Speak Again

Three generations of Potawatomi share knowledge across time and space, redefining what it means to truly speak again.

In “Braiding Sweetgrass,” Robin Wall Kimmerrer reflects on the loss of the Potawatomi language, and an experience at the Potawatomi Language Conference, when there were nine first-language speakers left at the time. Braiding Sweetgrass now has hundreds of thousands of copies in circulation, and during the pandemic, Robin was contacted by Jack Markell, the former governor of Delaware. Jack had written a poem called “Nine Remain”, inspired by Robin’s story, and contacted her seeking a Potawatomi artist to collaborate with, and to compose the music.