I've been slowing making my way through the Braiding Sweetgrass audiobook. I expected to enjoy it, based on what I had heard. But oh my, it's beautiful.
I'm still going through it. I've decided to not rush. I feel that's appropriate.
I've found it having two effects on me:
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Being more cognizant of my relationship with nature. I am not from a Native background, but I am a Southerner, with a lot of farmers and laborers in my family. Not the same, exactly, but I do think there's a connection to the land that is similar.
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I've become much more interested in Native history and stories. The telling of the story of Sky Mother was fascinating and surprisingly moving to me. I've been a history buff for a long time, and have been learning more. But this book has really added fuel to that fire.
In trying to learn more about the history of my area (Southeast Georgia) I've been looking up information about the Muskogee - I learned of them as the Creek when I was a kid, but that's not how they referred to themselves. I've found some language resources and I am starting to see about learning a bit. Not to become fluent, but to just expose myself a bit more.
