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August 23, 2026 / 10:25 AM EDT
/ CBS News
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"A sweetgrass braid is meant as an emblem, a marker, a metaphor, if you will," said Robin Wall Kimmerer. "We are committed to braiding Mother Earth's hair, i.e., we are committed to helping her be at her best."Kimmerer's book, "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants" (published by Milkweed Editions), was published in 2013. Through word of mouth, seven years later, in 2020, it made the New York Times Bestsellers List, and (except for one week) has been there ever since. It has sold more than two million copies."What I have tried to do is give voice to plants, to give voice to the land," she said. "And I found that people were listening. That felt for me like this deep obligation to continue to raise my voice, to advocate on their behalf."
