Read Women discussion

Introduction

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist - a botanist and a bryologist (expert on moss), decorated Professor of Environmental & Forest Biology and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

Author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, which was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing.

This link below is a wonderful, casual introduction to the author, as she takes us on a walk in the forest, a little example of all that is to come in what we will learn from reading the book.

A Nature Walk

Gifts Of The Land - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxJUF... - A Guided Nature Tour with Robin Wall Kimmerer - a guided nature tour of Clark Reservation State Park in Jamesville, NY as spring welcomes back migrating creatures and sends a message to wake up those who have taken a winter rest.

Interviews

NPR’s On Being with Krista Tippett - https://onbeing.org/programs/robin-wa...

the Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2...
The nature writer talks about her fight for plant rights, and why she hopes the pandemic will increase human compassion for the natural world.

The book contains 5 sections, Planting/Tending/Picking/Braiding/Burning SWEETGRASS and within those sections there are 32 essays.

Themes

We will be presented with indigenous teachings, scientific knowledge and philosophical dilemmas.

Themes explored of reciprocity, the spirit of community, a gift economy versus a property (market) economy, gratitude, the four aspects of being —mind, body, emotion, spirit, and the language of animacy.

I'm looking forward to this one. I downloaded it from Audible, and I'll start as soon as I finish up the book I'm reading. Thanks for all the links.

I read this earlier this year via an audiobook. It is excellent and highly thought-provoking.

I started last night, trying to go slow and absorb. Absolutely loved the story of the Skywoman that it opened with. A quick google search gave me plenty of similar creation stories across Native and indigenous groups.

I got the audio version as well as hard copy. Sitting on a plane for four hours gave me a good start listening. Robin reads the version I am listening to and her voice is wonderful.
I loved the Skywoman and Turtle Island stories too. I have heard the story in other reading but this motivated me to do some lookups.
I also love the beliefs about gift giving.
There is no word for “please” in the native language.

I also loved the Skywoman and Turtle Islands stories.

Planting Sweetgrass

I too enjoyed the simplicity, resonance and generosity of Skywoman falling. It being the foundation that holds much wisdom. It reminded me of the interconnectivity of indigenous legends and storytelling, I grew up with Maori legends and their creation myth is also one of sky and earth separating to bring in light and life.

I liked in this section the introduction to another way of seeing, of seeing the whole and the relationships in nature, things we might intuit from observing, before the learned mind buries those ideas and imaginings and conditions us to be otherwise.

What a gift it is that Robin Wall Kimmerer returns to her origins and own questions, and is able to see both ways. She too is Skywoman.

Hi! I haven't been active very much in the group but I want to read this and this is a perfect opportunity to do so! Hope to share my thoughts :)

i r e n e wrote: "Hi! I haven't been active very much in the group but I want to read this and this is a perfect opportunity to do so! Hope to share my thoughts :)"

Looking forward to reading them i r e n e, any time and on any thread!

I had posted a comment on her purposeful language towards plants and animals. Good reads gave me an error so I will try again with much less fervor.

The idea of purposefully using language which grants entity status to nature really interests me. I remember quite a few years ago when I made purposeful changes to my language in regards to non-gender specific language. I used to stumble over it, using they or them instead if he/she. It's so natural now that I get confused when other people seem confused over my choice of broader language. It's strange to me now that very restrictive language is the norm for so many. Obviously I'm speaking only to my native language, as I don't know if this is the case in other languages.

Applying language to plants and animals that acknowledges they are living beings, I think, would be a small yet powerful step towards practicing respect towards the world around us. The same as non-gender specific language, I think on the other side I would be amazed at the idea that a living being wouldn't be considered a living being from simple choice of language. Robin brings up the counter argument of personification and how people argue that applying human traits and characteristics on animals is wrong because they aren't humans - they don't think or live like humans, obviously - almost had me in agreement; especially from a scientific standpoint. Animals aren't humans and placing human labels on them would also place human expectations on them, I thought. But she points out that they are still living beings worthy of that acknowledgement. So true. Personification is another human error, I suppose, and we will have to learn the difference as well.

Anita wrote: "I had posted a comment on her purposeful language towards plants and animals. Good reads gave me an error so I will try again with much less fervor."

I was also really struck by what she said. I think western languages allow a disconnect with nature and animals.

She made me think about how I used to be very connected to the natural world, but since moving to Colorado, that has changed drastically, and I feel that absence keenly.

