Braiding Sweetgrass

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, is one of those life-changing and life-affirming books whose themes and messages I predict will percolate through my subconscious until they become part of me and guide my actions. Kimmerer, a botanist, is a member of the Potawatomi Nation and skillfully and lovingly weaves these two key aspects of herself into a wonderful book that is as inspirational as it is informative.

Kimmerer is a storyteller, and the book is a collection of essays that show the symbiotic relationship between the animate and inanimate, between plants and animals, including humans, and how these relationships are scientific as well as magical, dynamic as well as pre-determined. Kimmerer's basic idea is that American society is based on a colonial mindset in which humans dominate, control, and exploit the natural world without considering that regeneration and sustainability depends on reciprocity and gratitude to the plants, animals, rivers and oceans, minerals, soil, and basically everything in the world that gives their gifts of life to us. 

Kimmerer tells stories and legends of the indigenous peoples of North America, demonstrating that their relationship with the world was healthy and sustainable and was based on recognizing and nurturing the symbiosis that makes an Eden of Earth.

I learned so much from reading this book--not just about accepting the gifts of the natural world and trying to reciprocate--but also just about plants in general, especially why working to maintain and restore native plants is so important to the entire ecosystem. 

I am retiring from my day job on January 2 after 42 years of working in high-tech marketing. Act II for me is all about learning to be a better steward of the little plot of land I call home. Reading this book while winding up Act I really provided focus to what had been a somewhat amorphous desire to become a better gardener. 

One of the coolest ideas I got from this book was that we can all learn to become indigenous--that is, we can learn how to be part of a healthy ecosystem and in so doing we can learn how to braid whatever passes for sweetgrass in our neighborhood. Now, when I think about my goals for my retirement and how I want to be in Act II, I think the answer is...I want to be able to braid sweetgrass. I want to take the time to do things well, to nurture and nourish, and to gratefully accept the gifts nature offers.