Throughout Braiding Sweetgrass and her talks, Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses the difference between viewing the natural world as property or viewing it as a gift. Which viewpoint resonates with you? How does this impact your day-to-day choices?
Did Braiding Sweetgrass change your perspective on humanity's relationship with the natural world? If so, in what way? How might you act differently in the future based on this changed perspective?
When you have an opportunity to be in nature, whether on a camping trip or a brief walk through a city park, what do you notice about your surroundings? How does this time in nature make you feel?
In the section about the People of the Maple Nation, Robin Wall Kimmerer shares the way the original people of the Maple Nation made maple syrup without kettles to boil the sap. What, if anything, do you think we can learn from traditional techniques of arts, crafts, and production? Can they contribute to our current practices?
In this book, Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses the differences between her Indigenous worldview and her science education. What worldview do you bring to your education? How has your education aligned with and diverged from your worldview? How have you brought the two together?
If you could ask Robin Wall Kimmerer questions about her career as an Indigenous botanist, what would they be?
