Working on an Indigenous Seed Guide

By Hannah Johnson, 2nd year MDP student 

Hi, it’s Hannah Johnson! I have a bachelor’s in Native American and Indigenous Studies from the University of Minnesota Morris, and I am very passionate about Indigenous food sovereignty, especially concerning seeds! 

I’ve been lucky enough to work on a draft document that will one day be a guide for new gardeners to plant Indigenous seeds. There’s a lot to learn, and I’m happy to be involved!

One thing that’s really cool about the Indigenous seed guide is that I get to learn about what cycle of the moon certain seeds should be planted in! I didn’t even know that was a thing. 

 

Apparently, the moon impacts the level of moisture in the soil, and beets and other root vegetables should be planted at a different time from your leafy greens like spinach. I had no idea!

 

They tried to bury us but they didn’t know we were seeds

By Sarah DeLaronde, 2nd year MDP student

Tansi niwahkomakanak, Sarah DeLaronde nisinikason. Hello, my relatives, my name is Sarah DeLaronde. I am a second year MDP student and will be done my coursework in December. This summer, I have the incredible opportunity to work with Dr. Tabitha Robin and my MDP colleague Hannah Johnson at Ininiwikistayikewin (To Sow with Spirit). Ininiwikistayikewin is an Indigenous Seed Library based in Treaty 1 Territory that seeks provide seeds and resources to support Indigenous peoples in growing food in Manitoba. It is our hope that in years to come, seeds will be returned to us, thus forming a library where Indigenous people can take seeds to grow and return them for others to access.

My role has been to create seed bundles (packages of different seeds), distribute and handle all social media for the library. By no means, do I have a green thumb or a lot of experience working with seeds. However, I do enjoy harvesting our traditional plant medicines and gathering knowledge so it can be passed down to future generations. It’s been a lot of fun to visit the greenhouses with my babies and tell them about what we’re doing. It has also provided us with a lot of opportunities to talk about the cyclical nature and interconnectedness of how we live our lives as Indigenous peoples. Tabitha says that “Indigenous practices of growing food involve a relational approach to seeds, soil, water, and all of Creation. Reclaiming and re-learning growing practices is an important way we can take care of our families and communities, and to do so, we need access to growing materials such as seeds.”

Summer is our busy time as Indigenous people, especially after a long winter. It’s our time to plant, and go to ceremony and to celebrate. It's been amazing to see the joy in everyone’s faces as they pick up seeds, to reconnect with old friends and create partnerships with different community organizations. Ekosi, nanaskomin!