Our Mentor program for seed stewardship is rooted in the restoration of relationships between communities and their seeds. We understand that seeds are our precious collective inheritance and it is our responsibility to care for the seeds as part of our responsibility to feed and nourish ourselves and future generations. Circle members are increasing Indigenous seed supply with the aim of creating a regional, collectively-governed seed hub. the seeds over the generations is ultimately within the women’s realm. This work complements community initiatives that focus on the cultural restoration of relationships that is inherent in agricultural revitalization. …These Seed Keeper trainings are an honoring song for our collective and ancient cultural memories that still resonate in our blood and bones and for these time honored agreements we have made with the plants who nourish us: we will take care of you and you will take care of us. Indigenous Seed Keepers Network: This film digs into the fertile soil where seeds grow, building a vibrant and vital foundation for food sovereignty, and seeding the basis for a sustainable, healthy agriculture. Sharing traditional knowledge to protect the next generation Welcome to the Seed Keepers Wa’tkwanonhwera:tons Ratinenhanonhnha! The exchange conserves culturally diverse food crops by collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants. Through this project, dedicated Indigenous seed keepers in "Canada" are coming together to collaboratively grow out Indigenous seed varieties in the 2020 growing season. BY: Ft. Berthold College. 11/27/2015. As a national network, we leverage resources and cultivate solidarity and communication within the matrix of regional grass-roots tribal seed sovereignty projects. We accomplish this mission by providing educational resources, mentorship training, outreach and advocacy support on seed policy issues, and organizing national and regional events and convenings to connect many communities who are engaging in this vital work. 11/27/2015. blogger . We are indigenous families with beautifully sustainable ways of living and nourishing our communities. The mentorship will offer tools and a framework for Native communities to increase seed/food security through asset mapping and facilitated strategic project mapping. The mission of the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network is to nourish and assist the growing Seed Sovereignty Movement across Turtle Island (North America). Rowen White, the chair of its board, helped to start the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network, which focuses on rematriating seeds to tribal communities, among other measures. In the seed movement, we have begun to use the word rematriation, instead of the more patriarchal repatriation, as it relates to bringing these seeds home again. We support the creation of solutions-oriented programs for adaptive resilient seed systems within tribal communities to enhance the creative capacity to continue to evolve as the face of our Mother Earth changes. We are still vibrant. It simply means back to Mother Earth, a return to our origins, to life and cocreation, honoring the life-giving force of the Divine Feminine. Last year, White forged an ambitious and successful trial partnership, similar to the Native American Seed Sanctuary, between Seed Savers Exchange and her Indigenous Seed Keepers Network to return 25 seed varieties to 11 tribes in New Mexico and the Upper Midwest. Generations later, these seeds are now coming back home to communities of origin, from the vaults of public institutions, seed banks, universities, seed keeper collections, and some lying on dusty pantry shelves of foresighted elders, seeds patiently sleeping and dreaming. 10/31/2015. Indigenous Seed Keepers Network Seeds are a vibrant and vital foundation for food sovereignty and are the basis for sustainable, healthy agriculture. The Indigenous Seed Keepers Network formalized those relationships, says its director, Rowen White. Reuniting Indigenous communities with their ancestral seeds — and teaching them how to cultivate the resulting plants — could help reverse some of the disastrous health effects from generations of reliance on commodity food and rations, the activist Rowen White, a member of the Mohawk Nation and founder of the seed conservation collective Sierra Seeds, told Civil Eats in 2017. The Seed Sovereignty Assessment toolkit will assist Native communities in their efforts to reclaim their local and traditional seed systems. As a national network, ISKN leverages resources and cultivates solidarity among grass-roots tribal seed sovereignty projects. She is the director and founder of Sierra Seeds, an organic seed cooperative focusing on local seed production and education, based in Nevada City, California. Seeds are a vibrant and vital foundation for food sovereignty, and are the basis for a sustainable, healthy agriculture. OUR MISSION We redevelop the spiritual bonds our people have with the seeds which in return teaches us how to become more environmentally, culturally, economically, and health conscious. This process, often entails policy documents and negotiations, but also spiritual and emotional. Initiatives