Dahlonegah’s Environmental Education class is in the process of constructing a walking path at the school and community garden.
The school is inviting past and present students and employees to contribute by donating plants, seeds, bulbs or saplings. These items do not need to be purchased. We would love to have something from your yard or grandmother’s flower bed. Your donated item will be tagged with your name and the year you attended Dahlonegah School. The official planting day is Dahlonegah’s Environmental Education class is in the process of constructing a walking path at the school and community garden. The school is inviting past and present students and employees to contribute by donating plants, seeds, bulbs or saplings. These items do not need to be purchased. We would love to have something from your yard or grandmother’s flower bed. Your donated item will be tagged with your name and the year you attended Dahlonegah School. The official planting day is Saturday, October 10, 2015 between 8 a.m. and 12 noon. Everyone is invited to bring your item and help plant or you may drop it off at the school and we will plant for you. The school is currently accepting dropped off items. They need to be in a container and your information or phone number should be attached. Phyllis Kimble, Environmental Educator said, “Thank you in advance. We hope you enjoy the Garden Walk for many years to come.” |
Garden Walk |
Native American Gardening
In late spring, we plant the corn and beans and squash. They're not just plants- we call them the three sisters. We plant them together, three kinds of seeds in one hole. They want to be together with each other, just as we Indians want to be together with each other. So long as the three sisters are with us we know we will never starve. The Creator sends them to us each year. We celebrate them now. We thank Him for the gift He gives us today and every day. - Chief Louis Farmer (Onondaga)
Legend of the Three Sisters
The following story, entitled “The Three Sisters,” was recorded by Lois Thomas of Cornwall Island, Canada. It is one of a collection of legends compiled by students at Centennial College, Toronto, Canada. Out of respect to native culture, we ask that you share the legend in a spirit of respect.
Once upon a time very long ago, there were three sisters who lived together in a field. These sisters were quite different from one another in their size and also in their way of dressing. One of the three was a little sister, so young that she could only crawl at first, and she was dressed in green. The second of the three wore a frock of bright yellow, and she had a way of running off by herself when the sun shone and the soft wind blew in her face. The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters and trying to guard them. She wore a pale green shawl, and she had long, yellow hair that tossed about her head in the breezes.
There was only one way in which the three sisters were alike. They loved one another very dearly, and they were never separated. They were sure that they would not be able to live apart.
After awhile a stranger came to the field of the three sisters, a little Indian boy. He was as straight as an arrow and as fearless as the eagle that circled the sky above his head. He knew the way of talking to the birds and the small brothers of the earth, the shrew, the chipmunk, and the young foxes. And the three sisters, the one who was just able to crawl, the one in the yellow frock, and the one with the flowing hair, were very much interested in the little Indian boy. They watched him fit his arrow in his bow, saw him carve a bowl with his stone knife, and wondered where he went at night.
Late in the summer of the first coming of the Indian boy to their field, one of the three sisters disappeared. This was the youngest sister in green, the sister who could only creep. She was scarcely able to stand alone in the field unless she had a stick to which she clung. Her sisters mourned for her until the fall, but she did not return.
Once more the Indian boy came to the field of the three sisters. He came to gather reeds at the edge of a stream nearby to make arrow shafts. The two sisters who were left watched him and gazed with wonder at the prints of his moccasins in the earth that marked his trail.
That night the second of the sisters left, the one who was dressed in yellow and who always wanted to run away. She left no mark of her going, but it may have been that she set her feet in the moccasin tracks of the little Indian boy.
Now there was but one of the sisters left. Tall and straight she stood in the field not once bowing her head with sorrow, but it seemed to her that she could not live there alone. The days grew shorter and the nights were colder. Her green shawl faded and grew thin and old. Her hair, once long and golden, was tangled by the wind. Day and night she sighed for her sisters to return to her, but they did not hear her. Her voice when she tried to call to them was low and plaintive like the wind.
But one day when it was the season of the harvest, the little Indian boy heard the crying of the third sister who had been left to mourn there in the field. He felt sorry for her, and he took her in his arms and carried her to the lodge of his father and mother. Oh what a surprise awaited here there! Her two lost sisters were there in the lodge of the little Indian boy, safe and very glad to see her. They had been curious about the Indian boy, and they had gone home with him to see how and where he lived. They had liked his warm cave so well that they had decided now that winter was coming on to stay with him. And they were doing all they could to be useful.
The little sister in green, now quite grown up, was helping to keep the dinner pot full. The sister in yellow sat on the shelf drying herself, for she planned to fill the dinner pot later. The third sister joined them, ready to grind meal for the Indian boy. And the three were never separated again.
The Three Sisters
Every child of today knows these sisters and needs them just as much as the little Indian boy did. For the little sister in green is the bean. Her sister in yellow is the squash, and the elder sister with long flowing hair of yellow and the green shawl is the corn.
