Post by blackcrowheart on Nov 28, 2005 19:17:08 GMT -5
Plant a traditional-foods garden
by: Stephanie Woodard
Growing healthy
Fort Yates, N.D. - ''Gardening is an excellent way to improve health,
especially for people with diabetes,'' said Aubrey Skye, Lakota,
gardens coordinator for the diabetes program of the Standing Rock
Sioux Reservation.
Skye was getting ready to take seeds, soil and peat pots over to the
local elementary school so children could start plants for the 32
gardens he'll put in around the reservation this spring. ''We Native
people are blessed with the ability to lower blood sugar levels
quickly with exercise. Gardening offers both functional exercise and
high-quality, culturally appropriate nutrition - another key to
wellness.''
The gardening project began five years ago, when community members
decided they wanted a holistic way to prevent and control diabetes,
which is epidemic in Indian country. They put in their first plot
near the reservation's high school to catch the attention of the
youngsters and inspire them to eat more vegetables and fewer
commodity foods, which Skye calls ''prisoner-of-war rations.''
And frybread? ''It should be classified with junk food in the USDA
food pyramid,'' he said. ''It's the comfort food of an oppressed
people.'' In fact, he said, a community-specific food pyramid should
be designed for Lakotas, featuring bison, venison, dried meat,
berries, wild turnips, corn, beans and squash.
Not having an agricultural tradition - ''We were hunters and
harvesters who traded for garden vegetables,'' said Skye - the
community group looked far and wide for ideas for their plots. Skye,
who learned about agriculture while growing up on the Navajo
reservation, has studied with Clayton Brascoup￩, Mohawk, who runs
permaculture and traditional-gardening classes in Santa Fe.
Brascoup￩'s two-week summer course attracts indigenous people from
all over the hemisphere who share ideas from their gardening
practices, both modern and historical. ''We Lakota can't depend on
the buffalo anymore, but we can look at ancestral agricultural
systems and see how those people provided for themselves. We can then
adapt the ideas for today's needs,'' said Skye, who brainstormed with
farmers from around the globe last fall while attending Terra Madre,
an agricultural conference in Italy.
Standing Rock's innovative gardens flourished, and in 2003 they
became part of the Standing Rock Diabetes Program. For the 2005
growing season, Skye is setting up both raised-bed gardens with a
preponderance of Native crops and medicine wheel gardens with
traditional herbs in the quadrants of the circle.
The idea of using raised-bed gardens came to Standing Rock from Luis
Salas, gardens manager on the Bad River Reservation in Wisconsin, who
said raised gardens offer many advantages. They warm up earlier in
the spring, offer good drainage, and support greater planting density
than a conventional garden. Their small size makes them easy for
novices to handle and work well in urban areas, where access to
outdoor space is limited.
''They can even be constructed with higher sides, so people in
wheelchairs can reach in and get their hands dirty,'' said
Skye. ''And once you're experienced, you can have several.''
Native gardeners should grow Native crops, according to Skye, who
farms in Porcupine, N.D. with his wife, Monica, and two
children. ''Our seeds are memory banks, encapsulating the experiences
of past generations,'' he said. ''They've been through the good times
and the hard times with us - everything the people went through. As a
result, they're tough and will survive where a hybrid won't.''
Next, Skye will start a farmers' market in order to sell his garden
surplus, but also to inspire others to grow and market their own
crops: ''We can't let ourselves be forced into the agricultural-
industrial complex with its hybridized and genetically modified
foods. As a people, we have to realize we can do it.
''We can break the cycle of dependency. We honor our ancestors by
carrying on the traditions.''
For gardening help and suggestions e-mail Skye at
dpdcgarden1@westriv.com.
Step-by-step to a bountiful harvest
''A garden is like a bank account. You get out of it what you put
in,'' said Skye. Here are his tips for reaping an abundance of fresh,
healthy food:
* Obtain seeds: Heirloom seeds saved by members of your own community
will have a natural edge in your garden, as they've been selected to
grow best in local conditions. And they have the flavor, texture and
other attributes that work best in your traditional recipes.
Also check out Native Seeds/ SEARCH (www.nativeseeds.org), which
offers indigenous farmers free heirloom seeds through the Native
American Outreach Program; they're generally best for Southwestern
gardens.
Organizations can obtain low-cost seeds from http://www.seedsofchange.com;
log on to download the donation form. Another good source is Horizon
Herbs (www.horizonherbs.com).
* Build a raised-bed garden: To determine when to start, grab a clump
of dirt. If it sticks together, it's too wet. Wait until the soil
dries out and breaks apart in your hands.
