Linda Poole
NCAT Regenerative Grazing Specialist
Farmers from Taos Pueblo and the Navajo Nation are reclaiming traditions and restoring food sovereignty, according to this story by Lyric Aquino in High Country News:
Some seeds and unique plants were lost when the U.S. military forced the Diné from their homelands in the 19th century. But the corn used in Biyáál's mother’s recipe endured. Grown using seeds from the previous year’s crop, this corn, which dates back hundreds of years, has helped nourish Biyáál's family for generation after generation. With his seeds, Biyáál is able to provide the crops necessary for traditional ceremonies, Diné foodways and diets, as well as for current and future farmers who are looking to reconnect with old ways and traditions.
Read the story at https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.9/ind...&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue newsletterThe importance of preserving these extends beyond the symbolic. Biyáál has seen and lived with the limited store-bought options he and other Diné citizens have had access to, which too often contain high levels of sodium, fats and added sugars. His goal is to free the Navajo Nation’s health, diet and traditional foods from the grip of colonialism. On his farm, he grows vegetables that his people have enjoyed for centuries, such as squash, beans, tomatoes, corn and melons.