Book SummaryBraiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Braiding Sweetgrass

In a society troubled by overconsumption and disconnection, what are plants, Anishinaabe Indigenous worldviews, and science all trying to teach us about restoring balance?

In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer contends that these three sources of knowledge show us how to flourish by practicing mutual care: acting in ways that help us as well as other people and the environment.

As our industrial society puts increasing stress on ecosystems and climate change threatens the well-being of us all, we must shift from a mindset of consumption and competition to one recognizing our interdependence. Then we can practice mutual care to enable all living beings to thrive.

Kimmerer is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and a professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse. She received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022 for her work in education, writing, and outreach in Indigenous communities. As the...

Braiding Sweetgrass Summary How Plants Teach Us About Mutual Care

Observing plants provides insight into how mutual care helps individuals and communities flourish. Plants engage cooperatively in symbiotic relationships, collective solidarity, natural succession, and generosity, which can inspire us to practice mutual care with other humans as well as non-human beings.

(Shortform note: In Finding the Mother Tree, Suzanne Simard also describes several examples of plants functioning in symbiotic and cooperative relationships. Although she doesn’t propose this as a model for human behavior, she uses the examples to advocate for mutual care in a forest ecology context. She warns against clear-cutting logging practices that disrupt the intricate symbiotic relationships within the forest and recommends a research model that looks at the long-term impact of human activity on forest ecosystems.)

Symbiotic Relationships

Plants often have symbiotic relationships in which different species work together in a way that benefits both of them.

Kimmerer...

Braiding Sweetgrass Summary How Traditional Indigenous Culture Teaches Mutual Care

Indigenous culture is the second source of inspiration and knowledge for how to practice mutual care with other beings. Kimmerer draws on three main areas of Indigenous culture that embody this concept: stories and language, honorable harvesting, and ceremony.

Stories and Language

Cultural lore and language conventions in Indigenous culture embody mutual care by honoring the life of non-human beings and acknowledging our interdependence, particularly through the Windigo mythology and animate verbs and nouns.

The Windigo Mythology

Kimmerer tells the story of the Windigo, a mythical monster in Ojibwe culture who was turned from a man into a monster when his greed drove him to cannibalism. He was ostracized by the community and suffers eternally from insatiable hunger, growing more ravenous every time he eats.

The Windigo story warns against unconstrained consumption and demonstrates how this behavior is dangerous in a society based on shared resources. It cautions you to never let your greed get the best of you, even in times of scarcity.

(Shortform note: In addition to Indigenous communities, cultures worldwide use mythology and lore to discourage greedy...

Braiding Sweetgrass Summary How Science Can Help Us Practice Mutual Care

Now that we’ve covered how plants and Indigenous wisdom can teach us to practice mutual care, we’ll look at how science also provides useful tools for mutual care. Species identification and research enables mutual care by increasing your familiarity with the natural world and providing evidence for how to be better land stewards.

Species Identification

Learning scientific taxonomy (the organization of species by groups and Latin names) is one way that science can contribute to a practice of mutual care. While Kimmerer notes that science is sometimes a reductive and mechanistic lens for viewing nature, it also provides a framework for recognizing and growing a relationship with another species.

For example, if you learn the Latin name for yarrow and its unique identifying characteristics, you might then notice it in the wild and harvest it for medicinal uses. You can make observations about what that plant needs to thrive and how you might cultivate it. Identification is a first step in establishing this mutually beneficial relationship.

(Shortform note: Kimmerer doesn't explicitly mention that for many people today, science is likely the most _accessible**...

Braiding Sweetgrass Summary Benefits of Practicing Mutual Care

The previous sections described how plants, Indigenous wisdom, and science traditionally practice mutual care, but why is mutual care so important? This section of the guide describes the ways that mutual care supports the long-term vitality of life on Earth, feelings of abundance and wealth, and a sustainable economy.

Long-Term Vitality

From the author’s perspective, mutual care is necessary for the long-term survival of humans and the environment because our well-being (human and non-human) is highly interdependent. In this sense, taking care of the environment is not about altruism, but rather sustaining the things that sustain us in return. For example, if we contribute to soil health by applying compost, reducing tillage, and growing cover crops, we ensure that the soil remains fertile to keep growing food for many generations.

(Shortform note: Kimmerer argues that mutual care ensures our long-term survival, individually and collectively. However, practicing mutual care as an individual, or even at the community level, doesn't guarantee that others will do the same. For example, at the global level, if one country implements mutual care by reducing carbon...

Braiding Sweetgrass Summary Strategies for Enacting Mutual Care With All Living Beings

Kimmerer recommends the following strategies to encourage mutual care with other people and other life forms, such as plants and animals, in your community.

Express Gratitude

Expressing gratitude reminds us to treat the things we’re grateful for with respect and care. Gratitude rituals are also a way to hold each other accountable for stated values. For example, to reinforce mutual care, you could take a moment before you start eating a meal to say thank you to the plants, animals, and humans who provided the meal.

(Shortform note: This strategy relates back to the Indigenous ceremonies that reinforce mutual care: They are spiritually meaningful and sometimes incorporate practical elements. In The Power of Ritual, Casper ter Kuile talks about how to turn simple activities into spiritually meaningful rituals by setting an intention before you begin, engaging your five senses to help you stay present, and practicing the ritual repetitively. These steps could transform ritual expressions of gratitude into a lived practice of mutual care.)

Tell Stories

Because...

Shortform Exercise: Practice Mutual Care With Your Loved Ones

Mutual care is a way to tend to your own needs as well as the needs of others.

Write down a few ways that you enjoy caring for others. For example, do you like sharing food with people, helping with projects around the house, organizing social events, or volunteering in your community?

Shortform Exercise: Practice Mutual Care With Your Environment

Kimmerer’s stories remind us that the well-being of humans and the well-being of our surrounding ecosystem are closely linked.

What are some interactions with the natural world that bring you joy or nourishment? This could include things like hiking, gardening, bird-watching, picnicking at a local park, or picking wild berries.