Braiding Sweetgrass is a botany book that explores indigenous knowledge and wisdom distinct from the scientific knowledge in Western science. Being a botanist and also a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Kimmerer seamlessly draws from her own heritage and experiences with the natural world. Through traditional ecological knowledge, she demonstrates the balance that exists in nature by also following a scientific approach. In the book, she delves into the sustainable harvesting of Sweetgrass while incorporating the idea of reciprocity between nature and man.
Kimmerer focuses on Sweetgrass since it is a sacred grass to the indigenous populace and also an allegory to the ecological balance. In essence, the natural world is reciprocal and the cycle is only possible if sustenance and healing are in equal measure. She maintains that nature is the teacher contrary to the notion that humans are the pinnacle of evolution. The human population should learn to love and heal the natural world akin to the plants and the ecological systems in nature. The book aims to describe the give and take phenomenon in the living world that allows for nature and species to dwell in harmony. Though the eponymous Sweetgrass is the primary plant in the book she explores squash, strawberries, goldenrod, and algae to further the discourse.
The book follows a specific structure that interweaves five parts namely Planting Sweetgrass, Tending, Braiding, Picking, and Burning Sweetgrass. Kimmerer integrates this ritualistic progression in the indigenous culture to illustrate the cyclical nature of life. Publishers Weekly states, “With deep compassion and graceful prose, Robin Wall Kimmerer encourages readers to consider the ways that our lives and language weave through the natural world. A mesmerizing storyteller, she shares legends from her Potawatomi ancestors to illustrate the culture of gratitude in which we all should live.”
