Ówînegh Táh Pueblos Y Semillas Gathering and Seed Exchange

SeedBroadcast at the Nambé Pueblo Wellness Center

It had rained all night. It was one of those soft gentle rains that are so rare here in the high desert. A rain that soaks into the hard ground instead of bouncing off and forming streams that wash away the topsoil. When I woke early, the light of dawn just arriving, I could still hear the rain dropping on to the tin roof. Here in the desert of the southwest we pray for these kinds of rains.
It was a blessed day.
After taking some moments to breathe in the damp air I meandered north to gather with other seed lovers to celebrate and bless the seeds for another year.
The rain decided to join us.
 The 11th Annual Ówînegh Táh Pueblos Y Semillas Gathering and Seed Exchange was held this year in the pueblo of Nambé and was presented by the pueblo and the New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance. This year’s theme was Remedios de la Tierra: Agua, Comida, Plantas/ Nânkwiyo Wo, Po, Kohgi. Phé Yâvi. Medicines of the Earth: Water, Food, Plants.

Hava beans from Abiquiu

 The New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance was formed in 2006 following the Seed Sovereignty Declaration in which farmers from our tribal, Pueblo and Acequia communities signed the declaration to defend seeds from genetic contamination. To make sure that this declaration is reactivated and kept alive in our northern New Mexico communities these important gatherings continue to bring seeds and people together.

To evoke this year’s theme and bring the essence of New Mexico into the space at the Nambé  Wellness Center we were welcomed with an opening prayer from Phillip Perez the Governor of the pueblo. Then the seed ceremony began with Los Hermanos Penitentes de: La Morada de Nuestro Señor de Esquipula La Cofradia de la Santísima Trinidad y otras Moradas blessing the space with an alabado and invocation to San Ysidro the patron saint of farmers. As the hermanos circled the room we all stood close to one and other in a deep silence listening to the voices and prayers resonate around the room. A stillness was held, a stillness that allowed us to reflect on our departed farmers, acequierous and community members.

After the hermanos brought their prayer to a closing Kathy Sanchez from Tewa Women United and Marian Narjanjo of Honor our Pueblo Existence led the seed blessing. Earth and water were brought by youth from the four directions and placed in a circle in the center of the room. Then all of the seed savers were invited to carry a selection of our seeds in small woven baskets into the circle and place them with the water and the earth at one of the four directions. Each seed basket was placed at the direction from which the seeds emerged, mine went to the south and were carefully taken from me by a young woman who smiled and placed them gently on the floor.
We were bringing our seeds home.

Cotton and devils claw from Roxanne Swentzall

The silence continued and as I entered into the circle I felt the room in the Nambé Wellness Center turn from a basketball court into a place of deep reverence not only for the seeds but also for each other. I saw people hug and shake hands; children making way for their elders, and a communal hope arise for the new planting season.
To complete the ceremonial cycle the Santa Clara Pueblo dancers moved their feet and hearts in a traditional rain dance. It was explained that the chanted songs had been in this community for thousands of years, and that every article of clothing and way of being was intentionally worn and held as a spiritual connection to the sky, earth, and mother earth.
 Not only is this gathering a blessing for the seeds it is a blessing for the elders that have carried and held the traditional ways. This years Aciano Se:daa Lifeways award was given to Raymond and Lila Narjanjo. As their family of children and grand-children and great-grand-children gathered round, Raymond explained that he and Lila had been married for sixty seven years. It made me think of the resilience within our pueblos not only of the culture but also the seeds and humans that are all connected.

SeedBroadcast sharing seeds and stories

This brought us to the seed exchange and the gentle ceremonial atmosphere contained the exchange and instead of the usual seed frenzy people were respectful and tried hard to only take what seeds they would plant. There were seeds from all over, havas and peanuts from Abiquiu, a special cotton from Roxanne Swentzell and many more varieties.

 Roxanne Swentzell

As seeds were exchanged so were stories.
Harold Trujillo of the New Mexico Acequia Association told me that he loved to dig the spring soil as it glitters, “You know that glitter don’t you” he asked me. He also told the story of one time when he cleaned the weeds from his corn field how at the end of the day when he stood up to stretch out his back he heard the corn clap….. “You know that sound the corn makes when the wind blows it sounds like clapping." Time was also given for traditional herbalists, plant medicine specialists and farmers to share their wisdom. Gilbert Yazzie from Shiprock told of the tragedy that hit his community last year when the spill from the Colorado Gold King mine contaminated the Animas and San Juan rivers. As the rivers turned to a sickly yellow color the Navajo Nation declared a state of emergency. The headwaters to Gilbert’s farm were shut off. “Our sacred corn and squash were affected. We held prayers. We said the water will fix itself. I am still looking forward to planting this season and when we plant we say 'here my little ones here is some water for you to grow'. It is all part of the circle of life. We are sending our energy and strength through our ceremony to all the farmers. There is only one water.”

