Summary

The eponymous fourth section of Braiding Sweetgrass begins with the chapter “In the Footsteps of Nanabozho: Becoming Indigenous to Place.” Kimmerer explains that in her community’s tradition, the First Man was called Nanabozho and was an immigrant to the lands. She uses this allegory to demonstrate that all people are ‘newcomers’ on earth in one sense or another, but that what matters is how and where one seeks out one’s home. For Kimmerer, this recognition and ‘becoming part’ of the landscape is important today, when so many call the United States home but do not feel a part of it or do not do their part to uphold its natural beauty.

“The Sound of Silverbells” is the next chapter. The author recounts a field trip she took with a class of students when she was teaching in the ‘Bible Belt’—the...