What does the book title, Braiding Sweetgrass, mean?

Sunday’s Story for All Ages was excerpted from the book, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Robin is a botanist, a MacArthur fellow, but she is also a member of the Citizen Potawatomi nation. Her goal is to marry scientific knowledge to indigenous knowledge. Her book endeavors to do this by telling native American stories and describing how science augments rather than contrasts with this knowledge.

In her northern plains native tradition, Sweetgrass is s special plant. In her native language it is called wiingaashk, meaning the sweet-smelling hair of Mother Earth. Three strands of grass bundles are braided together to make a ceremonial bundle for burning, much as great plains Indians burn sage.

Robin Kimmerer braids scientific knowledge of plants, with indigenous ways of knowing by telling stories, creating a braid of knowledge.

If you are intrigued by this process, consider reading her book. My copy is a Kindle version from Amazon. In addition, Robin has made many videos of her distinctive ideas. I recommend these:

Robin Wall Kimmerer, Plant Ecologist, Educator, and Writer | 2022 MacArthur Fellow 2;12 minutes. (Biographical introduction)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiVvl-p_6O8

The Honorable Harvest — Robin Kimmerer. 3:30 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEm7gbIax0o

GIFTS OF THE LAND | A Guided Nature Tour with Robin Wall Kimmerer 20:48 minutes

A guided nature tour of Clark Reservation State Park in Jamesville, NY in early spring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxJUFGlPYn4

Submitted by Teresa Wilmot