Community gardens make comeback

Once a staple of traditional Cherokee life, community gardens have slowly disappeared through the years, especially with the availability of mass produced food.

But the Cherokee Nation has funded and started some community gardens to help revive the tradition and help citizens throughout the Nation. And with the rising cost of food, these community garden projects could not have come at a better time.

The gardens are part of a Community Services program, said CN Community Work Manager Willard Mounce, and that it gives an opportunity for community organizations to provide youth and elder services.

"The youth could be taught how to plant and grow crops and learn responsibility," he said. "It could allow the elders an opportunity to contribute to the welfare of the community. There are several ways to work this program to the benefit of the community."

One community garden started through the program is the Tailholt community garden. Tammy Marshall, Tailholt citizen, said the garden was a great benefit to the elders in their community.

"Everything we grew we gave to the nutrition program at Tailholt," she said
The garden was started late in the year, but she said they fruited cucumbers, okra, squash and watermelons.

Marshall added that communities should take advantage of the program if there are individuals willing to perform the work it takes to garden, as well as for the elders.

"They (CN citizens) need to take advantage of it (the community garden program at CN) because it's so important for the elderly to eat healthy, nutritious foods," she said.

Marshall said Tailholt citizens did what they thought was important, using foods to cook for about 18 to 25 elders three days a week at their community building.

The project's purpose is to fund and start co-op type community gardens to provide healthy food choices and fresh seasonal produce for low-income Cherokee citizens.

Communities have five eligibility requirements they must meet to utilize the program's funds: the garden project must be located with the CN jurisdiction; the majority of the individuals benefiting from this project must be CN citizens; the majority of the governing board of the organization applying must be CN citizens, and if there isn't an organized board, those who will be responsible for this project must be Cherokee citizens; the Cherokee community must submit a summary of the project; and individuals must be willing to track volunteer work hours and submit a monthly progress report for their project.

Another stipulation is the produce grown in the gardens is not allowed to be sold, but must be given away to the residents of that community who are Cherokee citizens.
But it's not just communities that have gotten into gardening. The tribe's Natural Resources group has a garden next to the Tribal Council House, located on the W.W. Keeler Complex in Tahlequah.

Its primary purpose is to grow enough garden plants to have a large supply of seeds.
"We wanted to developed a seed bank so that we could give them out, similar to the turkey feather program," said Pat Gwin, Natural Resources supervisor. "We grew out 12 different species of garden plants."

He said the group started the garden in 2007 and even met with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as a cultural seed and plant exchange. Gwin said the Natural Resources group gave the Eastern Band seeds for trees that it didn't have in North Carolina, while the Eastern Band gave Natural Resources historical crop seeds.

Gwin said one plant the group has grown a lot of this season is Cherokee White Eagle corn or "Trail of Tears corn."

He said the group started with 20 to 50 seeds and have now grown nearly 50 pounds of corn. The group also bagged up 2,000 small bags of corn seeds for Principal Chief Chad Smith to give out as gifts at his Cherokee National Holiday address to the Nation.

In addition to growing the corn, Gwin said his group grew three other types of corn, one type of squash, two types of gourds, 10 types of beans and the traditional ceremonial tobacco plant.

Natural Resources also operates a program where it helps plow Cherokee citizens' home gardens prior to planting season. Gwin said the majority of those who utilize this service are older citizens who can no longer do it themselves.

"We plow up 40 and 60 homes (gardens) each year before planting season," he said.
For more information on starting a home garden call Natural Resources at (918) 453-5671. For information on community gardens, call Community Services at (918) 453-5233. source>>>

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