Post by rhubarb on Feb 10, 2022 14:53:16 GMT -5
I know this thread is a few years old but maybe some new information has come to light over the past couple years? This article in the New York Times about Danielle Hill Greendeer from the Wampanoag tribe was very inspiring and provided many links to people who are preserving indigenous heirloom seeds.
www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/dining/native-americans-thanksgiving-corn.html?searchResultPosition=1
Danielle wrote a book that tells the real story behind the first “Thanksgiving” from the corn plants’ perspective. It’s coming out in August, 2022. We can pre-order copies and support her efforts:
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669852/keepunumuk-by-danielle-greendeer-author-anthony-perry-author-alexis-bunten-author-gar-y-meeches-sr-illustrator/
There’s also a group of agro-archaeologists who are researching “extinct” domesticated plants through DNA sampling and involving the Indigenous people whose crops these once were. Their techniques may help us identify and trace heirloom varieties whose stories have been lost, or “white-washed” by European settlers. For example, the so-called “Mayflower bean” that allegedly was brought from England to Massachusetts is probably a Wampanoag crop adopted by the Plymouth settlers since this type of bean is native to MesoAmerica, not Europe. It’s possible in the 100 + years since Europeans made contact with the Turtle Islanders that this particular bean could have traveled to England and then come back, but it seems unlikely. Maybe the agro-archaeologists will be able to get to the bottom of questions like these? Here’s the link to the Lost Crops people page:
lostcrops.org/people/
Another person who might be knowledgeable about Indigenous crops in Massachusetts is Lawrence Davis-Hollander who started the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy. Unfortunately, that group is no longer, but he’s still involved with ethnobotany and seed preservation.
www.facebook.com/lawrence.davishollander/
Good luck and thank you to everyone who is keeping our collective seed heritage alive!
www.nytimes.com/2021/11/22/dining/native-americans-thanksgiving-corn.html?searchResultPosition=1
Danielle wrote a book that tells the real story behind the first “Thanksgiving” from the corn plants’ perspective. It’s coming out in August, 2022. We can pre-order copies and support her efforts:
There’s also a group of agro-archaeologists who are researching “extinct” domesticated plants through DNA sampling and involving the Indigenous people whose crops these once were. Their techniques may help us identify and trace heirloom varieties whose stories have been lost, or “white-washed” by European settlers. For example, the so-called “Mayflower bean” that allegedly was brought from England to Massachusetts is probably a Wampanoag crop adopted by the Plymouth settlers since this type of bean is native to MesoAmerica, not Europe. It’s possible in the 100 + years since Europeans made contact with the Turtle Islanders that this particular bean could have traveled to England and then come back, but it seems unlikely. Maybe the agro-archaeologists will be able to get to the bottom of questions like these? Here’s the link to the Lost Crops people page:
lostcrops.org/people/
Another person who might be knowledgeable about Indigenous crops in Massachusetts is Lawrence Davis-Hollander who started the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy. Unfortunately, that group is no longer, but he’s still involved with ethnobotany and seed preservation.
www.facebook.com/lawrence.davishollander/
Good luck and thank you to everyone who is keeping our collective seed heritage alive!
). what i am really interested in is actual genetic sequences and learning how to work with them. almost all of the questions i have about the beans i grow are around the parents and who they might be. i can guess based upon history of what i have grown, but i would still like to be more sure, eventually.