Gilbert Yazzie with members if the New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance

 Over in a quite corner of the room a group of youth and women mixed the earth, water and seeds from the morning ceremony and rolled this life giving mud between the palms of their hands into small seed ball bundles . These seed bundles will be given to the peace and dignity runners  as they make their way North to South running thousands of miles in honor of the sacredness of the seeds. These seed bundles will be tied to the runner’s staffs for the duration of their journey.

Seed bundles

 The day concluded as the beginning with a blessing and a Mohawk song for the seeds. The prayers, seeds, earth, rain and mother earth came together in that room on the hill in Nambé Pueblo. The seeds were truly blessed and we all left with seeds in our pockets, a determination to make sure that these seeds and traditions are kept alive and even though we know its still a long difficult road ahead our hearts were full of hope.

SeedBroadcaster Ruben Olquin with Marian Narjano and the seed pot made by Roxanne Swentzell as a gift for Nambé Pueblo

SeedBroadcast at University of New Mexico Sustainability Expo

SeedBroadcast will be at the 8th Annual University of New Mexico Sustainability Expo
Join us to celebrate the resilience of SEED.

April 21, 2016
1030 am - 230 pm
Cornell Mall
Main Campus of University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
Map: https://iss.unm.edu/PCD/SM/doc/VisitorMapCentral_Numeric.pdf

For details about this event go to: UNM Sustainability Expo
https://www.facebook.com/events/1551327408529235/


What is Sustainability? Come find out and celebrate Earth Week at the University of New Mexico's Sustainability Expo! Now in its eighth year, the Expo will be held on Cornell Mall-- just east of the Student Union Building-- on Thursday, April 21st from 10:30am to 2:30pm. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come.

The Expo offers an opportunity to interact with the community and learn about sustainability. Enjoy a vibrant array of growers' market, food trucks, educational events, and live entertainment including demonstrations, music, bicycle auction, and clothing swap. Engage in zero waste training, educational events, and have a fun time with the community! Learn about sustainable initiatives on campus and in the surrounding community as well as meet local farmers and artisans, and enjoy delicious food, fun, and a lively community atmosphere.

The Expo is organized by UNM Sustainability Studies Program students in the Growers' Market Practicum class who are passionate about educating the campus and community members about sustainable ways of living. For more information about the sustainable food and agriculture initiative in particular, check out the class blog, at abqstew.com.
We encourage your participation and support at this year's Expo!

SeedBroadcasting from Earth Day at Civic Plaza

SeedBroadcast and the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station will be at the Earth Day celebration sharing seeds, stories, and resources.
Come by and share your story about seeds, resilience, and the earth!

April, 22, 2016
5 - 8pm
Civic Plaza in Downtown Albuquerque
See below for more information about the evenings events.

Civic Plaza Presents an Earth Day Celebration
Civic Plaza Presents a free, environmentally focused event in the Heart Of The City
ALBUQUERQUE, NM - EARTH DAY is coming! Civic Plaza Presents an Earth Day Celebration on Friday, April 22 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. This free event is proudly sponsored by Positive Energy Solar in conjunction with the Young Professionals of Albuquerque.

Earth Day Celebration: Love Your Environment is a community event that is open to all and will feature live music, exhibitors, vendors, locally sourced food, beer and wine, electronics recycling and more. This an opportunity to gather as a community to celebrate, participate, and contemplate this important day.

The event will have an array of exhibitors on hand to talk about Earth-conscious and environment-positive endeavors that help make our region a better place to live. In addition, OFFCenter Community Arts Project will be hosting a recycled materials arts and crafts making area for kids. Plant starts will be available for getting gardens growing. Local arts & crafts vendors will be on site as well. The event will also serve as a launch party for Albuquerque’s 2030 District, a community based initiative to make Albuquerque an even more economically competitive and environmentally healthy community.

Music for the Earth Day will be provided by ¡Revíva! with special guest Lone Piñon. Reviva plays a locally flavored style of reggae and rock, and have made a name for themselves through their inspiring lyrics and unique sound, becoming one of Albuquerque’s best loved and most popular bands. Lone Piñon is a trio that plays the ensemble-driven violin music of Northern New Mexico, a colorful tradition that represents the forging of diverse cultures in this area. The modern musicianship that the members Lone Piñon bring to this music results in an exciting new birth for an old sound that is not to be missed.

