Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants

In Braiding Sweetgrass, botanist and Citizen Potawatomi Nation member Robin Wall Kimmerer weaves together scientific knowledge and Indigenous wisdom to show how plants and animals are our oldest teachers. Drawing on her life as an Indigenous scientist and woman, she reveals how living beings—like asters, goldenrod, strawberries, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons if we learn to listen. From the creation of Turtle Island to today’s environmental challenges, Kimmerer argues that true ecological awareness comes from recognizing our reciprocal relationship with the living world and learning to give back to the earth’s generosity.