I'm so glad I finally read this book for the Book Cougars/Reading Envy joint readalong. It also greatly touches upon how humans and nature impact one another and how we should appreciate the journey that food and nature have taken to get to our tables and backyards. 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. In Witness to the Rain, Kimmerer gives uninterrupted attention to the natural world around her. I share delicious vegan recipes (with a few flexitarian recipes from my pre-vegan days). Visualize an element of the natural world and write a letter of appreciation and observation. I choose joy. 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. It perceives the family of life to be little more than a complex biochemical machine. 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. publication online or last modification online. tis is how they learned to survive, when they had little. At Kanatsiohareke, he and others have carved out a place where Indigenous people can gather to relearn and celebrate Haudenosaunee culture. 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. Robin Kimmerers relation to nature delighted and amazed me, and at the same time plunged me into envy and near despair. Did you find the outline structure of the chapter effective? They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. The series Takes Care of Us honors native women and the care, protection, leadership and love the provide for their communities. 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. "Braiding Sweetgrass" Chapter 25: Witness to the Rainwritten by Robin Wall KimmererRead by Sen Naomi Kirst-SchultzOriginal text can be bought at:https://birc. Kimmerer believes that the connections in the natural world are there for us to listen to if were ready to hear them. Just read it. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. What problems does Kimmerer identify and what solutions does she propose in Braiding Sweetgrass? What aspects did you find difficult to understand? 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. Elsewhere the rain on . [], There are different kinds of drops, depending on the relationship between the water and the plant. The gods send disasters to strike them, and they also give the rest of creation their own voices to speak out against their mistreatment. These people are beautiful, strong, and clever, and they soon populate the earth with their children. Do you feel we have created an imbalance with our symbiotic relationship with Earth? By the 1850s, Western pioneers saw fit to drain the wetlands that supported the salmon population in order to create more pasture for their cattle. I read this book almost like a book of poetry, and it was a delightful one to sip and savor. In her talk, she references another scientist and naturalist weve covered before,Aldo Leopold. What are your first thoughts when you hear the word environmentalism?. Author: Kimmerer, Robin Wall Additional Titles: . She sees these responsibilities as extending past the saying of thanks for the earths bounty and into conservation efforts to preserve that which humanity values. They all lacked gratitude, which is indeed our unique gift as human beings, but increasingly Kimmerer says that she has come to think of language as our gift and responsibility as well. "Witness to the Rain" is the final chapter of the "Braiding Sweetgrass" section of RWK's beautiful book. Struggling with distance learning? Sshhhhh from rain, pitpitpit from hemlock, bloink from maple and lastly popp of falling alder water. Did this chapter change your view on the inner workings of forests? ", University of Colorado Boulder Libraries, Buffs One Read 2022-2023: Braiding Sweetgrass, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdome Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants. Does your perception of food change when you consider how food arrived at your table; specifically, a forced removal vs. garden nurturing? Fir needles fall with the high-frequency hiss of rain, branches fall with the bloink of big drops, and trees with a rare but thunderous thud. 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. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. I appreciated Robin Wall Kimmerers perspective on giving back to the land considering how much the land gives to us. 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. The motorists speeding by have no idea the unique and valuable life they are destroying for the sake of their own convenience. 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. Wall Kimmerer draws on her own life experiences and her half North American Indian and half white settler ancestry. Maybe there is no such thing as rain; there are only raindrops, each with its own story.. She isnt going for a walk or gathering kindling or looking for herbs; shes just paying attention. While the discursive style of, As we struggle to imagine a future not on fire, we are gifted here with an indigenous culture of. Did you Google any concepts or references? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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 . Welcome! Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Each print is individually named with a quality that embodies the ways they care for us all. Praise and Prizes These qualities also benefited them, as they were the only people to survive and endure. Oh my goodness, what an absolutely gorgeous book with possibly the best nature writing I've ever read. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. This passage also introduces the idea of ilbal, or a seeing instrument that is not a physical lens or device but a mythology. What did you think of the concept of the journey of plants relating to the journey of people? But her native heritage, and the teachings she has received as a conscious student of that heritage, have given her a perspective so far removed from the one the rest of us share that it transforms her experience, and her perception, of the natural world. What was most surprising or intriguing to you? 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. RECIPROCITY. 