Book notes | Braiding Sweetgrass
Author Robin Wall Kimmerer is a trained botanist who is able to view nature with the tools of science learned in graduate school. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she also embraces the notion that nature can be viewed from an indigenous perspective that includes the mind, body, emotions, and spirit.
For Kimmerer, plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, she shows how other living things like plants offer us gifts and lessons to live by. The book is organized into sections based on the growth and death cycle of sweetgrass: planting, tending, picking, braiding, and burning.
Braiding Sweetgrass resonated with me as a retired wetlands scientist and concerned lover of aquatic life. Kimmerer affirms “heart-driven science” and translating “reverence into action.” Doing science with awe and humility is a powerful act of reciprocity; this means making deep connections with other species, not just humans. She takes us deep into the ecology and spirit of trees and their roots, of terrestrial and wetland plants.
A culture of gratitude and reciprocity
The culture of gratitude is a key theme, plus a culture of reciprocity where we leave a gift in return. To native people, the “honorable harvest” means “take only what you need and use everything you take.” The contamination of Onondaga Lake in New York and the widespread, earth-killing, toxic emissions from Sudbury's major metal mines in Ontario, Canada, are examples of the dishonorable harvest. "When does taking become outright theft?” asks Kimmerer.
Members of UMRA Book Club I universally enjoyed the book. We shared personal connections, such as working in a community garden of native plants; visiting Bdote, the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers at Fort Snelling, where Dakota lived for 10,000 years; planting sweetgrass (from Bachmann's!); and making a dreamcatcher after asking the ash tree if it is ok to remove a few branches.
Braiding Sweetgrass is deep and inspiring. It is a book to read slowly. It is a book to relish and read again.
Additional readings were recommended during the book club’s discussion on October 15: A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman and The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.
—Judy Helgen, UMRA Book Club I member
Book Club I to meet October 15
Fri, Oct 15 2021, 2pm
Judy Helgen will lead the discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer when the UMRA Book Club I meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 15.
This book club currently has 16 members, a number that works well for our discussions. Contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected] for more information, including suggestions for starting a new book club.
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.