A STORY ABOUT FOOD SECURITY AND TRADITIONS

Urban and Indigenous are not mutually exclusive but for me, urban paints a picture with little to no agriculture or natural life. When the pandemic hit hard and we entered lockdowns in 2020, my family worried about sustenance. In the uncertainty, we stocked up on beans, potatoes, rice, and other long-lasting foods from markets. Everything was selling out. After things settled a bit, we decided to plant our own seeds we have accumulated over the years through trade and gift giving. It was my first time managing a plot of Indigenous North & South American vegetables and fruits. Among things like tomato and cilantro, we planted Yeyi Iknimeh (3 sisters); corn, bean and squash are staple foods for Nawa people.

selecting our seeds to plant

First blue corn sprout

Miawatl “corn flower”

In 2 years we’ve more than quadrupled our seed bank. We have since cooked with and given away a lot of our harvest and seeds to friends and family. Although we are not at a point where we can thrive solely off our own agriculture, the start of that journey changed our lives for the better. As the main caretaker of the plot in my immediate family, I learned a lot about nourishing and encouraging growth. A family friend from Hopi shared with me: “the corn are your children. When they first sprout out of the ground and their ears touch the floor, they are learning to walk. Treat them with love.” I took on the responsibilities of a farmer and as a young man, raising corn children is preparing me for my future.

Harvest (image by Ary Amaya)

shucking corn and storing seed