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. Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System, Karl Marx's Ecosocialism: Capital, Nature, and the Unfinished Critique of Political Economy, The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World, Debt - Updated and Expanded: The First 5,000 Years, Sacred Economics: Money, Gift, and Society in the Age of Transition, Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World, Another Now: Dispatches from an Alternative Present, Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works - and How It Fails, The Invisible Heart: Economics and Family Values, Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action, Social Reproduction Theory: Remapping Class, Recentring Oppression, Revolution at Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction, and Feminist Struggle. From his land, Dolp can see the remains of an old-growth forest on top of a nearby peak, the rest of the view being square patches of Douglas fir the paper companies had planted alternating with clear cut fields. Consider the degree of attention you give to the natural world. Summary/Review: "An inspired weaving of indigenous knowledge, plant science, and personal narrative from a distinguished professor of science and a Native American whose previous book, Gathering Moss, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing. So let's do two things, please, in prep for Wednesday night conversation: 1) Bring some homage to rainit can bea 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! The artists' books made in a concertina format, bear witness to the events observed, as visual scales. 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. Do you feel a deeper connection to your local plants now? Can you identify any ceremonies in which you participated, that were about the land, rather than family and culture? What literary devices are used in Braiding Sweetgrass? eNotes.com I close my eyes and listen to all the voices in the rain. 2023 . Witness to the rain. Was the use of animals as people in various stories an effective use of metaphor? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Did you recognize yourself or your experiences in it? "As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent . October 6, 2021 / janfalls. Begun in 2011, the project, called Helping Forests Walk, has paired SUNY scholars with local Indigenous people to learn how to . Burning Sweetgrass is the final section of this book. Was there a passage that struck you and stayed with you after you finished reading? How much do we love the environment that gives of itself despite our misuse of its resources? Rare, unless you measure time like a river. In addition to this feature event, Sweet Briar is hosting a series of events that complement . to explore their many inspiring collections, including the artist we are highlighting in complement to the Buffs One Read Braiding Sweetgrass. Do you consider them inanimate objects? It offered them a rich earthly existence and their culture mirrored this generosity by giving their goods away in the potlatch ceremony, imitating nature in their way of life. White Hawk earned a MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2011) and BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico (2008). A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Bestseller Named a Best Essay Collection of the Decade by Literary Hub As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. She is the author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants.She has BS in Botany from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry as well as a MS and PhD from the University of Wisconsin. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer . If so, what makes you feel a deeper connection with the land and how did you arrive at that feeling? How can species share gifts and achieve mutualism? Even a wounded world holds us, giving us. The Earth is but ONE country and all living beings her citizens. Abstract. This article highlights the findings of the literature on aboriginal fire from the human- and the land-centered disciplines, and suggests that the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples be incorporated into plans for reintroducing fire to the nation's forests. I read this book in a book club, and one of the others brought some braided Sweetgrass to our meeting. For more reflective and creative activity prompts, please join the Buffs OneRead community course: Braiding Sweetgrass. What kind of nostalgia, if any, comes to mind when you hear the quote Gone, all gone with the wind?. What have you overlooked or taken for granted? In: Fleischner, Thomas L., ed. Witness to the rain. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original The book the President should read, that all of us who care about the future of the planet should read, is Robin Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass. What did you think of the perspective regarding the ceremony of life events; in which those who have been provided with the reason for the celebration give gifts to those in attendance. Log in here. 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. "Burning Sweetgrass" is the final section of this book. This story is usually read as a history, but Kimmerer reminds the reader that in many Indigenous cultures time is not linear but rather circular. She is the co-founder and past president of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge section of the Ecological Society of America. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling collection of essays Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. It edges up the toe slope to the forest, a wide unseen river that flows beneath the eddies and the splash. The questionssampled here focus onreader experience and connection. How does Kimmerer use plants to illustrate her ideas in Braiding Sweetgrass? The reflecting surface of the pool is textured with their signatures, each one different in pace and resonance. 