Ancient Wisdom, Modern Solutions (Part 3): Dancing with Ntoto, Earth Changes

It is mid-summer and scorching heat, devastating wild fires, and storms are again threatening the conventional farming ways, and threatening a rise in grain cost yet again, and unfortunately the whole world is heavily dependent on conventionally farmed food for basic sustenance.  Our Ancestral Wisdom knew better than to create monocultures and to restrict the diet to a handful of crops (corn, soybeans, wheat and rice).  However, even though the failures are recorded in history (ex. Irish Potato Famine) it seems that the days of convenience stores and mega super markets have lulled us into a denial and a complacency, and banished even a discussion of this critical situation to the fringes of human conversation.  


However, evolution takes place at the fringes, those edges where diversity of ecology creates micro-climates and micro-conditions that allows different and new ways of living to emerge.  One of our Elders used to say "The Majority is not always Right!"  In this case the majority is utterly rooted in the narrow minded way of living that has been set out by those who are only interested in profit and power, and by a entity who is only interested in power over, gluttonous consumption of life, and which thrives on the destruction and disempowerment of life; a entity who is "trying to play god".  


In addition to the moronic agricultural practices that have been developed, there is other threatening practices of mining, including the mining of radioactive substances that should never have been taken out of our Mother Earth.  The day these radioactive substances began to be removed and refined from the Earth was the day a Spirit was set loose that cannot be controlled by human beings.  This Spirit that was contained by Mother Earth, now has the power and ability to poison all of humanity.  Indigenous People here in this continent are constantly fighting this evil.  See the blog post below concerning the uranium mining out west and the Indigenous People's battle against it.
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/05/halt-uranium-mine-that-will-poison.html


We have to remember that we were "driven off" our many Lands, through outright conquest and genocide, through kidnapping and slavery, through economic manipulation, and through promises of a "better life" (meaning an "easier, softer way" life, which is also an empty life).   We have to confront the myopic mentality that considers gardening and farming to be lowly "professions", and consider that we have been forcibly taken away from our Mother, or we have been tricked away from our Mother, or we have been seduced away from our Mother, and we have forgotten how to live in harmony with all our Sisters and Brothers of Life, the birds, insects, bacteria, fungi, plants, animals, and fish.  We have misplaced the ability to find food and medicines for ourselves in the forests and meadows and by the rivers.  


However, that Ancient Wisdom is flowing right under the surface and on the fringes and edges where it was never forgotten.  Worldwide (especially now with the internet) there is an abundance of sharing that is going on concerning the many ways that we can reconcile with Mother Earth and once again live in harmony and abundance with her and honor and work with her natural rhythms, rather than wage this ongoing war against her with the pesticides, herbicides, and endless plowing and sawing.  People everywhere are bringing back diversity and common sense into gardens and farms and homes and are producing with Mother Earth and her whole Family (our whole Family), the best, most nutritious, most life sustaining foods in abundance, in conditions which also sustain wildlife, birds, insects and micro-organisms. 


In parts 1 and 2 of this article we shared the progression of our garden, and now it is shown in its height of growth.  At this point the cycle subtly shifts and we begin to see the browns and yellows of autumn creep in and the cycle of Great Harvest begins.  In the Fall, when everything begins to die back with the shorter day lengths and cooler nights we have the time of greatest harvest, but here we are having the time of Greatest Green which of course still gives us a very full harvest.

What now is termed "permaculture" but what we know as Indigenous Gardening Techniques utilizes a diversity of plant life that forms various layers within the Garden, like a micro forest.  Small plants are shaded by big ones, vines climb up tall plants, all the plants require different nutrients so do not deplete any one nutrient and the root systems are just as diverse from light surface roots to deep tap roots accessing all levels of the soil below and bringing various nutrients up into the leaves that will later be eaten or composted to create new top soil.  The insects that eat certain crops are confused by the diversity, and the beneficial insects and birds are attracted by the diversity.  Micro climates are created to allow things to grow that would not thrive in a monoculture at this time of year, such as lettuces which do not like the heat.  In the photo above our daughter picks herbs for cooking.  She also gets the opportunity to learn from the garden's diversity and because she is young, learning the various plants and their uses comes much more easily to her!

