- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
Robin Wall Kimmerer, a tribal citizen of the Citizen Potwatomi Nation, has been named to TIME magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People of 2025” list. Kimmerer is the best-selling author of “Braiding Sweetgrass : Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants,” a book that blends Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and personal storytelling to explore the deep relationship between people and the natural world.
Kimmerer, a botanist, highlights how plants and nature are not just resources but relatives and teachers. Through essays about sweetgrass, strawberries, maple trees, and more, she invites readers to embrace gratitude, reciprocity, and respect for the earth.
Despite having no mass-marketing campaign, TIME magazine cites how Kimmerer became “a wildly successful best seller seemingly out of nowhere.”
“Millions of readers have experienced that same magnetic pull—most recently with her newest offering, The Serviceberry. Just as nature finds a way, Robin has found her devoted readers. And during a time of tremendous environmental fear and uncertainty, we have found, to our immeasurable relief, our master teacher,” TIME magazine says about Kimmerer.
CLICK to read TIME magazine's article on Robin Wall Kimmerer.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
11th Annual Native American Youth in Agriculture Leadership Summit
Chickasaw Man Named Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