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. Listening, standing witness, creates an openness to the world in which the boundaries between us can dissolve in a raindrop. (LogOut/ But they're gifts, too. What fire within you has proven to be both good and bad? San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press: 187-195. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Five stars for the author's honest telling of her growth as a learner and a professor, and the impressions she must have made on college students unaccustomed to observing or interacting with nature. 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. Her students conducted a study showing that in areas where sweetgrass was harvested wisely (never take more than half) it returned the following year thicker and stronger. One of my goals this year was to read more non-fiction, a goal I believe I accomplished. Prior to its arrival on the New York Times Bestseller List, Braiding Sweetgrass was on the best seller list of its publisher, Milkweed Editions. These are not 'instructions' like commandments, though, or rules; rather they are like a compass: they provide an orientation but not a map. Noviolencia Integral y su Vigencia en el rea de la Baha, Action to Heal the (Titanic)Nuclear Madness, Astrobiology, Red Stars and the New Renaissance of Humanity. She honors the "humility rare in our species" that has led to developments like satellite imagery . She highlights that at the beginning of his journey, Nanabozho was an immigrant, arriving at an earth already fully populated with plants and animals, but by the end of his journey, Nanabozho has found a sense of belonging on Turtle Island. Each raindrop will fall individually, its size and destination determined by the path of its falls and the obstacles it encounters along its journey. I wish that I could stand like a shaggy cedar with rain seeping into my bark, that water could dissolve the barrier between us. Science is a painfully tight pair of shoes. On the other hand, Skywoman falls to Earth by accident, and lives in harmony with the animals she meets there. Dr. Kimmerer invites us to view our surroundings through a new lens; perhaps a lens we should have been using all along. What is the significance of Braiding Sweetgrass? Dr. Every drip it seems is changed by its relationship with life, whether it encounters moss or maple or fir bark or my hair. In Old-Growth Children Kimmerer tells how Franz Dolp, an economics professor, spent the last part of his life trying to restore a forest in the Oregon Coastal Range. Kimmerer also brings up how untouched land is now polluted and forgotten, how endangered species need to be protected, how we can take part in caring for nature, especially during the climate crisis that we are currently experiencing and have caused due to our carelessness and lack of concern for other species. I want to feel what the cedars feel and know what they know. Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer (also credited as Robin W. Kimmerer) (born 1953) is Associate Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). A graceful, illuminating study of the wisdom of the natural world, from a world-renowned indigenous scientist. In: Fleischner, Thomas L., ed. help you understand the book. Kimmerer combines these elements with a powerfully poetic voice that begs for the return to a restorative and sustainable relationship between people and nature. We've designed some prompts to help students, faculty, and all of the CU community to engage with the 2021 Buffs OneRead. The belly Button of the World -- Old-Growth Children -- Witness to the Rain -- Burning Sweetgrass -- Windigo Footprints -- The Sacred and the Superfund -- People of Corn, People of . He did so in a forty-acre plot of land where the old-growth forests had been destroyed by logging operations since the 1880s. It's difficult to rate this book, because it so frequently veered from two to five stars for me. The other chapter that captured me is titled Witness to the Rain. Rather than being historical, it is descriptive and meditative. Listening, standing witness, creates an openness to the world in which boundaries between us can dissolve in a raindrop." From 'Witness to Rain' [essay], BRAIDING SWEETGRASS: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2015 by Milkweed Editions. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Were you familiar with Carlisle, Pennsylvania prior to this chapter? However, there is one plant, the broadleaf plantain, sometimes known as the White Mans Footstep, that has assimilated and become somewhat indigenous to place, working with the native plants in symbiosis in order to propagate. Exactly how they do this, we don't yet know. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. How do we change our economy or our interaction within the economy that is destroying the environment? Maybe there is no such thing as rain; there are only raindrops, each with its own story. I would read a couple of essays, find my mind wandering, and then put the book down for a couple of weeks. Why or why not? One thing Ive learned in the woods is that there is no such thing as random. What questions would you add to this list? Then she listens. In this chapter, Kimmerer discusses Franz Dolps attempts to regenerate an old-growth forest. What creates a strong relationship between people and Earth? 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. What can benefit from the merging of worlds, like the intersection of Western science and Indigenous teachings? To Be In ReceptiveSilence (InnerCharkha), RestorativeJustice & NonviolentCommunication, Superando la Monocultura Interna y Externa / Overcoming Inner & OuterMonoculture, En la Oscuridad con Asombro/ In Darkness with Wonder. Corn, she says, is the product of light transformed by relationship via photosynthesis, and also of a relationship with people, creating the people themselves and then sustaining them as their first staple crop. The property she purchases comes with a half acre pond that once was the favorite swimming hole for the community's boys, but which now is choked with plant growth. Pull up a seat, friends. Braiding Sweetgrass addresses a tapestry of relationships that represent a larger, more significant relationship between humans and the environment we call home. Dr. Kimmerer does a fantastic job of shining a spotlight on the intersectionality of traditionally divergent spheres; most specifically, Western scientific methods and Indigenous teachings. The way of natural history. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Kimmerer occupies two radically different thought worlds. Braiding Sweetgrass. How did this change or reinforce your understanding of gifts and gift-giving? Kimmerer often muses on how we can live in reciprocity with the land, and gratitude, as our uniquely human gift, is always an important part of this. Kimmerer is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. How do we compensate the plants for what weve received? It has created powerful tools for ravaging the planets ecosystems, creating a hard path for our descendants. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. The chapters reinforce the importance of reciprocity and gratitude in defeating the greed that drives human expansion at the expense of the earths health and plenitude. In this chapter, Kimmerer recounts a field trip she took with a group of students while she was teaching in the Bible Belt. As a social scientist myself, I found her nuanced ideas about the relationship between western science and indigenous worldviews compelling. A fairly gentle, love-based look at ecology and the climate crisis with lots of educational value. Written from a native American point of view, Braiding Sweetgrass (2013) is one of the most unusual books Ive read. This quote from the chapter Witness to the Rain, comes from a meditation during a walk in the rain through the forest. date the date you are citing the material. OK, this book was a journey and not a precisely pleasant one. But I'm grateful for this book and I recommend it to every single person! Kimmerer also discusses her own journey to Kanatsiohareke, where she offered her own services at attempting to repopulate the area with native sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions, 2013. When people are in the presence of nature, often no other lesson is needed to move them to awe. 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. So I stretch out, close my eyes, and listen to the rain. This chapter focuses on a species of lichen called Umbilicaria, which is technically not one organism but two: a symbiotic marriage between algae and fungi. Robin Kimmerer, Potawatomi Indigenous ecologist, author, and professor, asks this question as she ponders the fleeting existence of our sister speciesspecies such as the passenger pigeon, who became extinct a century ago. . 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. As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools . The story focuses on the central role of the cattail plant, which can fulfill a variety of human needs, as the students discover. As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Does the act of assigning scientific labels halt exploration? Do you consider sustainability a diminished standard of living? Do you feel rooted to any particular place? Kimmerer, Robin Wall Summary "An inspired weaving of indigenous knowledge, plant science, and personal narrative from a distinguished professor of science and a Native American whose previous book, Gathering Moss, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing. Afterward they want to create a creature who can speak, and so they try to make humans. Adapting Fearlessness, Nonviolence, Anarchy and Humility in the 21st century. Read the Epilogue of Braiding Sweetgrass, Returning the Gift. As water professionals, can we look closely enough at the raindrops to learn from them and respect the careful balance of these interactions when we design and build the infrastructure we rely on? In this way, Kimmerer encourages the reader to let go of the ways in which humans have attempted to define the world, emphasizing instead the wisdom of nonhuman beings. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Do you believe in land as a teacher? In Oregon, on the West Coast of the United States, the hard shiny leaves of salal and Oregon grape make a gentle hiss of "ratatatat" (293). As a botanist and indigenous person you'd think this would be right up my alley, but there was something about the description that made it sound it was going to be a lot of new-age spiritual non-sense, and it was a bit of that, but mostly I was pleasantly surprised that it was a more "serious" book than I thought it'd be. From his origins as a real estate developer to his incarnation as Windigo-in-Chief, he has regarded "public lands"our forests, grasslands, rivers, national parks, wildlife reservesall as a warehouse of potential commodities to be sold to the highest bidder. -by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Nov 24 2017) However alluring the thought of warmth, there is no substitute for standing in the rain to waken every sensesenses that are muted within four walls, where my attention would be on me, instead of all that is more than me. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. When we take from the land, she wants us to insist on an honourable harvest, whether were taking a single vegetable for sustenance or extracting minerals from the land. 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. She is a gifted speaker and teacher. 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? How can we refrain from interfering with the sacred purpose of another being? Through this symbiotic relationship, the lichen is able to survive in harsh conditions. Will the language you use when referencing plants change? What can we offer the environment that supplies us with so much? Clearly I am in the minority here, as this book has some crazy high ratings overall. Water knows this, clouds know this.. Dr. Kimmerer weaves together one of the most rich resources to date in Braiding Sweetgrass, and leaves us with a sense of hope rather than paralyzing fear. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does.
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