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When a young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder while visiting Philadelphia with his mother, police detective John Book tries to protect the boy until an attempt on Book's life forces him into hiding in Amish country. What was most surprising or intriguing to you? Did you consider this a melancholy chapter? Five stars for introducing me to Sweetgrass, its many Native American traditions, and her message of caring for and showing gratitude for the Earth. Without the knowledge of the guide, she'd have walked by these wonders and missed them completely. This list is simply a starting point, an acknowledgement and gesture of gratitude for the many women in my life that have helped Create, Nurture, Protect, and Lead in ways that have taught me what it means to be a good relative. 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. 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. I wish that I could stand like a shaggy cedar with rain seeping into my bark, that water could dissolve the barrier between us. Author: Kimmerer, Robin Wall Additional Titles: . What are your first thoughts when you hear the word environmentalism?. 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 you show gratitude in your daily life; especially to the Earth? 4 Mar. And we think of it as simply rain, as if it were one thing, as if we understood it. The book is simultaneously meditative about the. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit . "Witness to the Rain" is the final chapter of the "Braiding Sweetgrass" section of RWK's beautiful book. Which were the most and least effective chapters, in your opinion? What were your thoughts surrounding the Original Instructions?. I would read a couple of essays, find my mind wandering, and then put the book down for a couple of weeks. Planting Sweetgrass includes the chapters Skywoman Falling, The Council of Pecans, The Gift of Strawberries, An Offering, Asters and Goldenrod, and Learning the Grammar of Animacy. Kimmerer introduces the concepts of reciprocity, gratitude, and gift-giving as elements of a healthy relationship with ones environment which she witnessed from her indigenous family and culture growing up. 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 . Similarly, each moment in time is shaped by human experience, and a moment that might feel long for a butterfly might pass by in the blink of an eye for a human and might seem even shorter for a millennia-old river. Pull up a seat, friends. It was not until recently that the dikes were removed in an effort to restore the original salt marsh ecosystem. Do you believe in land as a teacher? Do you feel we have created an imbalance with our symbiotic relationship with Earth? I think that moss knows rain better than we do, and so do maples. Its author, an acclaimed plant scientist born and raised in the U.S., has been conditioned by the Western European culture were all heir to, and writes in full awareness that her audience will consist mainly of non-natives. 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. If time is measured by the period between events, alder drip time is different from maple drip. help you understand the book. Wall Kimmerer draws on her own life experiences and her half North American Indian and half white settler ancestry. Then I would find myself thinking about something the author said, decide to give the book another try, read a couple of essays, etc. Christelle Enault is an artist and illustrator based in Paris. Dr. Kimmerer invites us to view our surroundings through a new lens; perhaps a lens we should have been using all along. It perceives the family of life to be little more than a complex biochemical machine. Kimmerer describes how the lichen unites the two main sources of nourishment: gathering and hunting. The other chapter that captured me is titled Witness to the Rain. Rather than being historical, it is descriptive and meditative. It teaches the reader so many things about plants and nature in general. San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press: 187-195. (including. It is a book that explores the connection between living things and human efforts to cultivate a more sustainable world through the lens of indigenous traditions. Change). Complete your free account to request a guide. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. After reading the book, what do you find yourself curious about? How do you feel community strength relates to our treatment of the environment? 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. It's difficult to rate this book, because it so frequently veered from two to five stars for me. Do any specific plants bring you comfort and connection? 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. How does Kimmerer use myths to illustrate her ideas in Braiding Sweetgrass? 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Preface and Planting Sweetgrass Summary and Analysis. The author reflects on how modern botany can be explained through these cultures. The way of natural history. But Kimmerer's intention is not to hone a concept of obligation via theoretical discussions from a distance but rather to witness its inauguration close up and Inside looking out, I could not bear the loneliness of being dry in a wet world. Our lifestyle content is crafted to bring eco-friendly and sustainable ideas more mainstream. Teachers and parents! The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Does the act of assigning scientific labels halt exploration? 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. Here in the rainforest, I dont want to just be a bystander to rain, passive and protected; I want to be part of the downpour, to be soaked, along with the dark humus that squishes underfoot. 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. At root, Kimmerer is seeking to follow an ancient model for new pathways to sustainability. We are discussing it here: Audiobook..narrated by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Powerful book with lots of indigenous wisdom related to science, gratitude, and how we relate to the land. How often do we consider the language, or perceptions, of those with whom we are trying to communicate? The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Dr. Kimmerer has taught courses in botany, ecology, ethnobotany, indigenous environmental issues as well as a seminar in application of traditional ecological knowledge to conservation. It asks whether human beings are capable of being mothers too, and whether this feminine generosity can be reciprocated in a way which is meaningful to the planet. What literary devices are used in Braiding Sweetgrass? "T his is a time to take a lesson from mosses," says Robin Wall Kimmerer, celebrated writer and botanist. If tannin rich alder water increases the size of the drops, might not water seeping through a long curtain of moss also pick up tannins, making the big strong drops I thought I was seeing? Does your perception of food change when you consider how food arrived at your table; specifically, a forced removal vs. garden nurturing? 