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

As a self-described “flannel-shirt scientist” (165), Robin Wall Kimmerer is the author of the text and its ostensible protagonist. Her journey to rediscover much of the ancient traditions of her ancestors, and in particular her efforts to combine this traditional knowledge with modern science, inform much of the book. She is a student and a teacher, unafraid to throw herself into difficult and unknown circumstances. Her skills as a teacher are reflected in the progress made by her students and in the deft skill with which she introduces the unfamiliar reader to the world of Indigenous cultures and beliefs.

One of the most noticeable aspects of this is the infrequency with which Kimmerer refers to herself by name. The novel is told entirely from the first-person perspective; without looking at the cover, the reader might not know the name of the central character. This choice is important, as it switches the narrative focus from the life of a single individual and makes it more engaging and relatable. The book is not necessarily the life of Robin Wall Kimmerer, but the life of both author and reader, a literary construct that is the conduit for the ideas, themes, motifs, and prescriptions laid out in the text.