Honorable Harvest

There is a maple tree west of our house, which glows in the morning light of fall. Above on the right is a picture I took this week and on the left is one I took in mid October of last year (10/10 to be exact [blog post]) of what we call “Grandpa French’s Maple.” The tree is named for our friend and neighbor Bradley French who remembers the maple as a sapling growing next to the farm shop. The shop building is long gone, though the concrete slab can be found heaving under the growth of the maple roots and buried under a blanket of leaves. She tells a different story every year, last year in splendid color and this year the drab color of the rainy summer lingers in her green-brown leaves.

October is my birth month, also the month Lovett was born and so I welcome the opportunity to reflect on years come and gone. Grandpa French and his family farmed this land before we were here, and before him Gertrude and Charlie Gay. Before the Gay family there is a long line of farmers back to the earliest sheep farmers and settlers of the Champlain Valley. Before sheep and plows lived the Mohawk people.

In honor of Monday’s celebration of Indigenous People Day, on what used to be Columbus Day, I would like to share some of what I have learned about the people who came before us on this land and who continue to live here. What I have learned so far continues to shape how I see land, farming, food, ecology and myself.

Reber Rock Farm is located on the western edges of the Champlain Valley in what is now New York State. Before the arrival of Samuel de Champlain to the region in 1609, the valley was the border of the lands of the Western Abenaki tribes and the Mohawk, who call themselves Kanienkehake (“People of the Flint”). [Source] 

Even in writing this I can feel my brain searching for borders, for boundaries, for lines to draw on a map. I am reminded that to “own” land is a way of thinking brought to this continent by my European ancestors. As far as my map oriented brain can discern, the Mohawk people were generally on the western side of the lake, while the Abenaki tribes were on the Eastern side. Thus Reber Rock Farm is located on traditional Mohawk territory. (This map has some interesting resources.)

The Mohawk people farmed the river valleys and lake basins of the Champlain Valley, the Mohawk River, and the upper Hudson River. They planted the three sisters’ crops of corn, beans, and squash, and they hunted and fished as well. The Mohawk people are members of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, which was formed more than 800 years ago. There is evidence that the US Constitution and the foundation of US democracy was influenced by, if not inspired by the Haudenosaunee, and this has been acknowledged by the US government. 

I first learned of the Haudenosaunee Nation in one of the most pivotal books in my life of the last 10 years, and perhaps of my adult life: Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer. If you have not read her book I highly recommend it. One of the most striking realizations of the book was just that: I was learning for the first time about the people who lived on the land I farmed every day. Just on the other side of the Adirondacks we have Akwesasne: the Mohawk reservation in Saint Regis, NY.

Published in 2013, the same year we started our farm, Kimmerer opened my perspective on how we humans give to and take from the natural world around us. Kimmerer introduced me to many of the traditions, stories and philosophies of the Haudenosaunee. Two components are a part of our daily lives:

Honorable Harvest

Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.
Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.
Never take the first. Never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half. Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.
Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.

Imagine if these were the guiding principles of all agriculture? They are the guiding words of people who live here still.

For our holiday, and days to come I honor the Mohawk people and Haudenosaunee nation.

I would like to leave you with these parting words. My first instinct was to leave a link to the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address since it is so long. After some consideration I have included it below. It is long, perhaps because we have so much to be thankful for, so much that sustains us. I am left wondering, do I spend the time finding my own gratitude for all that supports me?

Thanksgiving Address

The People

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.

Now our minds are one.

The Earth Mother

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She

supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Waters

We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms- waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.

Now our minds are one.

The Fish

We turn our minds to all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Plants

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.

Now our minds are one. 

The Food Plants

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and send them a greeting of thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Medicine Herbs

Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.

Now our minds are one.

The Animals

We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.

Now our minds are one

The Trees

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life.

Now our minds are one.

The Birds

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds-from the smallest to the largest-we send our joyful greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Four Winds

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.

Now our minds are one. 

The Thunderers

Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We are thankful that they keep those evil things made by Okwiseres underground. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.

Now our minds are one.

The Sun

We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.

Now our minds are one.

Grandmother Moon

We put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.

Now our minds are one.

The Stars

We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to the Stars.

Now our minds are one.

The Enlightened Teachers

We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.

Now our minds are one.

The Creator

Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

Now our minds are one. 

Closing Words

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

Now our minds are one.

This translation of the Mohawk version of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address was developed, published in 1993, and provided, courtesy of: Six Nations Indian Museum and the Tracking Project

Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World English version: John Stokes and Kanawahienton (David Benedict, Turtle Clan/Mohawk) Mohawk version: Rokwaho (Dan Thompson, Wolf Clan/Mohawk) Original inspiration: Tekaronianekon (Jake Swamp, Wolf Clan/Mohawk)

Setting of the moon on Sunday morning.