HMM 07 - 04 - 24

Published: July 4, 2024, 7:52 p.m.

In place of our regular Hudson Mohawk Magazine programing, today we share this episode of The Aunties Dandelion podcast called "Auntie Kahehtoktha - Keeper of the Seeds."\n\nShow notes:\nEPISODE SUMMARY\n\nNARRATOR: On this episode of The Aunties Dandelion \u2013 an interview with Kahehtoktha Janice Brant - a Kanyen\u2019keh\xe0:ka Mohawk farmer, Seed Keeper, and co-founder of the Kent\xe9:ke Seed Sanctuary. Janice and her Tyendinega collaborators recently took over care of a seed collection held by nuns for decades at a nearby convent. It\u2019s been a journey of community engagement, discernment and the creation of a new and original wampum belt to honor the transfer of the seeds. \n\nKAHEHTOKTHA JANICE BRANT: When you open that husk \u2013 it is like you are looking at an infant. You are looking at a baby. You are looking at the future generations and to me that is extremely humbling and extremely powerful. They have been around for a long time and here they are still. \n\nNARRATOR: That power behhcomes a push back against our over culture -- and Kahehtoktha discusses the risks of caring for seeds with an intention sovereignty.\n\nKAHEHTOKTHA JANICE BRANT: We are not trying to create control over the seeds. In fact just quite the opposite. We are trying to make seeds available to people to make healthier, stronger seeds available to people. So you can see how that sort of \u2013 just given that flip of the paradigm can make it a dangerous game to play. And so we have to be careful and we get stopped at the border. You become sort of like a terrorist almost in the same \u2013 we are dangerous because we are in charge of freedom and you are free when you have your own food.