World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 - (Page 35)

B e g I N N I N g to H e A L The diabetes epidemic is having at least one positive effect: There is a renewed focus on the traditional Native American foods, lifestyles and teachings, and how those may restore health and balance. On Oneida Nation lands outside Green Bay, the tribe established organic farms, an apple orchard, a cannery and a herd of buffalo. The name of one of these farms, Tsyunhehkwa (pronounced joonHAY-kwah) is an Oneida word that means “that which supports us.” This and the other projects are demonstration sites to teach Native Americans from around the country the fundamentals of setting up and operating small, sustainable farms. The projects focus on white flint corn and other foods central to the Oneida culture. The goal is to create a sustainable and renewable source of nutrition and income. It is a system that will, ideally, draw on the old foods and traditions and make them a productive part of modern tribal life. Clockwise from top left: Paul Smith—here with family members Synala, 9, Kwinwatha, 8, Ariel, 7, and Qualayou, 6—stresses the importance of not only traditional foods but also exercise in the prevention of diabetes. Flint corn is a traditional dietary staple for the Oneida in Wisconsin, who preserve it by braiding together the ears and hanging them to dry. A new store makes healthy meat and produce from local Oneida farms available to community members. “How we’re supposed to eat is in the traditional teachings, but we’ve become disconnected from it because of colonization and historical traumas,” said Norma General from Six Nations reserve in Ontario, Canada. General teaches health professionals about well-being through traditional ways. “We’re eating all kinds of foods from all different countries that aren’t from where our people are from, and our DNA is confused by that,” she said. The epidemic of obesity and diet-related diseases spread through tribal communities gradually but steadily. Today, diabetes has become a troubling fact of life in virtually every Native American community. Many of those needing treatment live in rural areas and must travel long distances for medical care. Due to the high demand, some tribes are building their own dialysis centers on reservations. tHe tHree sIsters oF LIFe On an afternoon last fall, a small group of representatives from Native American communities gathered at Tsyunhehkwa during the white corn harvest. Hosted by Heifer International, the group learned about organic farming, shared information on their own work and connected with others with similar goals. Participants, whose tribal affiliations included the Onondaga Nation, the Akwasasne Mohawks, the Cayuga Nation, the Menomonee Nation and the Oneida Nation, came from as far away as upstate New York. Smith, who has a degree in agriculture from the University of Wisconsin, shared technical information on cultivating crops. Part of the challenge, he said, is adapting traditional ways to modern practices. He told the group a story from when he first started farming, when he planted beans from seeds he bought at a farm supply store. He saved the seeds from that crop and planted them the following year—but the seeds were sterile, and nothing grew. “The old guy down the road was laughing at me,” he said. “He told me, ‘You planted white-man beans. You’ve got to plant our beans!’” Ironically, those traditional ways—like saving seeds from year to year and planting crops together www.heifer.org May/June 2008 | WOrlD Ark 35 http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Why Water Matters The Carbon Hoofprint From Farm to Table Healing History Mixed Media Heifer Spirit Heifer Bulletin World Ark Market Calendar First Person

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

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