Planting the Seeds of Cultural Sustainability

April 22, 2026 | Student Ambassador Aiyanna Tanyan’s (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma) work to reclaim food sovereignty

At Haskell Indian Nations University, those of us at the Haskell Greenhouse are committed to various initiatives that help students and the greater community connect with the land.
Haskell Greenhouse student researcher Aiyanna T helping teach students how to build raised garden beds in front of Winona Hall student housing on campus. (June 12th, 2025)
Lettuce varieties, watermelon, and different crops growing in the raised beds near the Haskell Greenhouse (October 8th, 2024)
One of our projects deals with the topic of tribal food sovereignty. This project began with students asking a simple question: “How can we get more involved in growing our own food and have better access to healthier options on campus?” Hearing that, my friend Pe-Qwas Hernandez and I knew there was a need and saw this as an opportunity to create something meaningful for our campus community.

We came up with the idea of building raised garden beds near the dorms so students can easily access fresh foods and learn how to grow them themselves. Through support from the Haskell Greenhouse (funded through the USDA Equity Grant), we started building.

We didn’t just want to help provide food. We wanted to create ongoing and continuous learning spaces. Our hope is that students can learn how to build raised beds, transplant plants, and take part in maintaining the gardens here on campus so they can take that knowledge back to their tribal communities and do the same thing.

Last year was our first year doing this project and it was a learning experience as with many community-based projects, it comes with trial and error. However, that process taught us a lot about what works, what doesn’t, and how to build something more sustainable moving forward. This year, we’re continuing this work with stronger systems, more involvement, and a clearer vision.

Vegetables such as squash, tomatillos, cherry tomatoes, and peppers growing in a raised bed built by the Haskell Greenhouse student researchers Aiyanna T and Pe-Qwas Hernandez. (July 23rd, 2025)
Three sisters grown by Haskell Greenhouse student researcher Aiyanna T. inside the Haskell Greenhouse.
Blue Seneca corn
I also work on cultural garden plots and grow traditional crops like the non-human relatives we call the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash). In previous years, I’ve used different tribal varieties such as Blue Seneca corn, Blue Hopi Corn, Cherokee Pole Beans, and even Mvskoke tobacco in these plots. These gardens are deeply personal to me and have taught me so much about various cultural values. They represent not just food, but identity, teachings, and connection to the land. Growing these plants reminds me that food sovereignty is about reclaiming knowledge and honoring the practices of our ancestors.
I couldn’t do this alone, and this work around food sovereignty extends far beyond these gardens. Our team is involved in multiple land stewardship efforts across campus, including the woodlands, prairies, and wetlands. We host community workdays where students and community members come together to restore the land such as removing invasive species and reintroducing native plants like prairie grasses.

Everyone at the Haskell Greenhouse wants to help others learn, value, and view these spaces as places of teaching. I know they have taught me so much about responsibility and our relationship with the environment. Through these projects, we’re helping students reconnect with the land and understand the importance of food sovereignty for Indigenous communities. This work is ongoing, and we’re still learning. Every seed planted, and every workday shared brings us one step closer to a more sustainable and connected future.

Volunteers in the Haskell Wetlands for a Wetlands Restoration Workday hosted by the Haskell Greenhouse. Volunteers helped cut down invasive teasels.  (June 5th, 2025)
Greenhouse student researchers helping with a land survey in the West Prairie of Haskell lands. The survey solidified the need for restoration in the west prairie. (Aug 29th, 2024)
Haskell Greenhouse student researcher Aiyanna T. holding prairie grass species donated by Native Lands Collaborative in front of the greenhouse.
What makes this work powerful is the community behind it. We have a strong group of student researchers and volunteers who show up consistently, not just for Earth Day, but year-round. I am happy that people can be reminded of this day to celebrate our beautiful Mother Earth. She deserves the everyday work of caring for the land, growing food, and supporting each other to do so.

In Caring for Our Kin: Stories of Indigenous Environmental Stewardship, the College Fund shares the stories of Indigenous environmental leaders who are centering kinship and relational knowledge to build healthy ecological systems. These stories remind us that caring for the Earth means caring for one another—and that Indigenous knowledge systems continue to offer guidance, resilience, and hope for the future.