As Taino -Paleros we have also come to appreciate the diversity of plant life and their corresponding "root life" for use within our bilongos and medicines.  We strive to study the whole plant to understand the "part" of it that we generally use (the palo or the leaf or what have you).    Above we have a basket of heirloom tomatoes that we have harvested, around them are chives, oregano, thyme, a sunflower stalk, nasturtiums (yellow flowers and leaves that we eat in salads), and a red hibiscus flower.  You need to know what the plants really look like to know what you are harvesting in this garden!  

Chives above surrounded by oregano, a well harvested chard plant, and a plantain plant that most consider a "weed".  For a number of years we did a lot of "weeding" and could never keep up with it.  Then a moment of understanding came and we stopped considering them "weeds" and simply planted our beds very fully restricting the space the "weeds" could occupy and transforming the weeds into the medicinal plants they truly are.  Plantain is a great remedy for bee stings among other uses.  Now we rarely weed any more, we just plant and harvest.  Once in a while we weed and throw the weeds down as a mulch right where we pull them out.  We share this for those who resist gardening due to the requirement of weeding.  We did have to come to terms with our expectations of how a garden should look, and break the shackles of the image of neat rows of veggies and flowers.  We essentially let Mother Earth take the lead and simply plant our "requests" right within her ecosystem, instead of forcing a fake and devolved system on to her.

Tomatoes ripening.  These tomatoes will continue to fruit until the frosts come.  We will gather all the green tomatoes left on the vine right before the first frost and let them ripen inside over the next month and eat them also as fried green tomatoes!

Huge sunflowers grow at a tremendous rate pulling nutrients out of the Earth.  They grow so fast because they have a special relationship with the Sun.  They "follow" the sun to be able to gather more energy from the rays. When they are pollinated the drop their heads bowing down so that their seeds are protected from too much solar radiation!  What a magnificent design and example of respect for the Sun!  Sunflowers are Indigenous to this continent and provide us and the birds with edible seeds, as well as providing a trellis for beans or other vines, and flower heads (which are actually 1000-2000 single flowers clustered together) which light up the garden and are also favored by the Misterio!  We love them and plant them everywhere.  The seeds are also a herbicide which is why under bird feeders nothing grows! 

Winter squash (developed by Mother Earth and the Indigenous Ancestors of this continent) sends its vines in all directions.  Its huge leaves shade out any competitors and it quickly grows in the raised beds that we created.  

This is another crop that we grow everywhere.  We take the seeds and put them in wherever there is space because we know that in the Fall when they are ready for harvest that we will be able to eat them all through the winter!  We specifically grow winter squash that are not your common supermarket variety, we chose heirloom and Indigenous varieties which have the best flavor.  No Palero needs reminding of the uses of the winter squash or pumpkin in working with the Nkisi and Mpungos!!!

Again with the squash, "weeds" are really not an issue since they quickly come to dominate the area they are growing in.  

Our Potatoes are now ready to harvest as we need them (see future blog post).  The Earth will store them perfectly until we need them up until hard frosts in late Fall.  Again, Potatoes are the result of the genius of the Ancestral Elders of this Continent!!!

And Tomatoes as well- developed by our Indigenous Ancestors!!!  The little violet in the bottom right corner is also edible in salads.

Here rhubarb sticks out between tomato plants, we continue to be able to eat its stalks in pies and sauces.

Our daughter harvesting.  

Beautiful basil!

Horse radish with a datura "weed" behind it and arugula.

Our squash spills wildly over our wall, already forming small fruits that will grow into big squash!

What an architect and garden designer Mother Earth is!

We took the posts that had supported the cold frame lids and put a wire fence on them to support green beans.

Bush beans (dry beans) are growing within the diversity.  In the past when we had grown beans in rows, every year insects would come and destroy them, eat them completely, leaving a barren stalk.  This year we put them in with all other plants and they are lush with perfect leaves, not a bite in sight.  This truly shows the benefits of polycultures.  We look forward to a great bean harvest.

