We are learning to re-connect to all that surrounds us in the natural world and Indigenous people are leading the way. In Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Potawatomi botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer helps us to see other species as relatives. In this virtual retreat, we will examine the main themes of Braiding Sweetgrass and further develop the spiritual implications of these relationships. Through Nicholas Black Elk, the Lakota holy man and candidate for sainthood, we will examine Indigenous spiritual insights and uncover their presence within the Judeo-Christian tradition, including a sacred Northern European plant: sweetgrass.
Presenter: Damian Costello received his Ph.D. in theological studies from the University of Dayton and specializes in the intersection of Indigenous spiritual traditions, Catholic theology, and colonial history. He is an international expert on the life and legacy of Nicholas Black Elk and the author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism. Costello's work is informed by five years of ethnographic work on the Navajo Nation and is the Director of Post-Graduate Studies at NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community.
Artwork by Br. Mickey McGrath, quote from The Sacred Pipe by Nicholas Black Elk, Servant of God.