Bringing people and plants closer together – a multi-site collaborative project proposal dedicated to cultivating, promoting and enjoying plants for Alaska Native peoples’ cuisines by USDA NIFA ANNH co-applicants and outside partners.
Description
The Alaska Gardens project aims to foster food security and food sovereignty in rural Alaska by researching, trialing and promoting the cultivation of selected plant species that are relevant in the context of Alaska Native Peoples’ cuisines and that are traditionally harvested. “Alaska Native and Indigenous people have a long history of cultivating the natural spaces to improve access or abundance to plants valued for food, medicine, ceremonies, textiles, tools and implements for successful living. This project will assist in “awakening a deep and integral relationship that has been asleep.” (DeWitt). The framework of the interdisciplinary project will be collaborative, community-based and participatory. The current (and still growing) list of project partners include Indigenous food specialists, Alaska Native Elders, community gardens, an agricultural experimental station, a botanical garden, and three university programs housed in rural campuses of the University of Alaska Fairbanks system that are dedicated to the wider field of sustainability, wild food plants, subsistence and food security.
The project responds to a raised interest in gardening and sourcing locally-produced food. Its goal is to provide better access to culturally-relevant food while teaching younger generations about all pertinent and contemporary aspects and processes involved. If successful, the proposed project will allow Indigenous people who don’t have the time, means or environment to source their preferred plant-based food items to practice, reinvigorate and enjoy the delicacies of their own cultural heritage. Growing, nurturing and harvesting plants together with preparing and sharing food will certainly contribute to the emotional, cultural and physical well-being of everyone involved. The results of the plant trials suggested in this project will support interested entities (e.g. schools) by providing a tested list of plants with instructions for their cultivation and have the potential to create economic opportunities for local, sustainability-oriented businesses.
Goals (list)
- Develop a list of plants to be trialed.
- Trial species and varieties of plants relevant for AK Native cuisines to:
- Come to a selection of relatively reliable and easy to cultivate plants and
- Create recommendations for their cultivation (e.g step-by-step, detailed instructions, booklet, website, videos).
- Build on existing expertise, partnerships and networks (e.g. existing demonstration garden by Meda DeWitt at Alaska Pacific University (APU); the process and partnerships created through using the space to teach; sharing plants for seeding Traditional Gardens at the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) courtyard and the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage; use in cultural summer camps, cooking demonstrations, and medicine making classes.
- Design local trial plots or gardens (or integrate into existing gardens) to also serve as demonstration gardens.
- Raise awareness and curiosity, teach people from all age groups about edible plants, involve volunteers in fun and healthy activities;
- Research and develop culturally meaningful documentation of the plants to foster relationships to their ‘plant relatives’, e.g. search for stories and artwork reflecting the past interactions to the plant world, plan for publications in local Native languages;
- In semi-public or public events, prepare and enjoy the harvest from the gardens.
- Collect data on the culinary quality of harvested plants to inform the cultivating methods and plant species and varieties to be planted in the following season.
- Document all steps of the process – planting, growing, harvesting and processing of plants.
- Work towards creating a plant list and basic cultivation instructions of food plants that are relevant in the context of Alaska Native cuisines to …
- Encourage and support commercial growers and local initiatives to cultivate these plants to cater to interested entities (e.g. nursing homes).
- Provide schools and other public organizations with readily applicable growing instructions for culturally relevant plants.
Preliminary species and varieties list
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- K’únts, Tlingit potato, Solanum tuberosum
- Sorrel (Rumex acetosa and R. scutatus) (trial if culturally acceptable replacement for sour dock, R. arcticus)
- Wild rhubarb, Aconogonum alaskanum (formerly Polygonum alaskanum)
- Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) – single ‘wild relative’ of commonly cultivated plants naturally occurring in AK; point out the potential confusion with death camas.
- Wild Celery, Angelica, Angelica lucida – currently popular – cultivate local strains; also good to familiarize people with it so they’ll be able to tell it apart from water hemlock
- Puchki, cow parsnip – Heracleum sphondylium sp. montanum (formerly H. lanatum)
- Masu, Eskimo potato/Indian potato, Hedysarum alpinum; other mouse food plants (cotton grass, edible sedges.)
- Stinkweed, Artemisia tilesii – will certainly grow well; however, as it is an important medicinal plant, there might be understandable opposition to the publication of its applications. To be discussed with Indigenous project partners.
- Rock Sage. There are seven sages in Alaska. These should be regionally appropriate.
- Kóox, Rice-root lily, Fritillaria camschatcensis
- Beach Green 1, Beach lovage, Ligusticum scoticum, tukkaayuk (coastal Inupiaq dialect)
- Beach green 2, Honckenya peploides
- Cloudberries, Rubus chamaemorus (test for cultivation, absolutely needed in any show garden!)
- Serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia
- Silverweed, Argentina sp.
- Fireweed, Chamerion angustifolium
- Nagoonberry, Rubus arcticus
- Thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorus
- Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa
- Blite Strawberry, Chenopodium capitatum
- Bog Blueberry, Vaccinium uliginosum
- Lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Project partners, past and current:
- Haa Jooní: Meda DeWitt, MA., Traditional Healer and Ethnoherbalist
- Traditions in Healing: Jennifer Andrulli, Yupik Traditional Healer and Ethnoherbalist
- Intertribal Agriculture Council: Tikaan Galbreath
- Alaska Native Heritage Center: Emily Edenshaw
- Georgeson Botanical Garden, Fairbanks: Lacey Higham
- UAF KuC Ethnobotany Program: Dr. Rose Meier, Lisa Strecker
- UAF BBC Sustainable Energy: Eric Goddard
- UAF CC Food Security and Sustainability Project: Stacey Glaser, Annabelle Alvite
- Palmer Experimental Station: Jodie Anderson
- Bethel Community Garden and 4H
Project coordinators
KuC Ethnobotany Program (Lisa Strecker), Alaska Native Cultural advisors: Meda DeWitt, MA., TH., Jennifer Andrulli B.S., LMT, TH.