The traditional ecological knowledge of indigenous harvesters is rich in prescriptions for sustainability. They are found in native science and philosophy, in lilfeways and practice but most of all in stories, the ones that are told to help restore balance, to locate ourselves once again in the circle.
Robin Wall Kimmerer
The days are getting longer in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun is more present again in Berlin. Photoautotrophs are slowly waking up. Small green leaves of wild garlic push out of the ground in parks and forests surrounding the city. We can relate to Robin Wall Kimmerer when she envies plants for their ability to photosynthesize and share her thoughts on giving. Her book Braiding Sweetgrass helps us to pick up the thread of reading together continuing to interweave knowledges.
Between Us and Nature is an ongoing reading club that chooses texts related to natural sciences, art, anthropology, postcolonialism and the (post)anthropocene from a female perspective. Attendees read passages together out loud, and share experiences and thoughts about the nature they live in. Looking beyond disciplines, the group creates a space to learn from and with bacteria, algae, fungi, soil and multinaturalist narratives.
Reference: Robin Wall Kimmerer: Braiding Sweetgrass – Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, milkweed editions, Canada, 2013, 175.
RVSP: betweenusnature [at] gmail com
The Reading Club is in English language
Hosts: Eva-Fiore Kovacovsky, artist, and Sina Ribak, researcher for ecologies and the arts
In collaboration with Zabriskie Buchladen für Kultur und Natur.