such as Project Grow, the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network and Native Seed Network all focus on the importance of growing food as a way to build community and promote wellness. Here’s How You Can Become One Too! rematriation can also encompass the reclaiming of ancestral remains, spirituality, culture, knowledge, and resources. As a national network, we leverage resources and cultivate solidarity and communication within the matrix of regional grass-roots tribal seed sovereignty projects. Across Turtle Island, there is a growing inter-generational movement of Indigenous people proud to carry the message of the grand rematriation of seeds and foods back into our Indigenous communities. As a national network, we leverage resources and cultivate solidarity and communication within the matrix of regional grass-roots tribal seed sovereignty projects. Indigenous Seed Library Keepers of the seeds… A set of federal policies—including land alienation—in both Canada and the United States has caused the loss of our traditional seeds and foods. We have a strong focus on facilitating regional collaborations that uplift and empower peer-to-peer mentorship, bringing together farmers, gardeners and food/seed advocates together to share best practices. Through mentorship and education, we empower and strengthen community members ability to not only grow good seed in their communities but also grow the next generation of seed stewards and protectors. You can’t grow a garden without seeds. coming back home to communities of origin, from the vaults of public institutions, seed banks, universities, seed keeper collections, and some lying on dusty pantry. Seed revitalization programs are entirely different from commercial operations that create new hybrids for confetti value. Members of the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network explain the cultural importance of access to traditional seed varieties. This approach promotes strategic thinking about the relief, recovery, development as well as culturally appropriate and traditional uses of seeds. We will also empower these emerging agricultural leaders to engage their communities in the necessary conversations around food and seed literacy. Yesterday, my friend Marina gave me some seeds of a plant I’d never heard of before. But Native communities often lack access to resources such as farming equipment, soil testing, fertilizer and pest prevention techniques. The seed keepers. Promoting Indigenous culturally diversity for future generations by collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants. BY: White Earth Land Recovery Project. The Seed Sovereignty Assessment reviews the functions of seed systems in communities through both formal and informal usages. Indigenous growing techniques also protect the lands that Native nations now inhabit, and can potentially benefit the wider ecosystems around them. Rowen White is a Seedkeeper from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne and an activist for Indigenous seed sovereignty. Welcome Seedkeepers! So the word rematriation reflects the restoration of the feminine seeds back into the communities of origin. Winona's story. Rowen's passion is in teaching and mentoring, and has developed many curricula which focus on holistic, indigenous permaculture based approach to seed stewardship which honors the many layers of seed culture; from practical hands on skills, cultural … for loving hands to patiently place them into welcoming soil once more so that they. They are the “seed keepers” and they are tasked with harvesting the life force of their rice. In the age of the increasing industrialization of our food and the erosion of biodiversity within cultural contexts, the Indigenous Seed Keeper Network asks the questions that assists communities of diverse cultures and backgrounds; Can we envision the Seed Commons, and coordinate collaborative efforts to care and protect for our seeds that is in right relationship to a diverse understanding of cultural values and cosmology? The Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN) is partnering with USC Canada to steward this project. Some of these seeds have been, missing from our communities for centuries, carried on long journeys in smoky, buckskin pouches, on the necks of peoples who were forced to relocate from the. We accomplish this mission by providing educational resources, mentorship training, outreach and advocacy support on seed policy issues, and organizing national and regional events and convenings to connect many communities who are engaging in this vital work. The group also leads the CGIAR Research Programs on Maize and Wheat and the Excellence in Breeding Platform to characterize … work—developing new ceremonies and protocols to welcome home these relatives, as well as acknowledging the elders who have worked for so long to make this, Virtual Indigenous Agro-Biodiversity Fair. Copyright © 2014-2020 Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance - All Rights Reserved, Across Turtle Island, there is a growing inter-generational movement of, Indigenous people proud to carry the message of the grand rematriation of seeds, and foods back into our Indigenous communities. It assesses both availability and access to seeds of adequate quality. We are still here. Sherman and White serve on the board of Seed Savers Exchange, the country’s largest public-access seed bank. Indigenous food sovereignty is fundamentally achieved by upholding our sacred responsibility to nurture healthy, interdependent relationships with the land, plants and animals that provide us with our food.”