–A Mohawk legend
Think about the following questions:
- How did you feel when the sisters left, one by one?
- Did you notice anything significant about the order in which the sisters left?
- Can you remember the legend and share it with a friend?
The “three sisters”– corn, beans and squash were recently planted in the White House kitchen garden. This traditional Native American planting technique grows crops in a mutually beneficial manner: the corn provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles; the beans provide the soil with nitrogen that the other plants use; and the squash spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight and preventing weeds. The Cherokee White Eagle corn, Rattlesnake pole beans, and Seminole squash seeds that were used came from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
In 2009, American Indian or Alaska Native children aged 2 to 4 had a higher prevalence of obesity (20.7%) than any other racial or ethnic group. In Indian Country, 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese before their 5th birthday and a national survey of American Indian and Alaska Native high school students from urban and suburban areas found that 18.9 percent are obese. To end this epidemic of childhood obesity in Indian Country, the initiative "Let's Move In Indian Country" brings together federal agencies, communities, nonprofits, corporate partners, schools and tribes to focus on four areas: early childhood development, healthy learning communities, physical activity and increasing access to affordable, healthy foods. For more information on the initiative, visit www.letsmove.gov/indiancountry.
Lists of seeds we are interested in obtaining:
Native American and Heirloom seeds:
What determines an heirloom variety is open to some question. Among the definitions are:
• A piece of property that descends to the heir as an inseparable part of an inheritance of real property.
• Something of special value handed on from one generation to another.
• A horticultural variety that has survived for several generations usually due to the efforts of private individuals
Some Heirloom varieties are: Acie, Pickling Cucumbers, Brown Speckled and Long White Greasy Bean, Cherokee Trail Bean, Lazy Housewife Bean, Empress Bean, Rainbow Inca sweet corn, Jack and the Beanstalk snap pole bean, Red Kuri squash, Hopi red dye amaranth, and bird’s nest gourd, rattlesnake pole beans, Seminole squash seeds, Cherokee White Eagle corn, Some heirloom tomato plants are: Cherokee purple tomato, Mr. Stripee, Brandywine, Aunt Rubie’s Dream, Hillbilly, Brewsters, and Tommy Toes.
One of the most unique crops is Cherokee corn beads. These corn varieties grow to be knee-high and the stalks turn various colors, producing beads, which don’t as most people think, come from the corn kernels.
The corn beads are dried and hardened and made into various pieces for Cherokee children. Braided hair, held in place with corn beads is a Cherokee custom that has survived for hundreds of years.
Neem oil can be used to help with pest management, but hand labor is the most reliable form of weed and pest management.
Organic neem oil, typically used at 70 percent active ingredient, controls numerous diseases and insects. It provides limited, but broad spectrum control of white fly, aphids, scale and other insect pests common to vegetables. It also has limited activity on black spot, rust, mildew and scab diseases common to vegetables in the Southeast.
Selu
From the earliest times in Cherokee history, the raising of corn was interwoven with the spiritual beliefs of the people. Indeed, the Cherokee name for corn—"selu"—is also the name of the First Woman in Cherokee creation stories.
Cherokee villages were surrounded by vast cornfields while gardens were planted beside rivers and streams. In addition to corn, the Cherokee grew beans, squash, sunflowers, pumpkins, and other crops. Cherokee women were the primary farmers.
After the arrival of Europeans, the Cherokee began growing peaches and watermelons acquired through trade. Cherokees began keeping and breeding horses circa 1720, and by the mid-1700s they were growing apples from Europe, black-eyed peas from Africa, and sweet potatoes from the Caribbean. Eventually, cattle were included among Cherokee livestock.
By the 1820s, due to the influence of the encroaching European immigrant culture, many Cherokee abandoned their traditional towns and were living in family groups in log cabins along streams and river valleys. Even though the land was still owned communally, the Cherokee practiced a type of subsistence agriculture on small farms usually ranging in size from two to ten acres.
Plants for Healing The Cherokee have a long tradition of using plants for healing and preventive medicine. Wild herbs and other plants were gathered carefully, with the harvester taking only the fourth plant and leaving behind a gift of gratitude, such as a small bead.
Plants used by Cherokee healers include blackberry, black gum, hummingbird blossoms, cattail, greenbriar, mint, mullein, sumac, wild ginger, wild rose, bloodroot, yarrow, and yellow dock.
About Corn Beads Also Known As Trail of Tear Beads or Jobs Tears
Dahlonegah School/Community Garden has received a donation of corn beads from the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank from Cherokee Nation's Natural Resource Department. Many thanks to Mark Dunham and Pat Gwin.