I had to smile at the story of her grandfather in his skivvies. :)

This book is not what I had expected. It's really making me very emotional. Where she is talking about her children growing up.... so many tears. I guess it doesn't help that my oldest daughter is graduating from college next week. She still lives with us, but it won't be for much longer. My youngest is 12. I was just all verklempt reading that section.

Anita wrote: "I had posted a comment on her purposeful language towards plants and animals. Good reads gave me an error so I will try again with much less fervor.

The idea of purposefully using language which g..."

The language of animacy - and yes, I loved that chapter where she recounts her students having a discussion about this. Most of us stop at not wanting to personify inanimate objects because it is a disservice to non-human living things but we stop there. We don't give non-human living things their own sense of vital life energy.

I'm on the second section of the book now, and I'm finding this book a lovely surprise. How Robin weaves in her personal connection with a plant to a profound lesson of how we can, as humans, connect to the earth, learn from the earth too.

At some parts, this reminded me of The Hidden Life of Trees, but I never finished it and I think it is because it was quite science-heavy, whereas this is giving me the spiritual connection.

The pond! That is some serious dedication. :) I love the intention with which she is caring for the other living beings in and around the pond while trying to fulfill her promise. Here's a little of my own personal history.... I grew up in an Evangelical religion that often treated "dominion of the Earth" as "use the Earth to your advantage." I always believed that having dominion over the earth meant to be its caretakers. (yes - it's true - I never fit in well. LOL.) I really appreciated the intention and care that was put into the rehabilitation efforts with the pond.

Also, I really want to have a "Three Sisters Potluck" now. :) What a lovely idea.

Misty wrote: "The pond! That is some serious dedication. :) I love the intention with which she is caring for the other living beings in and around the pond while trying to fulfill her promise. Here's a little o..."

I just read that section about the pond as well. I really enjoyed how this section blended her scientific observations with her indigenous purpose.

Like i r e n e, I love her writing. The way she weaves her personal stories in with stories of nature as well as indigenous history... it's very enrapturing. I have to admit that her voice is very enthusiastic and honest. I can really hear her love and excitement.

I also enjoyed the earlier story of the wild strawberries as gifts, and was glad when she brings these themes up later as well, the idea of nature's gifts as things that can't be purchased, as well as how gifts build community and how we need to build that love between ourselves and nature. Reciprocity was a very moving section.

It may seem very different or even extreme, but honestly I wish we were raised and raised our children with such love and respect for nature, so that it would be intrinsic to us as adults and society.

I jusy started this last night. I'm very slow at reading nonfiction so it will probably take me much longer than everybody else to get through it. The chapters seem to be very short which helps. I had to set it down after reading skywoman falling as it was just so beautiful and thought provoking. The contrast between stories of skywoman vs eve were a fantastic way of highlighting the different ways of thinking between indiginous and European ways of thinking. It left me feeling full of grief

Another trip on a plane so I got to spend a number of hours listening to Robin's voice. Nothing better to soothe the anxiety of traveling stuffed in a metal tube with a horde of strangers.
My favorite parts were those you all have mentioned.
The story of her first foray into the teaching field of biology had me choked up, how she thought she was a failure because she was too clinical but then the reaction of her students.
I am loving this selection.

I am the music director at an Episcopal parish in Denver. We had a celebratory staff lunch today. We were talking about different religious/spiritual books, and I said, "Oh! Let me tell you about this book I am reading. It's called Braiding Sweetgrass." To which our rector said, "Robin Wall Kimmerer," and the pastoral associate said, "That is a great book!" LOL. So much for my discovery! :) I have mentioned this book to several other people who had similar responses, so I said, "Am I the last person to know about this book?!" :)

it really is a wonderful book to read in the company if others and talk about. I visited a client recently, and saw this book on a table, she had been reading a chapter a day, it's so rare for me to find someone here in France who is reading the same book as me in English. I love the serendipity of that. it is such a comforting and cathartic read. Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone.

I´m only into the second section of the book, but I like it very much so far - the combination of modern science and old experience and the author´s search for her roots. Will take me a while to finish it, as it has to be relished.