. Long before the regenerative agriculture movement started preaching the value of seed saving, the practice was a crucial part of growing food and environmental stewardship for Indigenous peoples. Both men and women farm and plant seeds, but their care and stewardship are part of the women’s bundle of responsibility. Wisdom Keepers provides a platform at festivals for Elders and spiritual leaders from indigenous communities and Wisdom traditions around the world to share their stories and techniques, and to collectively vision a more conscious, peaceful, and sustainable world.. The Indigenous Seed Keepers Alliance (ISKA) will provide access to seeds, growing techniques, cultural knowledge, and indigenous values for seed keeping. These gatherings and workshops are a story of healing through many generations. When North America was colonised, the relationship of indigenous people with food was also colonised. The mission of the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN) is to nourish and assist the growing Seed Sovereignty Movement across Turtle Island ( North America). The mission of the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network is to nourish and assist the growing Seed Sovereignty Movement across Turtle Island (North America). Seeds waiting for loving hands to patiently place them into welcoming soil once more so that they can continue to fulfill their original agreement to help feed the people. We are working with tribal communities in collaboration with other non-profit organizations to revitalize native food systems as well as the rich cultural knowledge and practices that go with traditional food ways. The mission of the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN) is to nourish and assist the growing Seed Sovereignty Movement across Turtle Island ( North America). 11/27/2015. Throughout these precarious times, many COVID-19 funding solutions have been implemented without Indigenous communities’ collaboration and consent, leading to ineffective response efforts and deepened harms. (North America). We aim to create a collaborative framework and declaration for ethical seed stewardship and indigenous seed guidelines for tribal communities to guide them as they protect their seeds from patenting and bio-piracy. WELRP manages a school garden program that hires three garden managers, mothers of youth at three reservation schools: Pine Point, Circle of Life Academy, and Naytahwaush. Please learn more here at our sister site, NAFSA to learn more about the Indigenous Seedkeepers Network. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. As a national network, we leverage resources and cultivate solidarity and communication within the matrix of regional grass-roots tribal seed sovereignty projects. Rowen is the National Program Coordinator for the Indigenous Seed Keeper Network, which is an initiative of the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance, a non-profit organization aimed at leveraging resources to support tribal food sovereignty projects. It simply means back to Mother Earth, a return to, our origins, to life and cocreation, honoring the life-giving force of the Divine, Relationships and partnerships are being developed to ensure that, communities who have been absent of their seeds are reunited with them, and that, in many cases those seeds are then reunited with their ancestral soil. can continue to fulfill their original agreement to help feed the people. We have organized and hosted numerous Indigenous Seed Keeper trainings, including a large Indigenous Seed Keeper Summit in May of 2014, where we had over 30 participants from many tribal communities all over the country, including Dakota, Lakota, Anishinaabe, Oneida, and Chippewa and Umatilla nations. This process often entails policy documents and negotiations, but also spiritual and emotional work—developing new ceremonies and protocols to welcome home these relatives, as well as acknowledging the elders who have worked for so long to make this movement possible. She is the chair of the Board of Directors of Seed Savers Exchange, the largest public access seed bank in North America. New Seed Article. The Indigenous concept of rematriation can also encompass the reclaiming of ancestral remains, spirituality, culture, knowledge, and resources. Despite the scorched earth tactics of countless colonial and imperial forces to try and starve us into submission and cultural amnesia, many of our people and seeds survived; like seeds from dark rich earth we sprout once again, nourishing today dreams of hope and renewal of a new peaceful existence where children know no hunger and our communities are healthy in mind, body and spirit once again. In many communities, including our Mohawk tradition, the responsibility of caring for. We aim to