By: Christa K.
On nearly all fundamental fronts, solutions to climate change, such as converting to clean energy, diminishing carbon emissions, and eradicating the usage of fossil fuels (to name a few) have engulfed the perception many individuals have on what it means to restore equilibrium to the natural world. By way of illustration, remedies effectuated by and entrenched in the ideologies held by Western Science. However, Robin Wall Kimmerer conveys an alternative approach to the climate crisis that requires one to reckon with their relationship to flora and fauna.
In its essence, Braiding Sweetgrass is an assemblage of essays that intertwine explicit scientific fact, indigenous folklore & knowledge, and eclectic personal anecdotes. Throughout the progression of the book, a spiritually seismic philosophy is cultivated that not only teeters on the values of reciprocity and gratitude, but also acts as a reflection of the coexistence of Kimmerer’s various identities as a scientist, professor, mother, and most importantly, member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.
Two Sets Of Hands Braiding Sweetgrass With Dexterity.
Photo from: Earthling Opinion
According to an ancient Anishinaabe story pertaining to the creation of the Earth, strawberries originated from the area in which the heart of the deceased daughter of Skywoman, a mother goddess who descended to Earth by falling through a hole in the sky, was buried. Since the strawberries were indicative of the final gifts Skywoman left behind, Kimmerer interprets the flourishing of wild strawberries in her local field as gratuitous gifts offered to humans from the strawberries themselves and only meant to be taken in moderation—a sacrifice of existence for the sustenance of another species. Upon the acceptance of the gifts from the environment, a relationship that entails an obligation “to give, to receive, and to reciprocate” (pg. 25) ensues. Thus, Kimmerer would weed out miniscule patches of bare ground where the runners resided for the roots of the strawberries to emerge from the runners and eventually, proliferate at the end of the next season. Kimmerer willingly allocates time to the maintenance of the strawberries because it is a means for her to reimburse the strawberries for their benevolence, demonstrate appreciation, and perpetuate the camaraderie that was initiated on the exchange of gifts; gifts that one has the propensity for contributing. Fittingly, the act of picking strawberries induces the strawberry genes to propagate through future generations with a higher frequency than those of the strawberries whose fruit failed to garner the same type of appeal.
Although Kimmerer did not do so in her encounter with the wild strawberries, as she was a child, she reveals that it is customary to first introduce yourself, elucidate your need, and request permission to the respective vegetation or animal who possesses a gift you may wish for it to bestow. Once humanity starts to shift its perspective of the elements of the world as mere commodities to gift-giving kin worthy of continuous reciprocity and gratitude, there will no longer be any need to generate distress over overindulgence, demolition, and exploitation of our ecosystems. Hence, Kimmerer feels as if scientifically-driven solutions to combat climate change will not adequately address the crux of the issue alone, which in this case is human exceptionalism and the lack of animacy given to non-human species.
In addition to human exceptionalism, Kimmerer deems a phenomenon called “species loneliness” as another underlying factor in the exacerbation of climate change. Kimmerer characterizes species loneliness as “a deep, unnamed sadness stemming from estrangement from the rest of Creation, from the loss of relationship” (pg. 208-209). As a result of humans progressively forging barriers to becoming acquainted with nature, including (but not limited to) enclosed buildings, economic systems, and technology, humans have inadvertently self-appointed themselves foreigners to a place that was once their home. If humans had not forged barriers or had recognized the presence of the barriers and decided to dismantle them, humans would be bombarded by a sense of familiarity when immersed in the natural world and in turn, believe that the Earth loved them as much as they had deep down loved the Earth—there was no unrequited love that was hindering a potential sacred bond. In other words, direct confrontations with nature in its purest form will allow human beings to understand the beneficial relationships between people and the environment and become cognizant of the amount of care the Earth has for their emotional nourishment. Kimmerer asserts that the knowledge of the Earth reciprocating our love for them would be an incentive for humanity to accomplish character development and develop an urgency to protect the Earth because of how it would be in the best interest of the Earth. Furthermore, it is a universally acknowledged truth that one would not harm their loved ones, much less their own kind, especially considering how love raises the stakes in that it would come at the expense of their own well-being now.
Kimmerer Teaching Her Students General Botany In A Garden
Photo from: The Native Seed Pod
To conclude, I found Kimmerer’s writing to be replete of romanticism, whilst being anchored by coherence, which masterfully eulogized Kimmerer and wedded nuance to the ideas aforementioned. It was not remotely lost on me that Kimmerer’s innermost thoughts were once occupied by longings to pursue a career as a poet. Having not been exposed to Indigienous culture hitherto, it was an insightful and tender experience to learn about it intimately, namely through Skywoman, Nanabozho, Windigo, the Honorable Harvest, the Three Sisters, sweetgrass, the Potawatomi language, and the rehabilitation a myriad of tribes are undergoing for facing generational adversity. Moreover, I admired Kimmerer’s ability to be frank when discussing her eternal journey of growth as an individual and as an educator. Although she may have once conformed to the rigid teachings of Western Science and made critical judgements concerning her college students who were unversed in interacting with their natural surroundings, Kimmerer redeems herself by corroborating that she has spent the rest of her life attentively implementing the very own philosophy she preaches in this book. Nevertheless, I still could not help but be displeased over the discursive flow of some of the essays, monotonous structure of each of the chapters, and agonizingly repetitive phraseology. I would advise Kimmerer to bring the book to an end right around 150 to 200 pages or so, as her points were already made by then. Consequently, on a scale of 5 stars, I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Discussion Questions:
Does Kimmerer mobilize aspects of her identity to enrich the themes of gratitude and reciprocity in Braiding Sweetgrass? If so, why is it necessary?
Why do the solutions to climate change offered by Western Science only catalyze change in a superficial manner?
Works Cited:
Kimmerer, R. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass. Penguin Books.
Ramos, P. (2016). [Photograph of braided sweetgrass] Earthling Opinion. https://earthlingopinion.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/great-medicine-for-each-other/braided-sweetgrass/
[Photograph of Kimmerer teaching her students]. The Native Seed Pod. https://www.nativeseedpod.org/podcast/2018/episode-4-robin-kimmerer