In a spot that receives about six hours of sun a day, make a
rectangular frame with 12 3-inch galvanized deck screws, two 8-foot 2-
by 12-inch boards and two 4-foot 2- by 12-inch boards. (Don't use
pressure-treated wood, as it contains dangerous chemicals.)
Fill the frame with soil and mix in a few buckets of compost. If
necessary, buy topsoil and compost from a garden center.
* Plant: If your seed is in packets, check the envelopes for general
guidelines on figuring out when the soil is warm enough to sow in
your area. For exact times for each crop, consult your tribal
gardening program, your local extension service, a garden center or
an experienced gardener. If you end up with extra seeds, store them
in a cool, dry place to use next year.
Some plants (including tomatoes, peppers and basil) go in the ground
as seedlings; sprout their seeds in peat pots six to eight weeks
before planting time, or purchase transplants.
* Mulch the soil: Find free local materials to place around the base
of plants; covering the ground squelches weeds and conserves
moisture. Dampened newspaper sections (black ink only) can be covered
with straw, grass clippings or chopped leaves (run a lawnmower over
them).
* Welcome bugs: They're hardworking garden helpers. Put in a variety
of flowers to draw bees and other pollinators. Rely on beneficial
insects, such as praying mantises, to gobble up pests like aphids.
* Irrigate: For efficient watering, try drip irrigation. Make a no-
cost setup by using a thick needle or awl to poke a few holes around
the necks of clean plastic soda pop bottles or milk jugs. Fill the
containers with water, put on the caps, and push the perforated necks
into the soil near groups of plants.
* Organic fertilizer: Fill a burlap sack with composted manure and
tie it shut. Hang it in a water-filled drum or barrel and let it
steep for about 10 days, stirring daily. Each week, apply this
concoction liberally to the plants. An alternative is fish emulsion,
available from a garden center.
* Make compost: In a shady spot, wrap chicken wire around four sturdy
stakes driven into the ground to form a square that's about three
feet on a side. Toss in a few shovelfuls of dirt and worms, and add
garden cuttings, grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps
(vegetables and eggshells only). Mix with a pitchfork, then cover
with a tarp. Add ingredients as they're available.
Each week, mix the heap and dampen it. The compost is ready when it's
black and crumbly.
by: Stephanie Woodard
Growing healthy
Fort Yates, N.D. - ''Gardening is an excellent way to improve health,
especially for people with diabetes,'' said Aubrey Skye, Lakota,
gardens coordinator for the diabetes program of the Standing Rock
Sioux Reservation.
Skye was getting ready to take seeds, soil and peat pots over to the
local elementary school so children could start plants for the 32
gardens he'll put in around the reservation this spring. ''We Native
people are blessed with the ability to lower blood sugar levels
quickly with exercise. Gardening offers both functional exercise and
high-quality, culturally appropriate nutrition - another key to
wellness.''
The gardening project began five years ago, when community members
decided they wanted a holistic way to prevent and control diabetes,
which is epidemic in Indian country. They put in their first plot
near the reservation's high school to catch the attention of the
youngsters and inspire them to eat more vegetables and fewer
commodity foods, which Skye calls ''prisoner-of-war rations.''
And frybread? ''It should be classified with junk food in the USDA
food pyramid,'' he said. ''It's the comfort food of an oppressed
people.'' In fact, he said, a community-specific food pyramid should
be designed for Lakotas, featuring bison, venison, dried meat,
berries, wild turnips, corn, beans and squash.
Not having an agricultural tradition - ''We were hunters and
harvesters who traded for garden vegetables,'' said Skye - the
community group looked far and wide for ideas for their plots. Skye,
who learned about agriculture while growing up on the Navajo
reservation, has studied with Clayton Brascoup￩, Mohawk, who runs
permaculture and traditional-gardening classes in Santa Fe.
Brascoup￩'s two-week summer course attracts indigenous people from
all over the hemisphere who share ideas from their gardening
practices, both modern and historical. ''We Lakota can't depend on
the buffalo anymore, but we can look at ancestral agricultural
systems and see how those people provided for themselves. We can then
adapt the ideas for today's needs,'' said Skye, who brainstormed with
farmers from around the globe last fall while attending Terra Madre,
an agricultural conference in Italy.
Standing Rock's innovative gardens flourished, and in 2003 they
became part of the Standing Rock Diabetes Program. For the 2005
growing season, Skye is setting up both raised-bed gardens with a
preponderance of Native crops and medicine wheel gardens with
traditional herbs in the quadrants of the circle.
