Agricultural News
Deep Roots: Tribal Tradition Incorporates Modern Gardening Practices
Wed, 04 Aug 2021 14:48:31 CDT
Pawnee Nation College faculty collaborate with Oklahoma State University Extension program staff to bring home-grown, indigenous foods back to the Pawnees.
Patricia Rayas-Duarte, a cereal chemist at the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center (FAPC), proposed the Pawnee Agricultural Nutrition Initiative Outreach Program. The project goal is to establish a garden to educate tribal members, while promoting a healthier lifestyle.
Focus areas of the project include production of native crops, nutritional education and the preservation of native foods. Tribal members who manage the garden, are presented information about plant pathogens, management of diseases, current plant issues and how to properly diagnose problems.
According to Sara Wallace, OSU Extension assistant specialist in entomology and plant pathology, the program can educate tribal members, giving them a better understanding of food production as a whole, thus giving students and volunteers hope they can garden in Oklahoma.
"One of the most common garden mistakes is buying varieties that are not recommended for our area, but stores still provide," Wallace said. "My frustration is that the gardener is doomed to fail from the beginning."
According to Kim Murie, a faculty member at Pawnee Nation College, teaching Pawnees to grow their own food will not only provide structure for isolated Indian youth, but also help individuals become healthier.
"We hope that bringing back untouched foods and feeding it to our people will help prevent diseases, since we are not used to eating fats, salts and processed foods," Murie said.
With a tribe of about 3,000 people, the garden produces lettuce, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, zucchini and sunflowers. But, with a limited number of volunteers, manpower continues to be an ongoing challenge.
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