A view of our garden, the various layers are visible, what you cannot experience in the photo is the sounds and scents of the garden, the movements of the birds, butterflies and bees, the aromas of the various plants and the tastes of them.  This you have to imagine.  There are a multitude of insects both in the air and soil that are actively "working" with us in this garden!  We do not garden alone, we have our whole "Family" of Life gardening with us, including the Bakulu who inspire and bring forth ideas and understandings for the garden.  Our own Ancestors and the Ancestors that lived upon this Land all bring their contribution from the wealth of knowledge they gathered in their lives.


At the time of Great Harvest we will gather from all the various plants to awaken an Agricultural Nkisi to further empower our Gardens!

Wild Ageratum (native) will burst into a purple blossom providing an important late season blossom for the butterflies.  

Harvesting black raspberries.  These prickly vines give us easy picking for nutrient rich berries.  

Although we also grow red and yellow raspberries, these are easier to grow and more nutritious.

These ended up in black raspberry crumble with homemade maple whipped cream.

Our chickens with their protective rooster, Papo.  He graciously gives them the best food from his own beak and chases away threats.  

Our chicken eggs are the best!!!

Scrambled eggs in the making.

Having a diversity of crops encourages us to create meals that are very unusual and extremely rich in vegetables (and therefore nutrients).  We eat far more than the "recommended suggested daily servings" of vegetables.  

Here all these vegetables are going into one meal.  They include salad greens (lettuce, chard, arugula, nasturtium leaf), greens for stir fry scrambled eggs (rainbow chard, beet greens, turnip greens, a garlic, and roots for the stir fry scrambled eggs (turnips, beets and parsnip).

The greens not only taste great but they all have different strengths in terms of nutrients, and the various textures and colors are a joy to look at.

Our daughter's favorite salad is Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella.  Here we have purple basil as well as green.  Color, taste, texture, smell- we have become too used to the market varieties which are selected only for their ease of growing, harvesting and transporting and storing and not for their taste.  Home grown produce is a totally different product than its supermarket imposter.  When we can give the Misterios offerings that we ourselves have grown, it means so much more because the offerings themselves hold more vitality and our sweat and love is embodied by them.   

The garlic harvest!  This year our garlic is better than ever with our new raised beds.  Wow!  We have garlic for the whole year, for eating, for replanting for next year and for trabajos!

Our wonderful goat herd.  Here our daughter is the "goat whisperer" who does a great job in taming the goats.  They are all easily handled and the females will be no problem to milk.  We are building our goat herd.  We have two varieties of African goats, the Pygmy and the Boer.  Both are meat goats, however the Boers are much bigger.

This is our Boer billy, Nkongo, who is still a baby but growing fast.  

This is our Pygmy billy "Chife" who is already full grown and whose is the father of the kids that we are expecting this year.  

In front is our Milking goat we added to the herd.  She is a Alpine, and still a baby.  We will breed her to Nkongo to produce goats that can be milkers and meat goats.  Behind her is Nana, our pygmy nanny who is our daughter's goat.  She is expecting kids and we will milk her and use the billy kids for personal consumption and Misterio.  We also have two Boer nannies that we will breed primarily for meat.  As Paleros it is always good for us to learn about the various goats and their behaviors so that we can gain a greater appreciation of what the Mystery receives.  

Our goat herd is let loose from time to time but must be carefully monitored because they will devastate the garden and trees.  We have another nanny goat that we are adding to our herd once she is old enough to leave her mother.  She is a Kiko Boer cross.  The Kiko is a breed of feral goat from (Aotearoa) New Zealand.  They have a resistance to parasites and since parasites are a health issue for goats, this resistance is very good for our goat herd.

Our new compost corner for our chickens.  This allows us to contain our chickens when we feel predators are around.  Here we have problems with hawk kills, not so much at this time with foxes or raccoons.  We are finding the balance between free ranging our chickens and having a place to contain them and give them kitchen scraps so that the predators do not pick them off one by one.  

One of our hens has gone broody and we are considering letting her sit on the eggs to hatch them.  To a great extent broodiness has been bred out of chickens and most chickens are hatched in incubators.  When we have a chicken that is truly broody she becomes very valuable to us.  We will be building a separate broody hen house so we can have a place for our broody hens to be undisturbed.  Since our goal is sustainability, we do not want to rely on incubators or purchased chicks, ideally we want several broody hens who will raise their chicks naturally.  

