Braiding Sweetgrass
The mountains of New York State. The author, a botanist and North American native who lives in a beautiful forest, provides a unique perspective and deep insight into the nature-human relationship.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Planting Sweetgrass The Fallen Skywoman Those who are embraced by their homeland and those who are chased away Taking Root in the Land Pecan Advice The Mystery of the Walnut Abundance Phenomenon Ancestors whose lives and spirits were linked by pecans Trees in Conversation The Gift of Strawberries Gifts and Obligations Gift or Commodity? Making a Tribute Making the land our home The Aster and the Horse Chestnut The Birth of the Botanist Encounter of Science and Lore A Grammar for All That Is Life Why There Is No Word for "Please Grammar for All Living Things
Growing Sweetgrass Maple Sugar Month Large amounts of sap and small amounts of maple syrup Returning the Gift Witch Hazel and Neighbors Life on the Ground The Pain That Cannot Be Healed Ponds and Motherhood Fighting Eutrophication in Ponds A Mother's Woes as a Botanist Conditions of a Good Mother Grandmothers Live On Child separation and water lilies How Water Lily Leaves Breathe The Word that precedes all things Our hearts are one Pledge of Allegiance to the Natural World Gratitude for the World
Harvesting Sweetgrass Loving Love from Nature Three Sisters Plants that cooperate with each other Gifts Nurtured by Relationships Black ash basket Ask the Tree Using up the life of the tree Black ash and human symbiosis Three rows of baskets Time in the hand Reflections on Sweetgrass 1 Introduction 2 Literature Review 3 Hypothesis 4 Methods 5 Results 6 Discussion 7 Conclusions 8 Acknowledgements 9 References How to become a citizen of Maple Country Currency in Maple Country Tasting Maple Syrup A Sensible Harvest Lessons from Nanabjo Harvest Guidelines What the Earth Gives Us and What It Doesn't One bullet Lessons from my Turkish grandmother Catch the marten, protect the marten Market Economy and the "Decent Harvest Reclaiming the "Decent Harvest
Weaving Sweetgrass Follow Nanabujo, the First Walking and Learning Nanabujo Footprints can no longer be retraced Naturalized St. John's wort The Sound of Silver Bells The spinning class The True Teacher Embraced by the earth Harvesting Toads Using Up Toadstools Weaving baskets with Canada spruce roots Building Interdependence with Toads Sleep in the wigwam Burning the Cape The Disappeared Salmon Lost Stories Reviving the Ritual Reclaiming Sweetgrass Homeland and Plants Conditions under which sweetgrass grows What has been cut off Reweaving the World Helping Lichens Help Each Other Fusion of ways of life Children of the virgin forest Creating the virgin forest Beyond Restoration Growing Bay Cedar When Ancient Forests Come Back to Life Witness to Rain Time of Water Drops
Burning Sweetgrass Footprints of Windigo The Evil Spirit of Self-Destruction The Sacred and the "Superfund" Onondaga Lake, the most polluted lake History of the Lake Onondaga Tribe Land Rights Lawsuit A Call for Help Nature in Ruins Defining Environmental Restoration Plants Healing Wounds Relationships Rooted in Love Reciprocal Restoration People of Corn, People of Light Science and New Narratives Collateral Damage Salamander Rescue Amphibians and Collateral Damage Comrades Future Species Conservation Species Solitude People of the Seventh Fire Teachings about Fire New people Making fire with us The Eighth Fire Overcoming Windigo
Epilogue Translator's Afterword