Nostalgic memories from reading Braiding Sweetgrass

I started reading Robin Wall Kimmerer's *Braiding Sweetgrass* and it brought back amazing nostalgic memories of my childhood in the green hills and valleys of the Bamenda Highlands in the North West Region of Cameroon. Now I truly understand why I care for people and the planet, and how my passion for sustainable development was nurtured by my childhood experiences.

Braiding grass into caps, baskets, and traps for play fostered a strong bond among us. Hunting for wild fruits in the bushes created a profound connection between us and the environment. Composting all our food scraps and peels in our backyard nurtured the earth, which provided us with the best pumpkin leaves. I remember how sweet the carrots were and how we ate sweet potatoes from people's farms without washing them. The sweetness of the rice when we ate together in one big tray as a family with our hands and no cutlery. The taste of sweet potatoes, plantains, and cocoyams roasted in the "Ankara beds" and eaten with just palm oil and salt.

I remember my parents asking me to go down to the stream to harvest fresh, cold, and clean water that we drank without filtering, or when we harvested dew from the cocoyam leaves to drink. How we planted and cared for the trees. I remember the clay pot standing in a bucket of wet sand that refrigerated our water at home and how the food didn't spoil easily because it was organic.

Gifts were art and harvests of nature. I remember playing "ntabala" and "Awah," climbing trees and hills, and swimming in the streams. The beauty of the waterfalls and rainbows as they connected the hills that stood high in the clouds. How we peed to make the path on which we would slide down the hill using bamboo. How we sat around the fires roasting corn and plums, eating groundnuts, and listening to amazing stories and riddles from our parents and grandparents. I remember nothing but oneness (ubuntu), love, generosity, fun, creativity, unity, and a strong connection between us and nature.

These beautiful memories remind me of the need to valorize our rich cultural heritage, traditional education, and indigenous practices because they define who we are, connect us with creation, and can accelerate world peace, unity, and sustainability.

As I continue to read, I can't wait to share more of my thoughts and experiences that are being unlocked by this book. What about you? What are some of the beautiful things you enjoyed while you were young?

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