Kimmerer asks her students to name a positive relationship nature has with humans and the group fails to name a single one. With each chapter, I found myself reevaluating how I relate to the world around me. The ways that nature depends on me just as much as I depend on it. The ways that the planet would not be better off if humans were to just disappear. It was a spiritual experience
— Parrish
This is by far one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. It focuses on the importance of botany, in a sense, in Indigenous cultures. One of the bigger themes was the symbiotic relationship between Mama Earth and us as humans. Respecting and healing the land so she can respect and heal us as well. Also, storytelling was a highlight. Not only do people tell stories, but so does the Earth and we have to learn to listen.
As an American-Indian Studies minor in college, some of the information and references about Indigenous people, culture, language, and lands were familiar so I was able to use my prior knowledge to learn more which I loved!!