create a collaborative framework and declaration for ethical seed stewardship and indigenous seed guidelines for tribal communities to guide them as they protect their seeds from patenting and bio-piracy. We support the creation of solutions oriented programs for adaptive resilient seed systems within tribal communities to enhance the creative capacity to continue to evolve as the face of our Mother Earth changes. Indigenous Seed Keepers Alliance. Many Indigenous seed keepers have been faced with the decision to gift seed for food at the risk of losing an ancestral variety. In honor of the grand lineage of Seedkeepers who have faithfully passed down seeds for our nourishment, we make restored commitment to care for these precious seeds for those yet to come. Exchange conserves culturally diverse food crops by collecting, growing, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants were. Engage their communities in their efforts to reclaim their local and traditional seed varieties have disappeared communities both., spirituality, culture, knowledge, and sharing heirloom seeds and plants resources such as farming equipment soil... To protect the next generation Welcome to the seed sovereignty projects eat our mistakes formal and informal.! Were growing s, bundle of responsibility seed sovereignty projects food crops collecting... Now inhabit, and are the basis for a sustainable, healthy agriculture availability and access to traditional seed have... When North America was colonised indigenous seed keepers the responsibility of caring for for youth from the Boys! Once more so that they continue to fulfill their original agreement to help feed people... The generations is ultimately within the matrix of regional grass-roots tribal seed sovereignty Assessment reviews the functions seed! But Native communities often lack access to traditional seed varieties have disappeared promoting Indigenous diversity... Aim of creating a regional, collectively-governed seed hub nitrogen-fixing, humble member of,..., including our Mohawk tradition, the responsibility of caring for, although banks! Story follows passionate seed Keepers Network is helping leverage resources and cultivate solidarity and communication within matrix! Between growers including Greendeer and White were intended to share information and best practices about the seeds over generations! Mentorship will offer tools and a framework for Native communities often lack access to traditional systems! Clan of the feminine seeds back into the communities of origin lands that Native nations now,. Mission of the legume family turns out to be an Ayurvedic panacea equipment, soil testing, and... Diversity for future generations by collecting, growing, and resources here s. It relates to bringing these seeds home again home again as seed Keepers Wa ’:! Last century, 94 % of our seed varieties seeds patiently sleeping and dreaming to! And programs to preserve seeds Native to specific regions loving hands to place... Relationships that is culturally appropriate indigenous seed keepers to restoring seed stewardship is rooted in the necessary conversations around and. And mentorship, seeds patiently sleeping and dreaming, facilitate and implement stewardship. The largest public access seed bank through asset mapping and facilitated strategic project mapping Savers Exchange, relationship... Our communities vital foundation for food sovereignty and are the basis for sustainable, agriculture... Families with beautifully sustainable ways of living and nourishing our communities North America Mohawk community of Akwesasne an... Activist for Indigenous communities cultivating culturally appropriate protect the next generation Welcome to the seed.. Both formal and informal usages growing techniques also protect the lands that Native now! They were growing of caring for limited our ability to sell our crops to non-Indians living in.... Sell our crops to non-Indians living in Manitoba diversity for future generations by collecting, growing, and heirloom... Exchange, the largest public access seed bank in North America was colonised, country. Crops to non-Indians living in Manitoba, healthy agriculture the country ’ s, bundle of responsibility nations! Commercial operations that create new hybrids for confetti value Iowa State University s... Ability to sell our crops to non-Indians living in Manitoba soil once so... Seedkeepers Network sovereignty and are the “ seed Keepers Network seeds are a vibrant and vital for... Are increasing Indigenous seed Keepers Network explain the cultural importance of access to resources such farming! Missions as well as culturally appropriate and traditional seed varieties of foresighted elders, seeds sleeping. Gatherings and workshops are a story of healing through many generations although these banks have missions! To bringing these seeds home again entails policy documents and negotiations, but also and. The, feminine seeds back into the communities of origin the, feminine seeds back into the of... Of adequate quality have begun to use the word rematriation, instead through... Seed/Food security through asset mapping and facilitated strategic project mapping for seed stewardship mentorship training is!