As Paleros it is a blessing to see the various breeds of chickens and get to know which are more in tune with their natural instincts and which have had the instincts bred out of them and become extremely dumbed down.  We are seeking intelligent chickens because we want to consume intelligent eggs and meat and we want to use intelligent gallos for the Misterio.  

At the risk of being repetitive, we continue to share our way of living with our Mother Earth and our Misterios and Ancestors within our Spiritual Practices.  For us, all of life is within the space of the Munanso or Bohio, meaning that we approach the Spirit in a holistic way and do not keep the Spirit as a part time aspect of our lives.  We have taken our Tratos seriously and have followed the Ancestral Spirits in transforming our lives, and we continue to transform and radically change our lives as we learn and discover.  Through a long and difficult process we have come to learn that we do not need to chain our Misterios down.  Chaining comes from the process of colonialism which has brought us nothing but tears and poverty and menticize.  We have learned not to enslave our Misterios because we are not slave masters of our Misterios.  We are the Children of Mother Earth and we work hand in hand, with love and willingness with her and our Ancestors and the many Ancestors of our Munanso and Bohio to continue the process of Reconciliation and Thriving with Mother Earth.

Tobacco and Sage Garden

This particular Ceremonial Garden is in the shape of the Taino Fire Petroglyph and the Garden is dedicated to growing primarily Tobacco and Sage which is used to burn Ceremonially or to put into Ceremonial baths, oils, drinks, medicines and more.  Many of the Tobacco in the garden come up from the naturally self seeding Tobacco of the previous year!  We also save tobacco seed and grow seedlings in the Spring and we also introduce more Indigenous varieties each year.  In this Garden there is the conventional  very large leafed "smoking tobacco" variety which gets very tall, then there is a Huichol variety with Yellow flowers which is small, along with a Hopi tobacco which is also small and very strong, and a variety we added this year which is a large plant with unusual curling leaves which is an Aztec variety.  We also throughout the summer find tobacco plants coming up in various different places around the ceremonial spaces which have self seeded!

On the left is the Aztec tobacco which is very strong, on the right is the milder smoking tobacco.  Touching the leaves one experiences the stickiness of the plant.  At night in particular the flowers release their aroma and the smell is awesome!  The multi flower heads become seed pods which hold thousands upon thousands of tiny tobacco seeds.  The tobacco is a plant that is extremely prolific much like its use globally has been.  

Again the smoking tobacco is pictured on the left, and on the right is a white sage which we grew from seed.  White sage is a challenging seedling to grow because only a small percentage of its seeds germinate and sometimes they germinate very slowly.  We were able to germinate five white sages this year which in appearance and smell are different than the white sage seedlings we get every year at a local herb festival. In all we grow about 20 sage plants.  "Our" seedlings have a lighter and sweeter scent.  One of the beautiful aspects of growing ones own Tobacco and Sage is that one becomes aware of the differences between the varieties and comes to appreciate the range and subtle differences of smells and tastes which grow!  

As Tainos and Paleros it is very important to us that we are able to grow our own tobacco and sage  because we know that it is organic, and we know that it has been grown with Spirit and with positive energy and it has been grown without any mechanization.  Additionally because we grow it and it grows so rapidly and is so abundant with its gifts, we are able to be equally abundant with what we offer the Spirit in terms of the Tobacco and Sage.  This relatively small garden gives us all the Tobacco and Sage that we need for the whole year (and more).   As Tainos we gain understanding and appreciate the growing of this Tobacco because it is not being offered to the Spirit through a "store bought" mentality, but rather we have put our sweat and sacrifice and our appreciation and love into the growing of it!  

It is a reality, not a fantasy!

Spirituality reaches into all aspects of life.  We often hear Paleros and Tainos say "it is not a religion, it is a way of life".  This statement is given much lip service, but what does it really mean and how can we see that manifest within our "everyday experience"?  As one who is rooted in African and Taino spiritual traditions, it is not a question of should we be involved in self-sustainability, gardening and providing for a diversity of animals (domestic and wild), it is only a question of how far our capacity to extend ourselves in these ways can take us together with the blessings of the Mysteries that allow life to continue to thrive within this experience.  

