdom
book, because I believe that Robin has something world-changing to
pass along, an ethos she has learned by listening closely to plants".
The 'Tribal College Journal' wrote "Each chapter is an adventurous
journey into the world of plants." 'Publishers Weekly' call Kimmerer a
"mesmerizing storyteller" in 'Braiding Sweetgrass'. The 'Star Tribune'
writes that Kimmerer is able to give readers the ability to see the
common world in a new way. 'Kirkus Reviews' calls 'Braiding
Sweetgrass' a "smart, subtle overlay of different systems of thought
that together teach us to be better citizens of Earth."


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