Some Elm buds I found in the Moreau River Valley today on the Cheyenne River reservation. Most of the elms in the area are impacted by Dutch Elm Disease, but a few seem to be immune. These buds are from a tree that appears to be healthy and thriving.
Monthly Archives: April 2018
Indigenous Farming Conference
I recently attended the Indigenous Farming Conference on White Earth Reservation. Promo video: I’ll upload photos soon.
Yom HaShoah: Hungarian Paprika
Today was Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. My grandparents’ friend Gabe is a Hungarian Jew who spent a portion of his childhood in a Nazi concentration camp. He was already an old man when I met him, and he spends his days growing rare heirloom tomatoes, some of which I have seen nowhere else. TodayContinue reading “Yom HaShoah: Hungarian Paprika”
Sugarbush: Maple Syrup Season
Disclaimer: I have no idea how to do this. Despite years of being around sugarbush, having a mom who makes great maple syrup, and going on outings like this one over the years, I have never done this myself, from start to finish. I’ve only had the privilege to be a guest of other peopleContinue reading “Sugarbush: Maple Syrup Season”
Psiŋ: Wild Rice
My friend’s hand-harvested wild rice (from the rice lakes of White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota). It’s psíŋ in Lakota and Dakota, and in my opinion, it’s one of the best foods in the world. Here, she pours it from a big vacuum storage bag into a kitchen jar for daily use. My friend isContinue reading “Psiŋ: Wild Rice”
Igmú Čheyáka / Catnip
I accidentally harvested catmint seeds the other day, thinking I was harvesting nettle seeds. This plant is called igmú čheyáka in Lakota, catmint in English, and Nepeta cataria. It is also (perhaps more commonly) known as catnip in English. It’s indigenous to Eurasia, but has naturalized over here. It’s all over the place. I foundContinue reading “Igmú Čheyáka / Catnip”
Čhaŋíčaȟpehu / Stinging Nettles
Stinging nettles. Čhaŋíčaȟpehu. Urtica dioica. Many of us have only unpleasant associations with this plant: the sting. It is seen as a plant to be avoided, and carefully uprooted where possible. Here on Standing Rock, though, a growing number of people are intentionally inflicting themselves with nettle stings. This may sound surprising when you firstContinue reading “Čhaŋíčaȟpehu / Stinging Nettles”