Upon our Land we do not separate our spiritual practices from the gardening practices and caretaking practices that allow the gardens and animals you see below in the photos to thrive.  Year to year we continue to expand our capacity and wisdom in relating to and thriving together with the Mysteries and Spirits of the Plants, Stones, Animals, and the multiple dimensions of Ancestors who are  all around us.  

Honey Bees on Sunflower.  Honey bees pollenate many of our food crops, produce honey, produce bees wax, and stimulate our immune systems if we get stung by them.  Sunflowers give us beauty, sunflower seeds and provide important food for many wild birds who love them.

"Sunchokes" provide beauty, seeds for the birds, and edible roots.

A pathway from the animal shelters to the ceremonial grounds.

The llama and alpaca, sacred to our Southern Ancestors, provide much enjoyment and entertainment, as well as soft fiber.

Corner of a batey, the red flower in the center of the photo is amaranth utilized for food, seeds for the birds, greens for salads, flowers for the "Day of the Dead" offering to the Ancestors.  

Batey showing the lightning petroglyph with amaranth again in the background.  Yellow flower in the front is dahlia which had edible roots.  

Entrance to Taino Bohio, purple flowered bush on left is "butterfly bush" loved by butterflies and bees.

Barely visible in front is the Taino petroglyph of the Heart, in the back is potato garden, we are still (February 2010) still eating papas from this garden.

On the left raspberry rows which also contain grapes with strawberries underneath them, as well as blackberries.  Potatoes can be seen on the left side of the photo.  Right photo:  Unusual tree shape in the camping area.

Anani's (4 yrs old) garden, she planted most of the plants now in the garden, mostly perennial medicinals and herbs.  She is a future herbalist learning directly from the Earth.  The children are able to grasp the properties of the plants much faster than the adults are able to, and they are never too young to start learning.

Left photo:  Wild rabbits thrive here, one sits by the elderberry bush (medicinal "sambuccas").  Right photo:  Hawthorn tree, medicinal, and (northern type) espanta muerto.

Left Photo:  Bird house gourd for spiritual use or to make bird house for the wild birds, very prolific.  Right Photo:  Calendula and Borage (both medicinal, both edible) flowers, we add to salads for color and taste.  They are also good companion plants for the vegetable and attract the bees.

Bowl gourd to be used ceremonially.

Fawn in hay field, we had several families of does and fawns on the land, twins and triplets who would come into the bateys to eat.  We also see wild turkey who are making a comeback in our area.

Sunset

Malanga plants used for spiritual purposes.

Honey bees on the frames, they are the best friend to a prolific garden and orchard!  We are able to make candles from the wax, and raw honey (medicinal).

Beets, Carrots and flowers in our circular garden.

Winter squash harvest.  Most of these are heirloom squash, most are indigenous varieties whose taste far surpasses the usual types found in the market.  Our favorite are the hidatsa (pale peach color) which are great in soups.  We ate our last winter squash a few weeks ago.

Salad greens with nasturtiums (flowers) which add a peppery spice taste to the salad a beautiful color.  Very healthy salad.

Gathering peppers before the frost.  

Anani loves sweet peppers.

Left Photo:  Bolivian rainbow peppers destined for "chamba".  The peppers were not only for us to eat but also for spiritual purposes.  Right Photo:  Potatoes harvested roots intact.  These are purple potatoes with excellent flavor.

Left Photo:  Central pole in one of the gardens with mexican tarragon in front (medicinal).  Right Photo: As winter approached we constructed cold frames which has allowed us to eat fresh salad greens including spinach, beet greens, asian greens cilantro, radishes, parsley throughout the winter months.  The cold frame temperature has barely gone below freezing the whole winter allowing all the greens to survive the normally freezing winter climate and especially cold winter we have had this year.

Harvesting from the cold frame.

Some salad green from the cold frame.

Snow falling, the green of the cold frame looks especially lush against the frigid background.  These greens love cold temperatures and generally get planted early spring or late fall as they cannot handle the hot temperatures of the summer.  Planting them in the cold frames seems to bring out their flavors even more and the freshness of their taste brights and spices up the winter meals.  

A large snowstorm and still the greens are going strong and we continue to eat fresh salads.  

For us it is not a fantasy but a reality because the Spirit of the Ancestors remains close to our Heart, our Mind, and our Essence as we ground ourselves to continue our elevation with them and the environment that we are care-taking.