Another part of the prophecy involves a crossroads for humanity in our current Seventh Fire age. As the title of the section implies, Tending Sweetgrass explores the theme of stewardship, the thoughtful nurturing of ones relationship with ones environment. The progression of motherhood continues long after ones children are grown; a womans circle of motherhood simply grows until it encapsulates her extended family, her wider community, and finally all of creation. I love that, too, and I know a lot of us do. Although late-twentieth-century society often impoverishes and marginalizes them, many Indian grandmothers provide grandchildren with social stability and a cultural link to native indentity, history and wisdom. Near the end of the chapter she reveals that her children remember that episode as being so much work for them, even though Wall Kimmerer was the one who sat up all night tending the fire! She emphasizes the interconnectedness of all beings in the natural world and the importance of recognizing and respecting the relationships between humans and other plants and animals. They are also a gift from the earth, offering nourishment and sustenance to all who partake in them. Your email address will not be published. It is both medicine and a loud and urgent call to honour the gifts of the earth and the responsibility to give gifts to the earth in return."Shelagh Rogers, OC, host and producer of CBC Radio One's . "It's that seventh-generation teaching that I'm sharing here today." Finally, in the chapter Allegiance to Gratitude, Kimmerer contrasts the gratitude inherent within the Thanksgiving Address with the Pledge of Allegiance, implying how much better the world might be if Americans began their days with an allegiance to the earth rather than an allegiance to ones nation and state. A good mother will rear her child with love and inevitably her child will return with her own loving gifts. What literary devices are used in Braiding Sweetgrass? Even worse, the gas pipelines are often built through Native American territory, and leaks and explosions like this can have dire consequences for the communities nearby. eNotes.com, Inc. During the Sixth Fire, the cup of life would almost become the cup of grief, the prophecy said, as the people were scattered and turned away from their own culture and history. It delves into nature scientifically, then spiritually and then merges the two ideals. . Rematriation magazine is a run by Indigenous women with the goal of empowering the voices of Indigenous women and their role as water keepers in this world. A Mother's Work - NYU Reads - New York University