The saving, sharing, and stealing of seeds are some of the most fundamental ways in which humans have altered the world as we know it. Throughout history, we have taken our seeds wherever we have gone, which is nearly every corner of the Earth. 

Seed saving is not unique to North Americans, but certain cultural, historical, and environmental events have given Indigenous North Americans a unique perspective and a particularly compelling relationship with seed saving grounded in the understanding that seeds are life. They are a way to access and honor Indigenous traditions while at the same they inspire radical imagination about the future of food. 

This Earth Day, please join MOFAD and a panel of Indigenous seed savers as we discuss how to share the beautiful evolving world of seed stewardship and the joys and complications that go along with preserving cultural practices while honoring sacred traditions.

JENNIFER BRANDT

Jennifer is the founder of 8th Nation, a full-service marketing, and event company, where creativity, innovation, and attention to detail truly shine to create unforgettable events and experiences. Her Indigenous lineage and passion for sustainable food systems make her ongoing virtual event collaboration with MOFAD a natural fit. 

While not working on organizing spectacular events or creating new marketing materials for clients. Pre-pandemic, you could find her exploring new food around the world whether it be via food stall, beach shack, and even the occasional high-end meal. She continues to support her hard-hit local community restaurants pop-ups, online-only stores, and as many small businesses as possible in and around NYC, and thinks you should too!

LIZ CHARLEBOIS

Liz Charlebois is an Abenaki educator, artist, and leader. She was Chair of the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs from 2013-2016, and is an accomplished basket maker, bead worker, dancer, and farmer.  Liz's focus is growing and preserving northeastern indigenous crops.  She has established a seed library dedicated to those seeds.  Liz uses the food she grows in many Indigenous dishes, both traditional and contemporary.  She is a member of the younger generation of Abenaki people who are working to preserve and revitalize the culture, history, and identity of our original inhabitants.

KIRSTEN KIRBY-SHOOTE

Kirsten Kirby-Shoote is a Tlingit urban farmer originally from Portland, Oregon. In 2015, she moved to Detroit in order to explore Indigenous food sovereignty and its place in urban landscapes.

Kirsten is dedicated to providing the community with access to traditional foods/ medicines. Her agriculture project (Leilú Gardens) mission is to cultivate relationships with our plant relatives and help heal the wounds of ancestral trauma. She also hosts pop-up dinners in Detroit to raise awareness of the local Indigenous food-movement and create a more equitable food system.

NOAH SCHLAGER

Noah Schlager is a Mvskoke-Creek, Florida Catawba/Cheraw, Jewish and Euro-American descendant. His maternal grandmother taught him how to garden, forage and cook foods that have been in his family since his childhood. Out of the passion she and other elders have planted in him, he works to support Indigenous communities’ foodways and relationships to the land. 

Schlager received a Master of Environmental Science degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has worked on deconstructing the colonial legacies which have historically excluded Indigenous people from participating in western conservation and on creating space for Indigenous people to have the agency and discretion to practice and share (or not share) Indigenous knowledge around caring for plants and the land.

Schlager is currently the conservation program manager of the Native Seeds/Search, a nonprofit organization in Tucson, Arizona, dedicated to conservation of the drought-adapted crop diversity of the Southwest in support of sustainable farming and food security.

ROWEN WHITE

Rowen White is a farmer, seedkeeper, garden mentor, published author, creative intuitive, mother, wife, orator and storyteller, facilitator and strategic leadership guide, and lifelong learner. She is a passionate activist for indigenous seed and food sovereignty from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne living on a beautiful seed sanctuary farm in Northern California.  Rowen is the founder and Creative Director of Sierra Seeds which serves a wide and diverse community, and she also cultivates programs specifically for Indigenous communities through the non-profit sister program, Indigenous Seedkeepers Network.  

In the age of the increasing industrialization of our food and the erosion of biodiversity within cultural contexts, Rowen continues to develop a body of work to guide and mentor mindful eaters and food/seed sovereignty leaders in their capacity to lead, vision and nourish with integrity and deep rooted transformation at the very center.