Locally sourced cuisine from Dig & Serve and Food Karma will be served from the Silver Spoon, a top-of-the-line mobile kitchen in a newly remodeled Airstream trailer that will make its premier at the Earth Day event as Civic Plaza’s own pop-up restaurant. Local microbrews from Marble Brewery, Rio Bravo Brewing Company, Bosque Brewing Company and Boxing Bear Brewing will be available.

Attendees to this free event are encouraged to drop-off electronic devices they would like to have recycled. Electronics recycling is provided by Natural Evolution, New Mexico’s first recycler certified to the E-Stewards Standard for Responsible Recycling and Reuse of Electronics. They are also the first tribally owned, solar powered certified electronics recycling facility in the U.S. Electronics recycling is free (an $18.00 fee applies to the recycling of televisions only).

This is a free event and, like all Civic Plaza events, it is family friendly / dog friendly / bike friendly. The Earth Day Celebration is produced by Civic Plaza Presents and DowntownABQ MainStreet Initiative. Please join us in the heart of the city for this celebration of Mother Earth!

CONTACT: Damian Lopez‐Gaston, Director of Event Services, SMG managed Albuquerque Convention Center; (505) 768‐3818, dlopez‐gaston@albuquerquecc.com.

SeedBroadcast at the Grant County Seed Celebration!

Great news!
The Grant County Commission has declared the week of April 4-10 as Grant County Seed Library Week.

Join SeedBroadcast at the Grant County Seed Library to celebrate!
Bring A SEED STORY to share.

Seed Celebration!
April 10, 2016 from 2-4pm

The Commons (Volunteer Center)
501 E 13th St, between Corbin & Swan
Silver City, NM

Seed Swap! (bring some, take some home)
Seed Mural! (we’ll create it together)
Food!
Music!
Poetry!

Free fun for the whole family!

For more information: 575-574-7805
or azima@ zianet.com

The Grant County Seed Library is sponsored by High Desert Organic Gardeners, the Grant County Volunteer Center, and the Silver City Food Co-op.

Music by Greg Renfro and Andrew Dahl-Bredine.

Poetry by Bonnie Maldonado, Elise Stuart, Terry Song, and Stewart Warren

Food to be enjoyed will include Seven Pillars Soup (made with the three sisters plus tomatoes, chile, amaranth, and chia, all part of the traditional diet of this region), pizza made in the horno, and Barb's great chili lime cornmeal cookies!

3rd Annual Taos Seed Exchange

Sharing Santa Fe Red Sorghum

The 3rd Annual Taos Seed Exchange took place on an unusually normal spring day with frosty air settling across the Taos Plateau and a frozen drizzle coming down from the mountains. I refer to it as unusually normal because so far this year the weather has been predictably extreme and climactically normal with swinging night-time temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s to sudden drops into the 0’s and 20’s. It has also been very dry.

During my drive northward from Anton Chico, I followed the Rio Grande up through Espanola, Ohkay Owingeh, Alcalde, Velarde and Embudo and saw the early flowering orchards. The warmer-than-usual spring temperatures had encouraged early blooming and now the sudden drop to critical degrees could easily kill the flowers. But farmers along the valley were trying to save their crops with fires to build up radiant heat and keep the orchards warmer. In Taos, the flowers had not yet bloomed, so everyone I met enroute had fingers crossed that this year’s fruit will still bear.

These environmental pressures pose unavoidable challenges to farmers and gardeners trying their best to grow food, save seed, make a living, and feed community. It all seems an impossible task. So, why would anyone in their right mind want to do something so risky, labor intensive, and unloved by popular culture and the status quo? Is it because of the basic need for food, i.e. someone has to do it? Or is it because these keepers of life, love the land, love plants, animals, work, sweat, toil, creativity, growth, decay, and rebirth? Or is it because they love to care for others? During the entire day of the seed exchange, I was constantly reminded of the role these seeds and seed stewards play in caring for all of us. Filled with generosity and guiding principals that are taught through sharing from the land, from the seeds, and from the bees. We honor all of you.

