Wanted: Job tear bead, teosinte or grandmother corn, etc.

[buffaloberry]

Hello all! I'm here to do a trade of my old seeds of some of my Ho-Chunk corn, Odawa beans, Mayflower bean, Omaha pumpkin, Navajo squash, and some others in return for teosinte corn, job tear bead corn, Wildwood pumpkin, and other rare Cherokee types that haven't been heard before. I'm also looking for Winnebago squash, Winnebago blue flour corn, Potawatomi-Kickapoo pumpkin, Potawatomi calico sweet corn, and others from the Potawatomi, Miami and Peoria nations for my gardens this year for rematriation. If anybody has these types, please let me know right here and chat with me privately for a strategy on how to obtain them this year. Have a good weekend!

[june]

Hi Buffaloberry,  I, too, am interested in indigenous corn, beans and squash.  I hope to grow Oklahoma Cherokee Sallu Yah white flour corn this summer.  If that interests you, I can share in the fall.  Also trying Navajo Robin's Egg corn, Lakota squash and Cherokee Trail of Tears beans this year.

[heavyhitterokra]

buffaloberry, and June,

What wonderful varieties!  I forwarded your trade request to a professor of Tribal Studies at NSU. She may be in touch with you shortly, if she gets a chance to check her email anytime soon. (It's a weekend) and I know she's not currently in her office, plus, it might possibly be Spring Break. That's the bad thing about communicating by email, you never know if the recipient is available to open it or not.

However, I've had good luck in the past by working with these people. We've got a lot accomplished in that manner over the years.  Although, as with most things, patience is key.

Happy gardening

Ron

[buffaloberry]

Is that person at NSU a true seed saver?

[macmex]

I've met her. I'm not sure how much gardening she does, personally, but she is knowledgeable and in contact with some of the best. Blake, you'd want to be able to communicate with her if at all possible.

[heavyhitterokra]

She's not a seed saver, but she has a lot of contacts with people who are. She would be a really good resource in your search for authentic tribal seed sources.

[buffaloberry]

What's her name? How she has been tied to many groups who are in the seed saving movement?

[heavyhitterokra]

Buffaloberry,

Email me at [e-mail]

I'll send you details there.
Ron

[midwesterner]

Mar 26, 2022 11:20:22 GMT -6 june said:

Hi Buffaloberry,  I, too, am interested in indigenous corn, beans and squash.  I hope to grow Oklahoma Cherokee Sallu Yah white flour corn this summer.  If that interests you, I can share in the fall.  Also trying Navajo Robin's Egg corn, Lakota squash and Cherokee Trail of Tears beans this year.

How are ya June,

I hope your crops are doing well! I would be interested in that corn. I'm also preserving Cherokee and other American Indian varieties.

Vincent

[buffaloberry]

Greetings y'all! Long time no see. I wanna send in my Bigfoot butternut squash, Cherokee sweet corn, Cherokee tobacco and some Cherokee Vilgore Crookneck sorghum in return for some strains of Cherokee sweet potatoes or regular ones, Gousy bean Cherokee butterbean, red or green okra, crawdad bean or Cherokee red flour corn. I'm also looking for some more freedmen types as well to greatly honor my late grandma from my dad's side of my family. Please let me know if there's anything out there. Thanks!

[macmex]

Here's a good link to an article by Dr. WIlliam Woys Weaver, about the historical background of sweet potatoes in this country. It's specifically dealing with Cherokee sweet potatoes, but remember, the sweet potato is not native to North America. The Cherokee received their start from traders or settlers and would have first raised that which was first grown in the South, in their region. 

William Woys Weaver in Mother Earth News 

Most of the early varieties were white fleshed, as I recall. Sandhill Preservation Center had two Spanish Red strains and lost them in a derecho back in 2020. But they still have Garrens Red & White, which they believe to be an improved strain of Spanish Red.

It would be great if our sweet potato aficionados would take a gander at Sandhill's sweet potato listings and then keep an eye out for anyone maintaining any of the varieties they lost. I know, I lost at least two varieties that same year, which they lost. It's so very important for sweet potato savers to network. That's why I started the Sweet Potato Network, which has yet to take off.

[buffaloberry]

Cool site! I'll check it out. I just went to to Sandhill, and they don't have no more of the Spanish Red and almost out of the Garrens Red and White. If anybody else out there has those beside Sandhill, please let me know. I'm very interested in sweet potatoes this year.