Outreach Education for Permaculture as Native Science

Outreach Education for Permaculture as Native Science

Summary

The Center for Permaculture as Native Science is an on-going program on the Rosebud Lakota Reservation in south central South Dakota. In this 1997-98 project SARE PDP supports the learning and implementing by Program Assistants. Most education is hands-on and on-site in the neighborhood of each Program Assistant. Topics/actions include food gardening, shelterbelt planting for protection and gathering, nutrition and health education for prevention of diabetes, family honeybees, renewable energy and Lakota Youth activities. Special advances were made this year in self-confidence and leadership skills of the Program Assistants, quantity and quality of food gardens, interest in and actual tree planting, renewed pride in gathering and drying, establishment of honeybee hives and renewable energy education. Youth involvement increased many fold and Elders became more willing to participate and share their knowledge. Our intended audience is Lakota people of all ages, especially those living in HUD housing clusters. The participation of Youth, Adults and Elders indicates everyone’s pleasure in building self-confidence and re-acceptance of cultural traditions through food gardening, re-establishment of thickets, gathering, and re-connecting with Mother Earth and all our relatives.

The first objective of this project was to have participants putting workshop education into practice, i.e., more families begin/continue food gardening within a permaculture design. In the communities of the Program Assistants, food gardens more than doubled, kids planting trees as shelterbelts rose to the hundreds, Youth helped Elders in plots of potatoes as a new activity in five communities. Family honeybees are definitely established in two communities. Objective two was that program outreach personnel and others begin community projects of planting and care. Activities listed above included many new people in 1998. The third objective was that program outreach personnel gain self-confidence and develop relationships with similar personnel such as Extension, and (Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). New confidence, which is overcoming the degradation of 150 years of church and government oppression, shows clearly in five of the Program Assistants and their neighbors who are no longer embarrassed to garden, gather, dry, etc. -- in fact are doing so proudly and involving their kids and grandkids. The new self-confidence of the Program Assistants has drawn mixed results regarding relationship with the personnel of government programs, i.e. defensiveness and confrontation, beginning openness, hesitant but helpful responses. These are cultural difficulties; openings, long overdue, are being made. Objective four was that nearby Extensionists join the Outreach programs’ efforts. Contact with nearby Extensionists has been made. To develop an active relationship in which the government Extensionists and the reservation Outreach people join and share will require continued effort.

The final objective of this project was that Permaculture Native Science be brought to the school kids. Major results for this objective are principally second-hand, which may be the way it will happen native science filtering in, being accepted and re-taught. The spring 1998 service learning projects in the Todd County and White River schools included the Lakota perspective, through the kids themselves bringing their burgeoning pride of community improvement into the classroom. This fall, one person to whom we have been giving encouragement and direction is finding opportunities as a "guest" in the Todd County school.

In terms of audiences affected by this grant, our activities are closely related to the 1994 land-grant university Sinte Gleska. That things are happening on the reservation is raising the awareness of the South Dakota 1862 land-grant to our cultural knowledge of the land, and that our knowledge is worthy of their respect. Our activities are serving as a step toward the State and the Reservation working together. Our searching for funding has brought the realities of the reservation into the awareness of many who serve on non-profit boards. Our reservation is "checkerboarded," the outside boarder diminished to one county (Todd) and within that border are many operating ranches begun as homesteads. As we develop our own Outreach professionals and these ranchers see us begin practices of sustainable, environmentally-beneficial food production and self-sufficiency, improved relationships between Tribal members and white ranchers are being fostered.

Word comes back to us frequently, first hand and second hand. Enthusiasm is high that food gardening and gathering are being encouraged and respected, and that resources are being made available where needed. Informal reports come in from the communities about the positive effects that gardening together is having on the healing of the breakdown of community, the beginning feelings of solidarity; and that someone cares enough to provide information especially prepared for them, and to keep following up. Self-identified leaders are emerging from the participants, some are Adult children of knowledgeable Elders; some are sober adults responding to available guidance to initiate meaningful actions that will benefit community and Youth. All are themselves new at the "doing" (gardening, tree planting, etc), but now consider themselves as gardener-educators. They are greatly encouraged by the opportunity and implementation of these activities which are benefitting the community, resulting in improved health of body and spirit of the People and of Mother Earth.

The self-confidence of those emerging from participant into leadership roles is beautiful to see. Characteristics of taking responsibility, following through and confidently presenting or demonstrating relevant material are becoming evident. The neighbors of these leaders are coming along, with apparent appreciation for the needed nudge. An exhilarating example is that three of these new leaders attended the national conference of Community Gardeners and presented the Lakota Permaculture program, each describing her own Housing Cluster and the response of its Youth, the involvement of its Elders -- this by participants who had never been off the Reservation before, to representatives of similar programs nation-wide. Everything we’re doing, slowly with respect, could be applied in other areas of similar socio-economic conditions, such as other reservations, poor rural areas or inner cities. The word of caution would be that our program began at the request of community members who were ready. Availability can come in from the top, but it may take several years of alertly waiting before the potential participants come forward to make an action (project) their own from its beginning.

North Central Region SARE 1998 Annual Report.