OKMULGEE – “Pom eknv likat enkvpvketcof senhericetowvcv” (When you leave our ground, make it better) was the theme of the Muscogee Conservation District’s first Tree Giveaway at the Claude Cox Omniplex on July 21. Free tree seedlings were given to Mvskoke citizens who could present their citizenship card and fill out an application. A grant from the River Network, a 501(c) charity, provided the funds for the trees. Initially slated to last from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., the department ran out of trees before 11 a.m.
Many varieties could be picked up at the giveaway, however some were more popular than others. One of the first to run out were mulberry trees. Other varieties included sassafras, American plum, hickory and pecan. According to MCN Conservation District Conservationist Julie Norem (Mvskoke), the varieties were chosen because they can give back to the land by contributing wood, fruit or nuts.
Norem is a gardner who grows produce like cucumbers, tomatoes and plums. She enjoys canning- making salsa and jelly. It is her dream one day to grow an orchard on her property. Her trees of choice at the giveaway were the sassafras and American plum.
“I want to have plums to be able to make jelly and the sassafras for the medicinal purposes,” Norem said. “Sassafras is an unusual tree, it has three stages of leaves. It’s a good one to have on your property.”
MCN Conservation District Administrative Assistant Lisa Hill (Mvskoke) led the organization of the giveaway. Hill got the idea for the theme from National Council Representative Galen Cloud. The meaning behind the message,“When you leave our ground, make it better,” is to leave the environment in better shape than you found it. According to Hill, planting trees is important because they are a vital oxygen source.
“We use trees for a lot of things and I know we don’t always put them back after we use them,” Hill said. “They’re good for our environment, for air, for animals. It’s a good environmental thing to have trees planted to have fresh air.”
Hill grows tomatoes and peppers in the Nation’s hydroponic facilities and gives them away to elders. She believes feeding the people of your tribe is an important responsibility of being a sovereign nation.
“I know elders are on fixed incomes and I want to make sure that they have enough to eat, even if it’s just tomatoes,” Hill said. “They enjoy it, they use it and they appreciate it. I’m just trying to help people. Someone once told me ‘we’re not a sovereign nation if we can’t feed our people’. I just try to help feed people.”
According to Hill, planting is an easy hobby to pick up. However, it is a hobby that requires patience and time. Hill said her mother and grandmother used to plant tomatoes as well and would sing to them because they believed it helped them grow.
The story of our food is important to both Hill and Norem.
“It’s important for us to know where our food comes from and to carry on the legacy of our ancestors of being agricultural people,” Norem said. “A lot of the younger generation does not know where their food comes from or know how hard our ancestors worked to produce the food they ate. I think it’s important to teach that.”
According to Norem, future giveaway events will depend on her department’s ability to renew grant funding in the future. The department is in the process of purchasing more trees to be planted at ceremonial grounds and childcare centers on the reservation.
MCN Conservation District’s next event will be the Small Ruminant and Horticulture Workshop at the Honey Springs Battlefield Visitor Center in Checotah on Aug. 2. The event will feature a horticulturalist lecturing on how to care for goats. For registration information, contact the department at 918-549-2609. Norem invites anyone with questions about gardening to contact her office.
