TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — From a small seed can grow a mighty trunk — or bean, squash, or gourd.
The Cherokee Nation Heirloom Garden and Native Plant Site will soon begin dispersing its supply of heirloom seeds to citizens interested in growing traditional Cherokee crops and plants.
The tribe's Seed Bank includes a list of rare crops that typically aren't available commercially.
"These particular genetics are not available anywhere but here from the Cherokee Nation," said Pat Gwin, senior director of Environmental Services. "We have 26 different varieties we're doing this year. I would say out of those 26, you might be able to find three commercially from particular specialty shops."
The Seed Bank project began in 2006, when the tribe was making initiatives to revive the Cherokee language. After it became apparent that much of the Cherokee terminology regarding agriculture and the environment had been forgotten, the Tribal Council decided to revive its heirloom seeds in hopes of also reviving the language, and strengthening the culture.
"They were developed probably over 1,000 years ago, these varieties were," said Gwin. "They're just as uniquely Cherokee as is Sequoyah. So the issue was, prior to 2006, there was not a concerted effort anywhere in the world to produce these seeds."
About 90 percent of the seeds the tribe hands out come from the garden near the W.W. Keeler Complex. There are four varieties of seeds for both corn and beans, as well as four varieties of gourds, three of which Cultural Biologist Feather Smith-Trevino said are considered "old-world gourds."
"They're not actually native to North America, but they've been in North America so long that nobody is really sure exactly how they got here," said Smith-Trevino. "Then one of our varieties is a new-world gourd, so it's actually native to this area."
The tribe also offers seeds for squash, tobacco, a variety of native plants, and Trail of Tears beads (Indian corn beads).
"We actually have a story around those corn seed beads," said Smith-Trevino. "The story is that when the ladies came over in the Trail of Tears, they would cry, and everywhere their tears fell — when they fell into the dirt — up sprang this plant with a seed the color of grief, because they're kind of grey and black seeds. So it's a really pretty story. We're not so much worried about the genetics of that one, but a lot of people like it, because we have sort of made it traditional now."
Cherokee Nation can provide planting guides to help those not familiar with the rare seeds. Gwin and Smith-Trevino said a good rule of thumb is to wait until 4-inch soil temperatures reach 65 degrees.
"Ours are more warm weather-loving plants," said Smith-Trevino. "So if you plant them too early and it's not actually warm enough yet, they won't germinate and won't do anything. It's usually better to go ahead and wait past what you might think, than it is to plant too early. April is almost always going to be too early."
The tribe will begin dispersing the seeds Feb. 1, but those interested are encouraged to create their Seed Bank accounts ahead of time. Those interested must be citizens of the Cherokee Nation, the United Keetoowah Band or the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Each citizen is limited to two packages. Educational or research institutes that serve Cherokees are also able to request seeds.
Tahlequah Daily Press. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.