Lesson 3: Learning from Sweetgrass

Think-Write-Pair-Share

• Say: As we prepare to read Braiding Sweetgrass in the next lesson, we will spend some time thinking more deeply about some of the ideas, perspectives, and worldviews that Robin Wall Kimmerer presents in her book.

Display and read aloud the following excerpt from Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, p. 9. (Note that this quote is from the original version of the text and is not included in the young adult edition.)

• “In Native ways of knowing, human people are often referred to as ‘the younger brothers [and sisters] of Creation.’ We say that humans have the least experience with how to live and thus the most to learn—we must look to our teachers among the other species for guidance. Their wisdom is apparent in the way that they live. They teach us by example.”

Say these Directions: Reread the quote, and write your answers to the following questions.

Display the following questions for students.

• What relationships between species does this quote describe?

  • In this quote, Kimmerer describes species as connected in a kind of family relationship. Humans are less experienced than the rest of Creation, and other species can act like teachers because they already know how to live in balance.

• According to this quote, what is the role of humans in understanding nature?

  • According to the quote, humans are supposed to learn from nature. Kimmerer presents humans as younger and less experienced, so our role is to pay attention and learn from other living things, like plants and animals.

• How does Kimmerer explain the way different species relate to each other?

  • Kimmerer explains that species relate through guidance, example, and interdependence. She suggests that the wisdom of other species is visible in how they live, so humans can study those relationships to understand how to live better, too.

After students write, have them discuss their responses with a partner. Allow students a few minutes to discuss before having them join a whole-class discussion in which several students have the opportunity to share their responses.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: You have talked about Kimmerer’s idea that humans are learners within Creation; next, you will watch two videos that show this learning in practice.

Part A: Exploring Sweetgrass Teachings (SL.8.2) (15 minutes)

For this lesson, you will need to research and preview a video from the Internet. Search for a video that presents “sweetgrass teachings,” including information about the harvest and about braiding sweetgrass. For the sample responses below, we have used Sweetgrass Teachings with Elder Phillip Gladue, Métis Nation from the Justice Institute of British Columbia.

• Say: You are going to watch a short video about sweetgrass teachings. As you watch, listen for information about the relationship between humans and sweetgrass, what is expected of the person who harvests sweetgrass, and what kind of knowledge is being shared in the process.

Provide students with a three-column chart, or have them draw one in their journals.

Say these Directions: Write in these column headings: Video Source, Human–Sweetgrass Relationship, and Expectations of Harvester. As you watch the video, jot down notes about each topic in the appropriate column of your graphic organizer.

Play the selected video, allowing students a couple of minutes after the video to record their final ideas in the chart. Then display the three-column chart, and work together as a class to add information to each column. Ask students the following questions to elicit ideas for each column.

• Ask: What did you learn about the relationship between humans and sweetgrass in this video?

  • Elder Phillip Gladue presents sweetgrass as a gift that humans receive with respect, not as something people simply own. The relationship seems reciprocal because humans benefit from sweetgrass, but they are also expected to approach it with care and gratitude.

• Ask: What does this teaching ask of the person who harvests or uses sweetgrass?

  • This teaching asks the person to be respectful, careful, and responsible. The source suggests that a person should not harvest carelessly or greedily and should understand that taking sweetgrass comes with obligations.

End the discussion by asking students to share their opinions about the purpose of the video. Encourage them to consider why the video included specific oral and visual information.

• Ask: Why do you think the producers made this video? Is their motive social, commercial, political, or a combination of these?

  • The producers made this video to share information about Indigenous traditions and values. The elder says it is important for young people to learn so they can pass it on to future generations. I think their motive is both social and political because they are working to establish a community, and they are also trying to convince people to behave differently toward the environment than they do now.

Part B: What Nature Teaches Us About Giving Back (SL.8.2) (15 minutes)

For this lesson, you will need to research and preview a video from the Internet. Search for a video of an interview in which Robin Wall Kimmerer talks about the gift economy and what nature teaches us about giving back. For the sample responses below, we have used Robin Wall Kimmerer on What Nature Teaches Us About Giving Back from the Museum of Science.

• Say: Robin Wall Kimmerer is both a botanist and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In many interviews and in her book, she speaks in both roles at once. As you watch, notice when she draws on science, when she draws on Indigenous worldview, and when she does both at the same time.

Have students take out their journals.

Say these Directions: Jot down notes on these questions as you watch the interview with Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Display the following questions for students.

• What does Kimmerer say science helps us understand, and what does she say it can miss?

  • Kimmerer suggests that science helps people understand patterns, systems, and relationships in nature. At the same time, she says science alone can miss the ethical side, like gratitude, gifts, and the human responsibility to give something back.

• What does she say that honoring reciprocity with nature requires of humans?

  • She says reciprocity requires humans to move beyond just taking from nature. People have to notice what they receive, feel gratitude, and respond with actions that protect, restore, or care for the living world.

• Where do you witness science and an Indigenous worldview working together in Kimmerer’s claims?

  • I hear them working together when Kimmerer explains natural systems and then connects those systems to what humans should do. Science helps describe the pattern, and the Indigenous worldview helps explain the responsibility that follows from that pattern.

After watching the video, revisit the chart from Learning in Action: Part A and complete the second row. Again, end the discussion by asking students to analyze and evaluate the purpose of the video and the motives behind the message.

• Ask: Why do you think the producers made this video? Is their motive social, commercial, political, or a combination of these?

  • This video was made to enable Kimmerer to share her ideas about how humans can continue to have a better relationship with the earth. The purpose is more educational because the video is sponsored by a museum and features an educator interviewing Kimmerer.

Transition students into reflecting on their learning from the lesson by completing a Quick Write response.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Use your three-column chart from today’s lesson to complete both parts of the Quick Write. Write three or four sentences total, and use at least two specific details from the videos in your responses.

Display the following statements for students to complete.

• Part 1: Scientific and Indigenous ways of knowing both help us understand nature by ____.

• Part 2: One way that human beings can give back to nature is ____.

  • Scientific and Indigenous ways of knowing both help us understand nature by showing connections in living systems. In Kimmerer’s interview, science helps explain ecological patterns, while the sweetgrass teaching shows the responsibility that comes with receiving gifts from nature. Human beings can give back to nature by acting with gratitude and care instead of taking greedily. Both sources suggest that respectful harvesting and restoration are part of reciprocity with the land.

Instruct students to complete the following homework:

• Read the chapters “An Invitation to Remember,” “Skywoman Falling,” and “Wiingaashk” in Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults (pp. 10–27). Annotate passages where Kimmerer describes relationships between humans and nature.

In your Journal, answer this question:

• What does Kimmerer say about how humans should relate to the natural world?