The idea of using raised-bed gardens came to Standing Rock from Luis
Salas, gardens manager on the Bad River Reservation in Wisconsin, who
said raised gardens offer many advantages. They warm up earlier in
the spring, offer good drainage, and support greater planting density
than a conventional garden. Their small size makes them easy for
novices to handle and work well in urban areas, where access to
outdoor space is limited.
''They can even be constructed with higher sides, so people in
wheelchairs can reach in and get their hands dirty,'' said
Skye. ''And once you're experienced, you can have several.''
Native gardeners should grow Native crops, according to Skye, who
farms in Porcupine, N.D. with his wife, Monica, and two
children. ''Our seeds are memory banks, encapsulating the experiences
of past generations,'' he said. ''They've been through the good times
and the hard times with us - everything the people went through. As a
result, they're tough and will survive where a hybrid won't.''
Next, Skye will start a farmers' market in order to sell his garden
surplus, but also to inspire others to grow and market their own
crops: ''We can't let ourselves be forced into the agricultural-
industrial complex with its hybridized and genetically modified
foods. As a people, we have to realize we can do it.
''We can break the cycle of dependency. We honor our ancestors by
carrying on the traditions.''
For gardening help and suggestions e-mail Skye at
dpdcgarden1@westriv.com.
Step-by-step to a bountiful harvest
''A garden is like a bank account. You get out of it what you put
in,'' said Skye. Here are his tips for reaping an abundance of fresh,
healthy food:
* Obtain seeds: Heirloom seeds saved by members of your own community
will have a natural edge in your garden, as they've been selected to
grow best in local conditions. And they have the flavor, texture and
other attributes that work best in your traditional recipes.
Also check out Native Seeds/ SEARCH (www.nativeseeds.org), which
offers indigenous farmers free heirloom seeds through the Native
American Outreach Program; they're generally best for Southwestern
gardens.
Organizations can obtain low-cost seeds from http://www.seedsofchange.com;
log on to download the donation form. Another good source is Horizon
Herbs (www.horizonherbs.com).
* Build a raised-bed garden: To determine when to start, grab a clump
of dirt. If it sticks together, it's too wet. Wait until the soil
dries out and breaks apart in your hands.
In a spot that receives about six hours of sun a day, make a
rectangular frame with 12 3-inch galvanized deck screws, two 8-foot 2-
by 12-inch boards and two 4-foot 2- by 12-inch boards. (Don't use
pressure-treated wood, as it contains dangerous chemicals.)
Fill the frame with soil and mix in a few buckets of compost. If
necessary, buy topsoil and compost from a garden center.
* Plant: If your seed is in packets, check the envelopes for general
guidelines on figuring out when the soil is warm enough to sow in
your area. For exact times for each crop, consult your tribal
gardening program, your local extension service, a garden center or
an experienced gardener. If you end up with extra seeds, store them
in a cool, dry place to use next year.
Some plants (including tomatoes, peppers and basil) go in the ground
as seedlings; sprout their seeds in peat pots six to eight weeks
before planting time, or purchase transplants.
* Mulch the soil: Find free local materials to place around the base
of plants; covering the ground squelches weeds and conserves
moisture. Dampened newspaper sections (black ink only) can be covered
with straw, grass clippings or chopped leaves (run a lawnmower over
them).
* Welcome bugs: They're hardworking garden helpers. Put in a variety
of flowers to draw bees and other pollinators. Rely on beneficial
insects, such as praying mantises, to gobble up pests like aphids.
* Irrigate: For efficient watering, try drip irrigation. Make a no-
cost setup by using a thick needle or awl to poke a few holes around
the necks of clean plastic soda pop bottles or milk jugs. Fill the
containers with water, put on the caps, and push the perforated necks
into the soil near groups of plants.
* Organic fertilizer: Fill a burlap sack with composted manure and
tie it shut. Hang it in a water-filled drum or barrel and let it
steep for about 10 days, stirring daily. Each week, apply this
concoction liberally to the plants. An alternative is fish emulsion,
available from a garden center.
* Make compost: In a shady spot, wrap chicken wire around four sturdy
stakes driven into the ground to form a square that's about three
feet on a side. Toss in a few shovelfuls of dirt and worms, and add
garden cuttings, grass clippings, leaves and kitchen scraps
(vegetables and eggshells only). Mix with a pitchfork, then cover
with a tarp. Add ingredients as they're available.
Each week, mix the heap and dampen it. The compost is ready when it's
black and crumbly.