New book teaches young adults about the coexistence of Indigenous and Western knowledge

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A new book is teaching young people about how Indigenous knowledge can enrich and coexist with Western scientific knowledge.

“Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults” is an adaptation of a Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book “Braiding Sweetgrass.” The new version is geared toward the younger generation and includes artwork from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt throughout it’s pages. It reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth’s oldest teachers: the plants around us.

“Braiding Sweetgrass for Young adults is one of those tools that will help them to navigate a path forward for themselves, for each other and for the planet,” said author Monique Gray Smith. “It’s a tool that can be used in K-12 systems with educators, with young people, with learners, but also I think with families around the dinner table looking to deepen their understanding and knowledge that might not have happened at dinner tables before.”

This week, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) is sponsoring a series of events for Gray Smith. Students and teachers will get to hear from the author and receive free copies of the book, gifted by the SMSC.

The Nov. 1 release coincides with the start of National Native American Heritage Month.