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About Coix LacrimaI n 1838 the Cherokee people were forcibly removed from their home land and their homes. As the soldiers came to each house hold to gather the Cherokee people for the removal, many cried tears of sadness over the loss of homes and personal belongings. Most were only allowed to take what they could carry. As the people were taken from their homes they would cry out asking the Creator to send a miracle.
As they walked along the trail, their tears fell to the ground. At the place where the tears fell, a shoot that looked like a cornstalk grew. As the plant bloomed and opened up, seeds of gray fell to the ground. Creator said, “This will be a sign unto all who pass that my children will always be a part of this land. The cornstalk represents life for my children and the seeds of gray represent suffering and sorrow.” The trail the Cherokee people walked is now known as theTrail of Tears and the seeds are known as corn beads. Corn Beads are actually Job's Tears or Coix lacryma-jobi a plant in the grass family. |
Jewel Gourds
TAHLEQUAH, Okla.—The days are getting longer and all good gardeners know what that means. It will soon be time to start your seeds for those spring and summer gardens. Cherokee gardeners will take delight in knowing that spring gardening season is just around the corner and Cherokee Nation is once again offering those gardeners a chance to grow a bit of the tribe’s history and culture in their own backyard.
For the past few years tribal citizens have had the opportunity to request heirloom seeds from the Cherokee Nation’s Natural Resources Department as part of a seed bank project. The seeds are for plants that have been researched to relate historically to the Cherokee Nation, such as Georgia Candy Roaster squash, Job’s Tears or Birdhouse and Dipper gourds. Other species offered by the program include varieties of corn, beans and tobacco. Most are rare cultivars not widely available through commercial means. Around 2,000 seed packets were mailed out to Cherokee Nation citizens throughout the U.S. and beyond last year. The NRD staff is gearing up to send out at least that many seeds this winter. The seeds are free but participating gardeners are asked to help re-stock the seed bank by sending back seeds from their crops to share with others via the seed bank.
A good variety will be available for request for the 2012 growing season. Beans and some other items will be very limited this year due to last year’s extreme weather in parts of the country. “The heat and drought really diminished our inventories and prevented us from replenishing our seed bank with certain varieties. Fortunately, we had some folks from back east that sent us seeds, allowing us to still be able to give those items away,” said Mark Dunham, Natural Resources specialist. “One thing that’s really cool that we have this year that we didn’t have last year is the jewel gourd,” said Dunham. Dunham said the jewel gourds, which measure around 2-3 inches in diameter when mature, may have been worn ornamentally by Cherokees for centuries in a similar manner to how other tribes might wear a deerskin pouch.
“You see designs sometimes that show people wearing jewel gourds on old eastern woodlands pottery,” Dunham said.
For the past few years tribal citizens have had the opportunity to request heirloom seeds from the Cherokee Nation’s Natural Resources Department as part of a seed bank project. The seeds are for plants that have been researched to relate historically to the Cherokee Nation, such as Georgia Candy Roaster squash, Job’s Tears or Birdhouse and Dipper gourds. Other species offered by the program include varieties of corn, beans and tobacco. Most are rare cultivars not widely available through commercial means. Around 2,000 seed packets were mailed out to Cherokee Nation citizens throughout the U.S. and beyond last year. The NRD staff is gearing up to send out at least that many seeds this winter. The seeds are free but participating gardeners are asked to help re-stock the seed bank by sending back seeds from their crops to share with others via the seed bank.
A good variety will be available for request for the 2012 growing season. Beans and some other items will be very limited this year due to last year’s extreme weather in parts of the country. “The heat and drought really diminished our inventories and prevented us from replenishing our seed bank with certain varieties. Fortunately, we had some folks from back east that sent us seeds, allowing us to still be able to give those items away,” said Mark Dunham, Natural Resources specialist. “One thing that’s really cool that we have this year that we didn’t have last year is the jewel gourd,” said Dunham. Dunham said the jewel gourds, which measure around 2-3 inches in diameter when mature, may have been worn ornamentally by Cherokees for centuries in a similar manner to how other tribes might wear a deerskin pouch.
“You see designs sometimes that show people wearing jewel gourds on old eastern woodlands pottery,” Dunham said.
Georgia Candy Roaster Squash
GEORGIA CANDY ROASTER (112 days) Much like the regular heirloom Banana squash, but these get even bigger, up to 60 lbs! The long cylindrical fruit has thin pink skin and delicious orange flesh, is perfect for baking and pies. This heirloom is productive and it keeps very well! This is a very rare variety that come from Georgia, do not confuse with the more common and slightly different Carolina Candy Roaster varieties, this is the authentic original!
Cherokee White Corn Seeds For Flour
Longer ears and taller stalks than the Brown and Robinson reselection of the 1980s.] 11-12” long ears on sturdy 15’ tall stalks. White kernels, 8-10 rows/ear, 50 seeds/row, white cobs. Makes great flour. Important historical variety.