|
A brief history;
This course started out titled “ Traditional Agriculture / Permaculture Design Course” first year 1996.
This begun a few years earlier with hosting a number of short half day, full day and two day workshops in “Permaculture” . This was to develop interest in “Permaculture” so people could , including ourselves understand the principles and concepts of permaculture. Back then very few people had even heard the word permaculture. We felt the workshops were successful enough to host a “design course”. First several years we used the syllabus from the International Permaculture Institute , based in Australia. We also employed at least one person “qualified” to teach this design course. Even from the very first course we received feed back that the course needs to “have more of an Indigenous view point”. We started to modify ,deviate from the original syllabus to reflex better our culture , ethics and world views. Even though I feel some of permaculture over laps. This has been a much discussed topic. Eventually I did decide to change the course name and some content. But since this course had the “Permaculture” name attached for some years some still some refer it as a permaculture course. The intent of creating this Design Course was to develop a resource base of Indigenous Designers, practitioners , leaders , with a good cultural foundation, and traditional knowledge. The second working title I’ve used for this course has been “Putting the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors, into actions”. Far to many times we’ve seen “outside experts” come into our communities with solutions, and most times not even understanding what the problems are. This course has succeeded in created many leaders, designers and successful community projects throughout “Indian Country”. The first couple years we hosted at Pueblo of Tesuque , then Picuris Pueblo, then a camp near Chimayo , now more recently at Camino de Paz School /Farm. Since COVID 2020 and 2021 , the course was virtual with the tech support of First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) . 2022 the course was hosted as a hybrid , both live and virtual. This was a success , but felt like to me hosting 2 courses at once. TNAFA feels to create or recreate a healthy, sustainable local food system is to introduce our tribal membership, youth, women and tribal leaders to more ecological, traditional knowledge-based models that integrate "whole systems" that can be implemented from a ethical foundation. This course will provide instruction from an Indigenous world view, using traditional knowledge and ancient models. Indigenous Sustainable Design Course (ISCDC) is a thirteen- day intensive training in ecological design, natural farming, seed saving, traditional food and nutrition, indigenous women in agriculture, alternative energies, passive solar design, earth building, earth restoration, natural healing, and restoring community. This design course, through a variety of methods, demonstrates how many disciplines must be integrated into a whole system, using nature's model of sustainability and diversity. The ISCDC starts with "agriculture" as the foundation of a healthy food system and also includes aspects of "natural building", alternative energy, natural healing and ecological restoration. Students gain the understanding of how these other important elements are critical in a sustainable healthy food system. Growing food, where it will be stored, processed, distributed and transported are all needs and considerations. Energy and building resources needed will also be identified from local resources, when possible. Examples, "root cellars", open air outdoor kitchens, drying racks, smoke houses, earth ovens, seed storage pots. Energy resources include passive solar dehydrators, adobe cooling towers and wind winnowing. Other food production happens in "natural" state, our surrounding environment. This is also where restoration needs to be happening, producing foods, culinary and medicinal herbs and other foraged foods. The ISCDC integrates the use of "permaculture" methodology with indigenous knowledge. Permaculture is the harmonious integration of landscape and people, providing food, energy, shelter and other needs in a sustainable way for all species. Permaculture is working with nature rather than against it, of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than thoughtless action. Permaculture involves looking at systems in all their functions rather than asking only one yield of them, allowing systems to evolve beneficially, in their own way towards a state of maximum natural productivity and abundance. Twenty to twenty-five (20-25) Indigenous students will participate in classroom and field trips to local Native Farms, ancient Pueblo Villages, herbal walks, and a river experience. Students come from a wide variety of communities, rural and urban. Student demographics has reflected our Indigenous communities', youth and elders, women and men. We try to recruit a good balance of gender and age grouping, and half of the students from Arizona and New Mexico. We do get students from the other States, and limited amount of international students from Canada, Mexico , Central and South America. Content of the course is decided upon a group of traditional agriculturist, Indigenous Permaculture practitioners, and teachers. We design this course to meet the need and priorities of our communities. Daily workshop activities last 8-10 hours a day, with a communal lunch provided each day. The lunch is provided during the course for several reasons, as most of the students are camping, the lunch allows students a break from cooking. The lunch is also a teaching moment. Lunch is provided by a local Indigenous Women farmer/ caterer. Lunch meals are prepared using local recipes and primarily locally grown foods. This demonstrates first-hand healthy connections between what we eat how it's produced and its impact on the environment and local economy. Students experience food production, procurement and preparation and how that becomes a part of a local food system during the entire course. Most students will camp in a space provided by the host community. In recent years we designed the course to put a major focus on Indigenous Women in a Sustainable Community Design. We have included the midwifery , restoring birthing back into the community . Like industrial ag. we have seen the birthing industry remove this right from our families and communities . Other topics we’ve incorporated in the course , using mushroom to heal the land, bio-intensive gardens , horno building, Earth Building , building gabions and swales, traditional games , herbal processing , herbal walks, intensive grazing, butchering of small livestock, solar energy , urban design, water harvesting , seed saving , seed conservation, traditional foods / diets, indigenous midwifery , Indigenous women in agriculture, water quality assessment , stress management , natural healing, land restoration with seed balls *** , bee keeping, Bio-fuels , urban design , and more I can’t remember at this time .*** This course was the first place that “seed balls” were demonstrated and used in North America . |
“I think [the instructor’s] presentation of this material is the perfect balance between simplicity and complexity. It is accessible without adding too much information that would complicate understanding.”
-2008 participant, Hopi |
“Each day I feel closer to the whole group and I’m not wanting to leave! It’s really throwing me off to be here. It’s making me question what I’m doing back home. What can I do better? What do I still have to learn? How can I be a better resource to my people? How can I do more? …It’s awesome to see that we’re all here for similar reasons: to relearn our traditions, to serve our creator, to retake our place as stewards of the land. There’s a deeper learning that’s taking place here than just that of the book or specific knowledge of permaculture design and techniques.”
-2008 participant, Oklahoma |