Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Nature Connections Book Club to discuss Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
For anyone who couldn’t join us live, a summary of our discussions and details of our next meetup are below.
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Your Thoughts on... Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Overall, we really enjoyed the book, describing it as “deep-rooted,” “thought-provoking,” and “intelligent.” We felt this book did a fantastic job of bridging Indigenous knowledge and scientific research in a way that was accessible and welcoming to all.
We explored the language used in the book. Kimmerer’s poetic style brings Indigenous knowledge and scientific method to life. We discussed the use of anthropomorphism in the English language and reflected on the fact that English often lacks the words to describe the concepts we are discussing. Kimmerer’s exploration of language in "Learning the Grammar of Animacy" was a fascinating read. We reflected on how some languages place great emphasis on humans while others treat all living things as equals.
We discussed personhood and presence. For some of us, Kimmerer’s descriptions of Nature and all beings of Nature as a ‘who’ rather than an ‘it’ resonated deeply. For others, it was a newer concept and was tricky to absorb. Rather than using the word ‘person,’ some preferred to use the term ‘presence’ to describe other beings.
We were reminded of our role in a reciprocal relationship with Nature. We discussed practices we already undertake that are reciprocal, such as tending to our gardens. As we reflected on the impact of this book, some of us shared new reciprocal practices that we had started to explore after reading, such as litter picking while out foraging or remembering to ask permission when harvesting plants from our gardens.
Taking Your Book into Nature
This book club is about building a connection to Nature through literature. A key part of this book is about building a relationship of reciprocity with Nature. Whether you already have a reciprocal relationship with Nature or this is a new concept for you, we invite you to try your own, new reciprocal practice.
During the session, we discussed asking permission before harvesting, litter picking, and providing water to plants as examples of ways we can give back to Nature. You may wish to try one of these, look for ideas within the book, or think of your own practice to suit your lifestyle.
Our Next Book:
The Overstory by Richard Powers Wednesday 28 August at 7pm BST, 2pm EDT & 11am PDT Tickets are £3 and available through the link below
We can’t thank everyone enough who came along and contributed to this session. If you’d like to join the discussion, share your thoughts with us at learning@treesisters.org or join our next book club meet-up through the link below.