ERIC Number: EJ1206496
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-5505
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Este Mvskokvlke Em Vye Cvpofuce: The Mvskoke Cultural Community Garden
Tyner, Mekko; Azbell, Lacey; Coon, Bobbie; Moore, Mackie; Pembrook, Trent; Randall, Monte
Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, v30 n3 Spr 2019
Agriculture is a significant part of the culture and heritage of indigenous people. This is especially true for Mvskoke people. Today, the issue of sustainable food sovereignty embodies the roots of the College of the Muscogee Nation's (CMN's) mission and goals as a tribal college and land grant institution. The college utilizes a community garden to educate students about traditional gardening and incorporates corn into its general education assessment of student learning. CMN's garden had a humble beginning. In the spring of 2011, after the college moved into its inaugural building, Native American studies and Mvskoke language instructor Norma Marshall collaborated with the Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative (MFSI) to start a cultural garden on the new campus in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Marshall utilized the garden as an outdoor classroom for her Mvskoke literacy project (service learning) course. Students cultivated traditional heirloom crops while learning the Mvskoke language. As construction of the campus continued, it became evident that a permanent, dedicated space for the continuation of the garden was necessary. In 2014, under the Farm Bill, the USDA designated CMN as a 1994 land grant institution eligible to receive capacity funds the following year. After obtaining the designation, CMN received a USDA rural Development Community Facilities grant to establish the Mvskoke Cultural Community garden (MCCg). Today, the garden consists of four raised beds, a greenhouse, a walking trail, a pond, a storage shed, and a gazebo that serves as an outdoor classroom. In addition, CMN received the Empowering Students: Bridging Culture and Education grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). With this grant, CMN hired health instructor Bobbie Coon to incorporate formal programs that promote food and human sciences knowledge in Mvskoke culture and community-health courses. The Mvskoke Cultural Community garden is a fantastic resource to help educate CMN students about tribal gardening and food sovereignty. In addition, the garden has allowed the college to establish partnerships with the community and with the National Science Foundation, USDA, and NIFA. CMN's community garden and its revitalization of corn is preparing the way for the Seventh generation.
Descriptors: Gardening, Community Programs, Tribes, American Indian Education, Tribally Controlled Education, Colleges, American Indian Culture, Outdoor Education, Service Learning, Native Language Instruction, Food, Culturally Relevant Education
Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education. P.O. Box 720, Mancos, CO 81328. Tel: 888-899-6693; Fax: 970-533-9145; Web site: http://www.tribalcollegejournal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Oklahoma
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A