Robin Wall Kimmerer urges gratitude, reciprocity in talk at Cary Institute

Robin Wall Kimmerer, the bestselling author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, urged a sold-out audience at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies on Friday, March 13, to rethink humanity’s relationship with the natural world through gratitude, reciprocity and responsibility.

Introduced by Cary Institute President Joshua Ginsberg, Kimmerer opened the evening by greeting the audience in Potawatomi, the native language of her ancestors, and grounding the talk in a practice of gratitude.

“Gratitude is the doorway to reciprocity,” Kimmerer said.

Kimmerer, also a mother, botanist and professor, said that Indigenous wisdom does not have to be at odds with Western science, but rather it can help humans reframe the way they understand the Earth.

She also reflected on the personal journey that led to her lifelong commitment to promoting a lens of Indigenous wisdom in Western science. As a young woman entering the field of botany — then largely dominated by men — she said her path in academia was not always welcoming as a female Native scientist.

“It has been a lifelong journey,” she said. “I was born a botanist.”

Throughout the lecture, Kimmerer described how Indigenous ecological knowledge — rooted in observation, experience and ethical responsibility — can complement scientific inquiry and help solve today’s environmental crises.

She pointed to global data showing that about 80 percent of the planet’s remaining biodiversity is found on lands stewarded by Indigenous peoples, many of whom remain under threat from continued colonization and development.

A central theme of the evening was the concept of the “Honorable Harvest,” a code of practical ethics that governs what humans take from the natural world. Its principles include never taking the first one, always asking permission, taking only what is needed, minimizing harm and giving something back.

“Science is a great way to listen for the answer,” Kimmerer said, referring to the practice of asking permission of the natural world and paying attention to ecological limits.

By the end of the talk, Kimmerer turned to the question she said she hears most often: “What can I do?”

Her answer included a call to reciprocity and action. She urged audience members to consider their own “human gifts” and how those gifts might be used in service of the Earth. For example, Kimmerer said she uses her own gift of storytelling to distill complex information and inspire people to think differently about the living world.

“The Earth asks us to change,” she said.

Kimmerer left the audience with a call to action through her latest initiative. In contrast to the slogan “drill, baby, drill,” she said she has helped launch “plant, baby, plant,” a grassroots initiative that encourages people to support the living world through restoration, native planting and care for ecosystems.