I recently read a list of the best non-fiction books recommended for the holidays in Austria, and this one was included, as it´s also available in German. :)

I finished this last night. Part 1 was much more enjoyable for me. I'm not sure what happened with the second part, but there just didn't seem to be as much that I felt discussion-worthy. Not that it was bad, it just went by much faster I suppose? I think maybe the general arc of the second section was very much centered around the balance we need to maintain with nature in efforts to save both it and ourselves.

I really loved her voice on the audio book, and really her love for swamps and nature really shone through on her essays about exploring them - like the pond in part 1, and many excursions with her classes and students in part 2. I look forward to finding some murky swamp somewhere to explore and just kind of sit and see all of the life in it.

Another wonderful read I'm so glad to have shared with the group.

I'm now reading section 4 Braiding Sweetgrass and noticed I wasn't highlighting as many passages, it was the story about taking premed students on a camping trip and the Director wearing his lab coat. I wasn't expecting to be so moved by the end, where she feels she's failed as they descend the mountain and the students begin to sing Amazing Grace. Wow, talk about pierce the heart. It just reminded me that there are so many areas of our lives where we have been conditioned and are expected to behave and do things in certain ways, and the huge impact nature in her silence can have on humanity. How chanting or singing changes the vibration.

Thanks Anita for sharing your thoughts along the way, the pond chapter was a favourite for me too, the combination of doing the work and being open to the learning that the entire mini ecosystem offered.

I enjoyed following the footsteps of Nanabozho, becoming indigenous to place, how all beings, both plants and animals taught him what he needed to know, how observing them and their tendency spoke of their gifts, their properties, their potential. The mythic roots of Native science and knowledge. Of time being circular.

I also loved it when the students began singing on their way down the mountain. The point about stepping back and seeing other perspectives was very powerful. I try hard (and fail often but keep trying) to keep that in mind.

Anyone else fall over laughing at the "dead body" she found in the woods?! Oh my goodness that was funny! :)

I finished a couple of days ago. I really enjoyed this book. It made me sad, made me laugh, made me cry. I'm glad I read it.

Finally finished this book, and found it really amazing. Yes, it also makes one sad at times, but there´s hope in the closer connection to Nature.

I haven't checked in with this group lately, so was surprised to see that y'all had read this book for December. I'm sure this group was one of the places that put it on my radar, but I hadn't intended to read it "with" the group. That said, I just happen to have finished listening to the audio book last week! Kismet.
Anyway, I really liked it too, but have to say I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it on paper rather than audiobook. I would have taken it slower. I liked the idea that someone above was reading one chapter a day. It's a book to take in little bites and tastes and savor over. And I'm fairly sure that her writing style would hold up to that -- there's plenty of poetry in her writing in which to soak. She reminded me a lot of Annie Dillard -- but for a new generation.

I also listened to it on audiobook. I enjoyed the audiobook because she has such a soothing voice. It can be very hit or miss when authors read their own books, but I think this one worked. I listened to it a bit slower than some other audiobooks because I wanted to savor it.

I'm plodding through this very very slowly but that's how I want it to be. My partner and I are reading it together, just 1-2 chapters per week. I like it this was as it's such a thoughtful, reflective book. We both keep thinking and talking about the ideas we've been reading about. Most recently the language of animacy. I really love this way of thinking of the other beings in our world who aren't human.

I can imagine that it's a lovely audiobook to listen to as I enjoyed listening to Robin on the podcast and video linked above but I do feel as though I would miss a lot this way and wouldn't absorb it as well.

Hannah wrote: "I'm plodding through this very very slowly but that's how I want it to be. My partner and I are reading it together, just 1-2 chapters per week. I like it this was as it's such a thoughtful, reflec..."

I definitely agree this book is enjoyable and easily savored when read slowly. I love that you have someone to read it with and deeply reflect on the ideas in the chapters. I definitely enjoyed it very much more being able to really think about the concepts with the group, and think having someone irl to discuss with must make it that much more impactful and meaningful - not to mention potentially easier to enact into purposeful actions together.

Good news updates - albeit a week late - ICYMI,

Kimmerer named a Macarthur Fellow for 2022 - local interview by Syracuse media
https://www.wrvo.org/news/2022-10-18/...

and an update on the phenomenon that is this book
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...

Thanks for the updates Carol! Obviously a big honour and a lot of money combined with it too.

Loved the book, and it was interesting to read why it spoke to so many people who discovered what really mattered during pandemic times. She also seems to be an impressive speaker.

That's fantastic news! I'm really happy for her. I love that she's writing a new book.