Save Our Seed
Save Our Seed (SOS) is a community engagement practice in seed saving and seed rematriation. An opportunity for everyone to gain and build the skills needed to strengthen our region's food resiliency as we face climate and economic hardships. As Indigenous land tenders, these skills have been lost amidst our struggle to survive as a persecuted peoples. Part of colonization is the removal of Indigenous peoples, denying food access by burning fields of crops, and the continued destruction and domination over land once cared for as vast food forests and wetland aquaponic cultivation. SOS is GRF’s response - in community - to reclaim and revitalize Indigenous food varieties and ancestral teachings.
The Story of Stolen Seed
As Indigenous land tenders, much of our traditional ecological skills have been lost amidst our struggle to survive. Our ancestors survived genocide, intentional and unintentional exposure to disease, forced relocations, walking so many trails of tears, and have faced starvation and forced assimilation resulting in the loss of culture, family and knowledge. We are tired of paying to gain access to our lost and stolen cultures. As Indigenous farmers practicing seed saving we are rebuilding our ancestral rights, strengthening a relationship with seeds and their offspring for generations to come. One of the most important teachings is that we are not separate from our food, we take care of each seed because they take care of us. In time we’ll nourish our relatives as we are laid to rest in the cool ground.
After centuries of genocide the loss of Native American history and culture is vast. The depth of this wound and grief run deep through the generations. In today's world our culture and diets, once deemed ‘Savage’ and ‘Uncivilized’ are culturally appropriated trends and “super foods”. These trends in turn can cause severe price gouging so we can’t even afford to consume or keep for ourselves these foods and practices.
Portland is home to the ninth largest urban Native American population in the United States, with 70,000 people representing 380 different tribes, the fourth most indigenously populated metro on the West Coast. This is a large congregation of Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island who have found themselves here for reasons ranging from economic needs to forced relocation after the termination act of 1953. SOS aims to help foster community, increase cultural practice and support reclamation of our Ancestral Diets and knowledge.
SOS is an opportunity to practice Solidarity, actively engaging in Reparations and Mutual Aid. For every SOS share purchased one will be gifted, a Buy One, Gift One pricing method. Gifted boxes will be prioritized for Black, Indigenous and People of Color community members.
We believe that in breeding and maintaining climate adapted plant varieties for our region, seed saving…
can be an accessible skill.
should be freely shared knowledge.
is focused on reciprocity, gifting seeds back to the community.*
*We are gifting the bulk of our seeds to Tribal communities, growing the population of what has become rare indigenous varieties back to commercially available bulk to share with other indigenous farmers.
SOS is an opportunity to practice rematriation and reparations of returning stolen seed and skills back to Indigenous communities. Some varieties are culturally significant. We ask that these varieties not be kept outside the communities and individuals they rightfully belong to. We extend our trust to you, our community, we will not ask anyone to validate their identity.
Contents:
Each share includes: 2-3 crop varieties
We are happy to supply the tools needed to practice seed saving with through the duration of your learning journey! However they are loaner kits and if you’d like to keep them you may purchase them for an additional $100.
Sifter Screens
Labeling Supplies
Packaging Supplies
Sifters & Cheese Cloth
Bi-weekly kits are delivered and picked up at one of our CSA sites or home delivered if indicated in your purchase.
Details:
Save Our Seeds Boxes are Bi-Weekly engagements between July through October. Price: $300
7 weeks for 7 generations.
Accompanying emails will be sent the Monday prior to Thursday Box pick-ups chock full of crop and variety history, and include video tutorials on how to save the seed provided.
You’ll learn to save seed fresh from the fields and will package them for community redistribution. Through out the season you’ll have the opportunity to save 1 packet of each variety and create 5 additional Community packets to be shared with Good Rain Farms community partners such as local non-profits, tribal and non-tribal seed banks, local seed swaps, schools and for Tribal communities across Turtle Island! The remainder will continue the cycle once returned to Good Rain Farm to plant out again! If we receive more than we need for the Farm we’ll be sure to share with fellow BIPOC Farmers!
You learn hands on seed saving skills, deepen your relationship with the sees, learning about their historical and cultural information, and give back to community by participating in the reverent reciprocity cycle of seeds!