The seed exchange was organized by the Nan Fischer of Sweetly Seeds in partnership with Taos County Extension, and community volunteers. It was hosted at the Juan I. Gonzales County Agricultural Center in Ranchos de Taos. But, it is not the only seed exchange in town. It is actually a companion event, which grew out of the Taos Seed Exchange stations, that are set up around Taos County at progressive, non-gardening businesses where seeds are freely exchanged. These stations act as year-round seed swap sites where seed savers can share their seeds and also select seeds to take home. Here is an information sheet, which Nan put together to help others organize their own: http://sweetlyseeds.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/How-to-Start-a-Seed-Exchange-in-Your-Community.pdf

Here is Nan's Seed Story about the Taos Seed Exchange and her motivations for creating this community resource.
https://soundcloud.com/seedbroadcast/nanfischer

This one-day seed swap was a tremendous success. It started at 10am and lasted through 130pm. There was no formal schedule, rather it was more akin to what Nan called a “yard sale” where people would come and go all day long. This allowed for more people to attend since they could schedule a seed stop within their busy day of errands. I did not make an official count, but it seemed that well near a hundred people swung by to either pick-up or drop-off seeds. Tables were organized based on genus and common types like legumes, grains, cucurbits, flowers, herbs, and alliums, so it was easy to locate each plant type.

The tables were packed with tupperware, ziplocks, and recycled jars filled with local seeds, and commercial seed packs that had been either donated from seed companies or were leftovers from gardeners. The Sustainable Agriculture Science Center at Alcalde also had many seeds available. Most of the seeds were open-pollinated, but there were also hybrid varieties available.

As I watched people “foraging” for seeds, it seemed that people were more attracted to the packaged commercial seed. I did not ask anyone why, but I found it very curious indeed. Was it because the packages had that “Garden Porn” aesthetic that Ken Greene talks about in his article Glossy Garden Porn http://www.seedlibrary.org/blog/glossy-garden-porn-2/. Was it because they could see what the end result was supposed to look like? Or was it simply because the package had directions and gave them the instructional means to grow….or again, maybe it was simply about what was available? This is definitely something to wonder about. But as the day went on, we noticed that people would leave the event and then come back with bags and bundles of local saved seed! By the middle of the day the local seeds were definitely out numbering the commercial packages. And most seed hoarders were going for the local seed!

There were also several educational opportunities presented by local volunteers including a seeding demonstration by Kristen Davenport of Boxcar Farms, general and comedic gardening advise from local farmer and Master Gardener, Ron Monsour, and also beekeeping information from Aaron Mangum of the newly formed Northern New Mexico Bees, a soon to be non-profit supporting our much needed bee community. NMSU/Taos County Extension Service also had extensive how-to’s about New Mexico agriculture and gardening.

Kristen Davenport with Boxcar Farms demonstrating seed starts

Finally, we had the enormous pleasure of meeting so many of the local seeds and their advocates. Seed keepers came from all over the Taos area, from the mountains, the valleys, and even from Southern Colorado to share their seeds and meet more. Several seeds came our way through locals who wanted to share with SeedBroadcast. These included a tall Taos Marigold, a true English Marigold, Bloody Butcher Dent Corn, Four Corners Beans, and Santa Fe Red Sorghum. We are happy to share these with other communities as the Mobile Seed Story Broadcasting Station travels across New Mexico.

Strawberry Popcorn, very dark almost black

Regardless of the cold blast that had settled in, everyone was in good cheer and thinking about the upcoming planting season. Someone said, “Oh well, there goes another season of fruit, its so New Mexico.” Like most farmers and gardeners who are not obsessed with bending the will of the world around their pinky, everyone we met at the Taos Seed Exchange was excited to be students of the seeds, plants, bees, and even the extreme weather. Many felt that growing in the Taos area made them better at it because the challenges are so great. So, with some failures and some successes each grower continues to learn, experiment, and work with these difficult growing conditions developing healthy food sources, strong seeds, and a resilient sense of agency.

One young farmer, Jeffery, told us his story of how he ended up in Taos and how he became a landless farmer. Most people might not see this as an asset, but for a large majority of people wanting to farm, the crisis of no land and no capital assumes that their dreams are bust. So, how does one farm or even garden in the smallest way without access to land?

Upon arrival in the Taos area, Jeffrey got to know local farming leaders such as Miguel Santistevan (https://solfelizfarm.wordpress.com/) and he felt incredibly inspired to become a local farmer as well. He immediately became smitten with the land, local culture, and working with seeds and plants. So, he began doing landscaping work. This got him in touch with people who have land but don’t know what to do with it. A perfect solution! Through his network of landscaping jobs he met many people, established working, trusting relationships, and was given land to begin farming. He now farms collectively with a group all over the region, growing food, seed, and a community of young farmers.

Jeffrey also shared a story about the Taos Red Bean, which had been almost extinct 10 years ago. A farmer in the area had come across a stash and grew these out. After the harvest Jeffrey found 15 seeds on the ground and decided to grow some out as well. This sharing continued to grow year after year. And now 10 years later these beans are back and produced all throughout the Taos area as a prolific variety and a local tradition.

Dried Marigold flower, inside are the seeds!

Sharing seeds and stories from the mountains at Black Lake