Audrey Hales - Braiding Sweetgrass

I have been reading Braiding Sweetgrass in another class, and find the writing facinating. Kimmerer’s dual perspective as a member of the Potawatomi Nation and as a scientist offers unique insights into how Indigenous knowledge can complement and enhance scientific understanding. In her book, “Braiding Sweetgrass” she begins by discussing indigenous, biblical, and Mayan creation stories and the vital role they play in our relationship with nature, that “we are inevitably shaped by them” (7). She explains in Skywoman’s story, “It was through her actions of reciprocity, the give and take with the land, that the original immigrant became indigenous.” (9). Kimmerer contrasts this with the biblical creation story, where humans are banished to live in nature, highlighting different cultural views of humanity’s role in the natural world. Another fascinating perspective that highlights the synthesis of her indigenous and botanical knowledge, is her discussion of how Western tradition views humans as the pinnacle of creation, while Indigenous cultures see humans as “the younger brothers of creation.” She writes, “We say that humans have the least experience with how to live and thus the most to learn, we must look to our teachers among other species for guidance” (9). This is such a fascinating perspective because it harmonizes with evolution history and also a spiritual respect for all species. In the chapter “The People of the Seventh Fire” we look towards the future, to an Anishinaabe prophecy of crossroads but also the impending certainty of climate change. She warns, “One road is green, lush, and fertile. The other is scorched” (366). This chapter underscores the urgency of environmental choices. I think it was very intentional to choose a chapter for us to read on the creation comparison and then another for the future and present crossroads that lay at our feet. 


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