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). A graceful, illuminating study of the wisdom of the natural world, from a world-renowned indigenous scientist. In addition to this feature event, Sweet Briar is hosting a series of events that complement . This idea has been mentioned several times before, but here Kimmerer directly challenges her fellow scientists to consider it as something other than a story: to actually allow it to inform their worldviews and work, and to rethink how limited human-only science really is. A fairly gentle, love-based look at ecology and the climate crisis with lots of educational value. 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. Why or why not? Kimmerer reaches a place where shes in tune with nature. The gods send disasters to strike them, and they also give the rest of creation their own voices to speak out against their mistreatment. Do you relate more to people of corn or wood? This is an important and a beautiful book. Last Updated on March 23, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. Why or why not? Did you find the outline structure of the chapter effective? Tending Sweetgrass includes the chapters Maple Sugar Moon, Witch Hazel, A Mothers Work, The Consolation of Water Lilies, and Allegiance to Gratitude. This section more closely explores the bounty of the earth and what it gives to human beings. Today were celebrating Robin Wall Kimmerer, Professor of Environmental Science and Forestry at State University of New York College and citizen of the Potawatomi Nation. Kimmerer hopes that with the return of salmon to Cascade Head, some of the sacred ceremonies of gratitude and reciprocity that once greeted them might return as well. These questions may be posed to an entire class, to small groups, to online communities, or as personal reflective prompts. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. I really enjoyed this. . PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. She writes about the natural world from a place of such abundant passion that one can never quite see the world the same way after having seen it through Kimmerer's eyes. Despairing towards the end of the trip that she had focused too much on scientific graphing of vegetation and too little on the spiritual importance of land, Kimmerer recalls being humbled as the students began to sing Amazing Grace. Kimmerer begins by affirming the importance of stories: stories are among our most potent tools for restoring the land as well as our relationship to land. Because we are both storytellers and storymakers, paying attention to old stories and myths can help us write the narrative of a better future. Witness to the Rain Robin Wall Kimmerer | Last.fm Search Live Music Charts Log In Sign Up Robin Wall Kimmerer Witness to the Rain Love this track More actions Listeners 9 Scrobbles 11 Join others and track this song Scrobble, find and rediscover music with a Last.fm account Sign Up to Last.fm Lyrics Add lyrics on Musixmatch 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 . In the story, the first divine beings, or gods, create plants and animals to fill the emptiness. This nonfiction the power of language, especially learning the language of your ancestors to connect you to your culture as well as the heartbreaking fact that indigenous children who were banned from speaking anything from English in academic settings. Would you consider re-reading Braiding Sweetgrass? She compares this healthy relationship to the scientific relationship she experienced as a young scholar, wherein she struggled to reconcile spirituality, biology, and aesthetics into one coherent way of thinking. Its messagekeepsreaching new people, having been translated so far into nearly 20 languages. Her book of personal observations about nature and our relationship to it,Braiding Sweetgrass, Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants,has been on theNYTimes bestseller list as a paperback for an astounding 130 weeks. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. 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. . Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of "Braiding Sweetgrass" Sweet Briar College is thrilled to welcome Robin Wall Kimmerer on March 23, 2022, for a special in-person (and livestream) presentation on her book "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.". From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. The fish-eye lens gives me a giant forehead and tiny ears. In. How would you describe the sensation when you did or did not? Are there aspects of a Windigo within each of us? They are wise enough to be grateful. Out of all the gods experiments, only the corn people respect the world that sustains themand so they were the people who were sustained upon the earth.. First, shes attracted by the way the drops vary in size, shape, and the swiftness of their fall, depending on whether they hang from a twig, the needles of a tree, drooping moss, or her own bangs. Braiding Sweetgrass is a nonfiction work of art by Dr. Robin Kimmerer. How Human People Are Only One Manifestation of Intelligence In theUniverse. Dr. She puts itwonderfully in this talk: Its not the land which is broken, but our relationship to the land.. Her first book, published in 2003, was the natural and cultural history book Gathering . I'm sure there is still so much I can't see. Her writing blends her academic botantical scientific learning with that of the North American indigenous way of life, knowledge and wisdom, with a capital W. She brings us fair and square to our modus operandi of live for today . 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. Instant PDF downloads. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. What do you consider the power of ceremony? When was the last time you experienced a meditative moment listening to the rain? 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! A deep invisible river, known to roots and rocks, the water and the land intimate beyond our knowing. What concepts were the most difficult to grasp, if any? What have you overlooked or taken for granted? Did you note shapes as metaphor throughout the book? I was intimated going into it (length, subject I am not very familiar with, and the hype this book has) but its incredibly accessible and absolutely loved up to the seemingly unanimous five star ratings.