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Aboriginal Food Crop Seeds

Ashley Barbosa

My name is Ashley Barbosa and I am a student at Wilfrid Laurier University pursuing a minor in Indigenous Studies, and working for Seeds of Diversity during the summer of 2017. One of my projects at Seeds of Diversity has been to discover the history behind some of the seeds in our collection. My task involved the research and collection of information for seeds that are North American heirloom varieties. The focus had been around Indigenous peoples of North America considering that a vast amount of these historic seeds from the specific geographic location were domesticated and cultivated by these groups.

In order to find these varieties, I used Seeds of Diversity's Canadian Seed Catalogue Index - from beans, to tomatoes, to squash. This allowed me to create a list of certain seeds that I would extensively research further in order to create a narrative for each individual one. Throughout my research process, I was also able to learn and make note of historic Indigenous seeds that we have not yet collected so that we may work towards fostering and saving some of these additional, ancient strains.

Ultimately, I have consistently found that the majority of North American indigenous species are of what Native Americans call The Three Sisters: squash, corn, and beans. Many indigenous peoples of North America have practiced this inter-cropping system, although this is not a definitive generalization given the diversity in native cultures. Information resources for specific crop varieties were very minimal due to the historic and ancient lineages, as well as the fact that many Indigenous tribes do not record their traditions or their practices other than through oral education. The information that I was able to find is somewhat inconclusive yet comes from authentic and honourable sources, and enables us to gather a partial understanding of North American ethnobotanical history. Indigenous North American ancestors have provided us many significant seeds that have been sustained to this day. Here are a few interesting, historic origin stories of the seeds that are in our Seed Library collection: 

Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean: The Cherokee Trail of Tears bean was originally grown by the Cherokee Indians who, prior to the 18th century, were concentrated in southwestern North Carolina, southeastern Tennessee, and the tips of western South Carolina and northeastern Georgia. This particular bean was carried over the “Trail of Tears” from the Smoky Mountains in October 1838 and concluded around March 26 in Oklahoma; over 4000 Cherokee Indians died in this forced winter trek. Because these beans were very prized, and despite that they had hardly any time to pack and could only bring the essentials, the Cherokee ensured that they would not leave it behind. The beans were conventionally used as the primary portion of their meals in dishes such as soups and stews, or they would refry the beans. They were often supplemented with things like rice, wild onions, and mushrooms. Traditionally, Cherokee Trail of Tears beans were grown with the other Three Sisters crops, corn and squash; however, the Cherokee peoples also grew sunflowers and pumpkins in between.

Deseronto Potato Bean:This is an extremely rare Mohawk bean from the Tyendinaga Reserve in Ontario, Canada that houses people of the Mohawk nation. The Kanienkeha'ka Haudenosaunee (Mohawk Iroquois) were known for their agricultural skills. They have been growing this bean for many millennia, possibly as long as 4300 years, and have used this bean traditionally as a thickener in soup; the beans are also soft enough to be mashed like potatoes, so they were used to create a meal as such. It was routinely grown in Three Sisters framework, along with corn and squash seeds. Before planting, the Mohawk Iroquois soaked the beans in either water or medicine, which was common reed or bottle brush grass; these were believed to aid in germination. For seed storage, they had underground pits with low oxygen levels that would preserve the seeds and crops for later usage after they had been dried.

Anasazi Bean: It is primarily important to note that the “Anasazi” did not call themselves that; in fact, that is the Navajo word for “The Ancients.” They are the extinct ancestors of the Pueblo peoples. The first settlers who moved into the Four Corners near Mesa Verde area found Anasazi beans already growing around the Pueblo ruins. These settlers then began to locally cultivate them, and fortunately they were able to continue the long history of this bean. Years later, it is said that archeologists in the 1950’s had found the exact same kind of beans inside a clay pot sealed with pine tar within the Anasazi ruins near Mesa Verde; these had dated back to Anasazi times (A.D. 200 to A.D. 1300), with carbon dating determining the specific seeds to A.D. 500, or 1,500 years old. Anasazi beans, much like other beans that the Anasazi peoples used, would have been soaked and then cooked in jars either over a fire or with hot rocks. They would be eaten along with corn and squash to provide a suitable protein whenever meat or fish were not available.

Algonquian Pumpkin/Squash: The Algonquian squash (or pumpkin) is an extremely rare cucurbit that originated in New England and was historically grown by the Abenaki. Although it may appear to draw ties to the Algonquin, factually, the spelling of the squash’s name “Algonquian” is due to the fact that the Algonquin are a tribe on their own, whereas Algonquian are a combination of tribes that speak the general language of Algonquin with different dialects. The Abenaki were one of the Algonquian-speaking tribes and inhabited areas of Maine, New Hampshire and Western Massachusetts. The Abenaki practice the Three Sisters cultivation method with the addition of sunflowers, and used the seeds of the squash to create oil. Like many Native Americans, they used these oils to make dyes for artistry materials as well. Traditionally, the squash would be used in soups and stews, as well as common vegetable dishes. Algonquian squash was among the foodstuffs Lewis and Clark traded for with the Mandan Indians in the early 19th century, which gives us a historical record of the process by which seeds were relocated through trade between tribes.

Cherokee Purple Tomato: This variety originates with the Native American people of the Cherokee Nation in the Tennessee River Valley. The Cherokee settled in the mountain region of the south Alleghenies, southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and South Carolina, north Georgia, east Tennessee, and northeast Alabama. The seeds have been handed down through generations of native farmers and eventually were traded and cultivated by a variety of others apart from the Cherokee nation. These tomatoes are documented and known to have thrived since the 1800’s; this is because colonists did not consume tomatoes until this period of time. It is uncertain the exact age of the Cherokee Purple, however, it is firmly known that they are far more than 100 years old.

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Ashley Barbosa is a student working for Seeds of Diversity this summer.

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