Learn more about our Environmental Stewardship Program.

Click here to view the PDF in full screen.

Ekvnv Vcayecet. Mvto!

(Take care of the Earth/Land. Thank you)

More Blogs

AT&T Grows Next Generation of Native American Leaders through 22-Year Partnership

AT&T Grows Next Generation of Native American Leaders through 22-Year Partnership

Mar 9, 2015 |

Waylon Ballew (Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation/Northern Cheyenne) believes tradition is an important part of higher education. In order for him to be a community leader, Waylon said he must carry his traditions forward for future generations. Growing up on Bellingham Bay in northwest Washington state, Waylon said he was immersed in community youth leadership programs, where he incorporated leadership training in community youth tribal canoe journeys as he traveled ancestral waterways to potlatches (gatherings).

Tribal College Students Embracing ECE Initiatives at NWIC

Tribal College Students Embracing ECE Initiatives at NWIC

Mar 9, 2015 | , ,

Things are moving fast at the Northwest Indian College and the Lummi community.  For the last three and a half years of collaboration and planning on behalf of the Wakanyeja “Sacred Little Ones” Early Childhood Education Initiative by the American Indian College Fund, the leadership and partnerships have created many exciting new opportunities for families and children in the Lummi community. 

Policy and Education Experts to Speak on Native Family Engagement in Early Childhood Education

Mar 8, 2015 |

William (Bill) Mendoza, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, Oglala-Sicangu Lakota, and a professional educator with experience as a teacher and a principal, is speaking at the American Indian College Fund’s convening on Native Family Engagement as part of The Ké’ Early Childhood Initiative (Ké’ ECE Initiative) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, being held March 9-10.

NWIC Brings Family Engagement to Lummi Community

NWIC Brings Family Engagement to Lummi Community

Feb 20, 2015 | , ,

Our first Family Engagement activity was an Ey’ Snat Family Fun Night in September held in conjunction with Sacred Little Ones partner site Lummi Head Start. We wanted families to get to experience a salmon barbeque with salmon cooked in the traditional way.

Tribal College Week Brings TCU Students to D.C.

Tribal College Week Brings TCU Students to D.C.

Feb 19, 2015 | ,

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) winter meetings for Tribal College Presidents and Students.  Each year representatives from the 37 different tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) meet up for an advocacy workshop and Capitol Hill visits.

One the Road Again: Montana Tribal College Fair

One the Road Again: Montana Tribal College Fair

Jan 31, 2015 | ,

We are on the road again in Montana for the 2015 Montana Tribal College Career Fair Circuit on Feb. 2-10. Montana has the most Tribal College and Universities (TCUs) and TCU students than any other state and we are excited to join this event for the fifth year. 

Cheryl Crazy Bull to Discuss Presidential Community College Initiative On-Air

Cheryl Crazy Bull to Discuss Presidential Community College Initiative On-Air

Jan 30, 2015 |

Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, will be interviewed on the radio program Native America Calling on Monday, February 2 at 11 a.m. Mountain Time. She will be discussing President Obama’s Community College Initiative and the importance of tribal colleges, along with Russ McDonald, President of United Tribes Technical College and William Mendoza, White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education.

Scholar Seeks Engineering Degree to Contribute to Community Needs

Scholar Seeks Engineering Degree to Contribute to Community Needs

Jan 29, 2015 | ,

Charmayne is assisting Field Engineers and Engineering Technicians in general surveying and surveying potential construction projects within Eastern Navajo Agency.  She says this has inspired her to continue her education in the field. “I am preparing drawing and sketches in the field for individual homes from rough drawings and sketches and drafts for project summaries and construction plans that are reviewed by higher-level technicians.

Walmart Foundation Scholarship Student Discovers New Horizons

Walmart Foundation Scholarship Student Discovers New Horizons

Jan 29, 2015 | ,

I was chosen to attend the American Indian Science and Engineering Society National Conference (AISES) in Orlando, Florida. I would first like to thank you very much for this amazing opportunity to represent the Walmart Foundation, the American Indian College Fund, Salish Kootenai College, and the Big Valley Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians.