#wampanoag — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #wampanoag, aggregated by home.social.
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10 #IndigenousGardening Techniques Still Used Today
By: Robin Sweetser, May 3, 2026
"As gardeners, we are connected to all people who have come before us, caring for the earth and learning how to best grow crops. Ready for the best gardening techniques? Let’s have a look at some age-old gardening wisdom that’s still relevant today.
A Long History of #Gardening
#Gourds, #beans, and #peppers were being cultivated in #Mexico by 5500 BC, and by 5000 BC, #maize was being grown in #Mesoamerica, and #potatoes in #SouthAmerica. The success or failure of these crops had a major impact on people’s survival. It was critical not only that the land provided sustenance but that it sustained them year after year, which required knowledge of #sustainable growing techniques to preserve the land for future generations.
We hear buzzwords like 'sustainable' or 'permaculture' and 'organic' today. But these techniques were here long before we started talking about 'going green.' Perhaps your grandparents also knew some of the older, gentler ways. Many are simply intuitive and based on fostering a closer relationship with nature and the land. If you don’t already, you might want to think about integrating some of these techniques into your own landscape.
Many of the following practices are often viewed as 'new' to the gardening world, but they’ve been around for a long, long time. They have all been traditionally used by #NativeAmerican peoples, but that is not to say that all of these techniques were used by all Native American cultures. Just like separate countries, #Indigenous cultures vary widely in their gardening philosophies and techniques. Below are just a few #sustainable, Earth-conscious ways to grow a better garden.
These practices originate from diverse Indigenous nations across North and South America, including the #Haudenosaunee (#Iroquois), #Hopi, #Wampanoag, and many others. Agricultural traditions varied widely by climate, geography, and culture.
Companion Planting (the #ThreeSisters Method)
Time-honored gardening wisdom says that certain plants, when grown together, improve each other’s health and yields. For instance, some plants attract beneficial insects that help to protect a companion, while other plants (particularly herbs) act as repellents.
A commonly cited example is the Three Sisters Garden, which has been traditionally practiced by the Wampanoag people of what is now the northeastern United States. A prime demonstration of companion planting at its best, corn provides support for pole beans to climb, the beans add nitrogen to the soil for future crops to use, and squash leaves shade the soil around the taller plants, like a living mulch. Squash’s prickly leaves also deter marauding animal pests. Some would add a fourth sister—a flowering plant such as #sunflowers—to draw in #pollinators.
#Intercropping or #polyculture of plants that have mutual benefits (aka companion planting) mimics the way different species grow together in nature. #Monoculture, on the other hand, leads to the exhaustion of soil nutrients. Indigenous people also discovered that plant diversity meant diet diversity. If one crop should fail, the others could fill that void.
Try 'intercropping' in your vegetable garden. Sneak small crops in between bigger ones; the small crops will be ready before the big ones need the space.
#Terracing for #SoilConservation
Terracing creates flat planting beds in hilly terrain. Taming the steep slopes slows runoff, allowing water to seep into the beds and curb erosion.
Creating terraces in which to garden is an especially good way to garden where rain is seasonal, sporadic, and often comes in heavy downpours. In the southwestern U.S., for example, terracing was key to the agricultural success of the Anasazi and their descendants, the #Hopi, who still use terraced gardens today. This can be seen in the village of #HotevillaBacavi, in northern Arizona, where traditional #TerracedGardens were restored in the 1990s.
If you wish to garden sustainably on sloped land for years to come, the use of terracing is essential in avoiding soil erosion that carries your precious topsoil away.
There are different types of #terracing. If you have a slope, consider using some rocks or retaining walls to create a series of flattened areas, mitigating runoff. Ancient terraces are seen all over the steep terrain in #Greece, too.
Traditional Irrigation Methods
Thousands of years ago, the Anasazi people inhabited what is now the Four Corners region of the U.S., an area known for its low annual rainfall. They traditionally built catchments, check dams (dams made of rock that held onto soil but allowed water to pass through), and reservoirs to collect the infrequent stormwater. The Hopi people of northern Arizona also use these age-old techniques to irrigate their gardens in this arid landscape, although modern technology has allowed for expanded #WaterConservation efforts.
If you live in a dry area, storing water in ponds, cisterns, or even a #RainBarrel is a wise idea, as the reserved water can be used for irrigation as needed.
Conversely, in areas with floods, people learned how to use what could be destructive as a way to boost productivity. For example, one technique was to create shallow depressions so that when the floodwaters rose, the water could be stored. Another technique was to use #canals near rivers to divert water to nearby farmland."
Read more:
https://www.almanac.com/10-indigenous-gardening-techniques-still-used-today#SolarPunkSunday #GrowYourOwnFood #NativeAmericans #TraditionalTechnology #ClimateChangeGardening #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #TEK #TerracedGardens #RainGardens
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[LIVE] #NationalDayOfMourning 2025, (27 November 25 @ 12pm ET)
"Since 1970, Indigenous people & their allies have gathered at noon on Cole's Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the US Thanksgiving holiday. Many Native people do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims & other European settlers. Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands and the erasure of Native cultures. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest against the racism and oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience worldwide."
National Day of Mourning
Thursday, November 27, 2025
12:00 Noon
Cole's Hill (above Plymouth Rock), Plymouth, MALivestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/6u-jF6pHDBg
#UnitedAmericanIndiansOfNewEngland #UAINE #PlymouthMassachusetts #ClimateJustice #DayOfMourning #NoDAPL #LandBack
#DefendTheSacred #MMIWG #NoPipelines #LeaveItInTheGround #HumanRightsAreNeverWrong #LoveYourMotherEarth #ResistWhiteSupremacy #CorporateColonialism #Capitalism
#NativeAmericanActivism #DayOfMourning #Solidarity #WeWillContinue #PlymouthRock
#Wampanoag #FrankJames #FrankWamsuttaJames
#SettlerColonialism #IndigenousHistory
#AmericanHistory #Mayflower
#ThanksgivingMyth #InTheSpiritOfMetacom #LGBTQ #TwoSpirits #MMIWG #LandBack #Resistance #ProtectMotherEarth #FreePalestine #CorporateColonialism #Capitalism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #ColonialismIsACrime #IndigenousResistance #DefendTheSacred #ManifestDestiny -
#BrooklynNY to #PlymouthMA - Thursday, November 27
#NationalDayOfMourningBus leaves @ 6am
Location: Flanbwayan
3116 Clarendon Rd.
(Bet. E. 31st & E. 32nd)
#BrooklynNY 11226
Bus fee $50
(#2 or 5 train to Beverly)FMI - https://www.uaine.org/2025_ndom/NDOM%20Orientation%202025.pdf
#UnitedAmericanIndiansOfNewEngland #UAINE #PlymouthMassachusetts #ClimateJustice #DayOfMourning #NoDAPL #LandBack
#DefendTheSacred #MMIWG #NoPipelines #LeaveItInTheGround #HumanRightsAreNeverWrong #LoveYourMotherEarth #ResistWhiteSupremacy #CorporateColonialism #Capitalism
#NativeAmericanActivism #DayOfMourning #Solidarity #WeWillContinue #PlymouthRock
#Wampanoag #FrankJames #FrankWamsuttaJames
#SettlerColonialism #IndigenousHistory
#AmericanHistory #Mayflower
#ThanksgivingMyth #InTheSpiritOfMetacom #LGBTQ #TwoSpirits #MMIWG #LandBack #Resistance #ProtectMotherEarth #FreePalestine #CorporateColonialism #Capitalism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #ColonialismIsACrime #IndigenousResistance #DefendTheSacred #ManifestDestiny -
ORIENTATION FOR NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING 11/27/25
WHAT IS NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING?
An annual tradition since 1970, National Day of Mourning is a solemn, spiritual and highly political day. Many of us fast from sundown the day before through the afternoon of that day (and have a social after NDOM so that participants in NDOM can break their fasts). We are mourning our ancestors and the genocide of our peoples and the theft of our lands. NDOM is a day when we mourn, but we also feel our strength in action and solidarity.
WHEN AND WHERE IS DAY OF MOURNING?
Thursday, November 27, 2025 (U.S. "thanksgiving" day) at Cole's Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 12 noon SHARP. Cole's Hill is the hill above Plymouth Rock in the Plymouth historic waterfront area. The rallies and marches will last until approximately 3 pm.
WILL THERE BE A MARCH?
Yes, there will be a march through the historic district of Plymouth. Plymouth agreed, as part of the settlement of 10/19/98, that UAINE may march on National Day of Mourning without the need for a permit as long as we give the town advance notice.
PROGRAM
Although we very much welcome our non-Native supporters to join us, it is a day when only Indigenous people speak about our history and the struggles that are taking place throughout the Americas. Speakers are by invitation only. This year's NDOM will be livestreamed from Plymouth.
Note that NDOM is not a powwow or commercial event, so we ask that people do not sell merchandise or distribute leaflets at the outdoor program. We will have UAINE t-shirts available for sale following the march.
We also ask that you do not eat (unless you must do so for medical reasons) at the outdoor speak-out and march out of respect for the participants who are fasting.
Dress for the weather!SOCIAL
There will be box lunches available for distribution after the march (turkey and vegan), but we will not have a full sit-down social.
FMI - www.uaine.org
#NativeAmericanActivism #DayOfMourning #Solidarity #WeWillContinue #PlymouthRock
#Wampanoag #FrankJames #FrankWamsuttaJames
#SettlerColonialism #IndigenousHistory
#AmericanHistory #Mayflower
#ThanksgivingMyth #InTheSpiritOfMetacom #LGBTQ #TwoSpirits #MMIWG #LandBack #Resistance #ProtectMotherEarth #FreePalestine #CorporateColonialism #Capitalism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LeaveItInTheGround #ColonialismIsACrime #IndigenousResistance #DefendTheSacred #ManifestDestiny -
Join the Bronx Bus for the #NationalDayOfMourning Pilgrimage to #PlymouthMA in resistance to
#SettlerColonialLies!Meet us on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025
6:00 AM @ Yankee Stadium
corner of 161st St and River Ave, BXFMI - https://www.uaine.org/2025_ndom/NDOM%20Orientation%202025.pdf
#UnitedAmericanIndiansOfNewEngland #UAINE #PlymouthMassachusetts #ClimateJustice #DayOfMourning #NoDAPL #LandBack
#DefendTheSacred #MMIWG #NoPipelines #LeaveItInTheGround #HumanRightsAreNeverWrong #LoveYourMotherEarth #ResistWhiteSupremacy #CorporateColonialism #Capitalism
#NativeAmericanActivism #DayOfMourning #Solidarity #WeWillContinue #PlymouthRock
#Wampanoag #FrankJames #FrankWamsuttaJames
#SettlerColonialism #IndigenousHistory
#AmericanHistory #Mayflower
#ThanksgivingMyth #InTheSpiritOfMetacom #LGBTQ #TwoSpirits #MMIWG #LandBack #Resistance #ProtectMotherEarth #FreePalestine #CorporateColonialism #Capitalism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #ColonialismIsACrime #IndigenousResistance #DefendTheSacred #ManifestDestiny -
By #UnitedAmericanIndiansOfNewEngland (#UAINE) Updated November 22, 2025 - #Resist!
"Since 1970, Indigenous people & their allies have gathered at noon on Cole’s Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the US Thanksgiving holiday. Many Native people do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims & other European settlers. Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands and the erasure of Native cultures. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest against the racism and oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience worldwide.
National Day of Mourning
Thursday, November 27, 2025
12:00 Noon
Cole’s Hill (above #PlymouthRock), #PlymouthMAJoin us as we continue to create a true awareness of Native peoples and history. Help shatter the untrue image of the Pilgrims, and the unjust system based on #WhiteSupremacy, #SettlerColonialism, #sexism, #homophobia and the profit-driven destruction of the Earth that they and other European settlers introduced to these shores.
#Solidarity with #IndigenousStruggles throughout the world!
From #TurtleIsland to #Palestine, #Colonialism is a Crime!
While many supporters will attend in person, we will also Livestream the event from Plymouth.
United American Indians of New England (decolonizing since 1970)
[email protected] * #UAINENo sit-down social, but box lunches will be available.
Masks required.What is National Day of Mourning?
An annual tradition since 1970, National Day of Mourning is a solemn, spiritual and highly political day. Many of us fast from sundown the day before through the afternoon of that day (and have a social after #NDOM so that participants in NDOM can break their fasts). We are mourning our ancestors and the #genocide of our peoples and the theft of our lands. NDOM is a day when we mourn, but we also feel our strength in action and solidarity.
When and where is Day of Mourning?
Thursday, November 27, 2025 (U.S. “thanksgiving” day) at Cole’s Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 12 noon SHARP. Cole’s Hill is the hill above Plymouth Rock in the Plymouth historic waterfront area. The rallies and marches will last until approximately 3 pm.
Will there be a march?
Yes, there will be a march through the historic district of Plymouth. Plymouth agreed, as part of the settlement of 10/19/98, that UAINE may march on National Day of Mourning without the need for a permit as long as we give the town advance notice.
Program
Although we very much welcome our non-Native supporters to join us, it is a day when only Indigenous people speak about our history and the struggles that are taking place throughout the Americas. Speakers are by invitation only. This year’s NDOM will be livestreamed from Plymouth.
Note that NDOM is not a powwow or commercial event, so we ask that people do not sell merchandise or distribute leaflets at the outdoor program. We will have UAINE t-shirts available for sale following the march.
We also ask that you do not eat (unless you must do so for medical reasons) at the outdoor speak-out and march out of respect for the participants who are fasting.
Dress for the weather!Social
There will be box lunches available for distribution after the march (turkey and vegan), but we will not have a full sit-down social.
Livestream
If you cannot get to Plymouth, you can watch ourlivestream!"
FMI - https://popularresistance.org/national-day-of-mourning-2/
Link to livestream:
https://www.youtube.com/live/6u-jF6pHDBg#NativeAmericanActivism #DayOfMourning #Solidarity #WeWillContinue #PlymouthRock
#Wampanoag #FrankJames #FrankWamsuttaJames
#SettlerColonialism #IndigenousHistory
#AmericanHistory #Mayflower
#ThanksgivingMyth #InTheSpiritOfMetacom #LGBTQ #TwoSpirits #MMIWG #LandBack #Resistance #ProtectMotherEarth #FreePalestine #CorporateColonialism #Capitalism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LeaveItInTheGround #ColonialismIsACrime #IndigenousResistance #DefendTheSacred #ManifestDestiny -
How to #decolonize your #Thanksgiving dinner in observance of #NationalDayofMourning
Meredith Clark
Wed, November 22, 2023"Thanksgiving is almost upon us, a time when many #Americans gather together to eat turkey and talk about what they’re most thankful for. Growing up in the #UnitedStates, almost everyone can recall the 'First Thanksgiving' story they were told in elementary school: how the local #Wampanoag #NativeAmericans sat down with the #pilgrims of #Plymouth Colony in 1621, in what is now present-day #Massachusetts, for a celebratory feast.
"However, this story is far from the truth - which is why many people opt out of celebrating the controversial holiday.
"For many #Indigenous communities throughout the US, Thanksgiving remains a National Day of Mourning - a reminder of the devastating #genocide and #displacement that occurred at the hands of European #colonisers following their arrival in the Americas.
"Every year since 1970, #IndigenousPeople and their allies have even gathered near #PlymouthRock to commemorate a National #DayOfMourning on the day of Thanksgiving. 'Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the erasure of Native cultures,' states the official website for the United American Indians of New England. 'Participants in National Day of Mourning honour Indigenous #ancestors and Native resilience. It is a day of #remembrance and #spiritual connection, as well as a #protest against the #racism and #oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience #worldwide.'
"This year, the 54th annual National Day of Mourning takes place on 23 November - the same day as Thanksgiving. While not everyone can support the event in person, there are still many ways people can raise awareness toward issues affecting Indigenous communities from wherever they are - by '#decolonising' their Thanksgiving dinner.
"#Decolonisation can be defined as the active resistance against #settlerColonialism and a shifting of power towards Indigenous sovereignty. Of course, it’s difficult to define decolonisation without putting it into practice, writes Eve Tuck and K Wayne Yang in their essay, #Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor. Rather, one of the most radical and necessary moves toward decolonisation requires imagining and enacting a future for Indigenous peoples - a future based on terms of their own making.
"Matt Hooley is an assistant professor in the department of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth College, where he teaches about US colonial powers and Indigenous cultural production. 'Decolonisation is a beautiful and difficult political horizon that should guide our actions everyday, including during holidays like Thanksgiving,' he tells The Independent. 'Of course, Thanksgiving is a particularly relevant holiday to think about decolonisation because the way many people celebrate it involves connecting ‘the family’ to a colonial myth in which colonialism is inaccurately imagined as a peaceful event in the past.'
"By decolonising our Thanksgiving, we can celebrate the holiday with new traditions that honour a future in which Indigenous people are celebrated. This year, we can start by understanding the real history behind Thanksgiving as told by actual Indigenous communities.
"While Americans mainly dedicate one day a year to give thanks, Indigenous communities express gratitude every day with the #Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address - often called: 'The words that come before all else.' The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address is the central prayer and invocation for the #HaudenosauneeConfederacy, which comprises the #SixNations - #Mohawk, #Oneida, #Onondaga, #Cayuga, #Seneca, and #Tuscarora. When one recites the Thanksgiving Address, they’re giving thanks for all life and the natural world around them.
"According to Hooley, one of the most straightforward actions people can take to decolonise their Thanksgiving includes supporting Indigenous land acknowledgments and land back movements. #LandBack is an ongoing Indigenous-led movement which seeks to return ancestral lands to Indigenous people and the recognition of Indigenous #sovereignty. While the movement is nowhere near new, it received international attention in 2016 during protests against the #DakotaAccesSPipeline - which continues to disrupt land and #water sources belonging to the #StandingRockSioux Tribe.
"This year, sit down with family and friends to discuss an action plan and highlight the concrete steps you plan on taking to support Indigenous communities. 'Another, even simpler way would be to begin participating in what’s called a ‘Voluntary Land Tax,’ whereby non-Indigenous people contribute a recurring tax to the tribal communities whose land you occupy,' said Hooley.
"Food is perhaps the most important part of the Thanksgiving holiday, with turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes taking center stage. However, there are many ways we can make sure our dinner tables honour Indigenous futurisms too. Donald A Grinde, Jr is a professor emeritus in the department of Africana and American Studies at the University at Buffalo. Grinde - who is a member of the #YamasseeNation - tells The Independent that crops such as #corn, #beans, #squash, #tomatoes, and #potatoes are central to #IndigenousHistory and future.
"'A good thing is to be thankful for the abundance in the fall and note that Native people created over 60 percent of modern #agricultural #crops,' he said. 'People can be thankful for the crops that Native people created, #medicines created, and traditions about #democracy, #WomensRights and #environmental rights.'
"Rather than buying food from major corporations this year, Hooly also recommended people consciously source their Thanksgiving dinner from Indigenous producers. 'Industrial agriculture is one of the most devastating contributors to the destruction of land and water everywhere, including on Indigenous land,' he said. 'Instead of buying food grown or made by colonial corporations, people could buy their food from Indigenous producers, or even simply make a greater effort to buy locally grown food or not to buy meat harvested from industrial farms.'
"Thanksgiving is just a day away. While it’s important that we’re actively working toward highlighting Indigenous communities on this special holiday, decolonisation efforts are something that should be done year-round.
"'People can also learn about political priorities of the Indigenous communities near them and support those priorities by speaking to their representatives, participating in a protest, or by making sure that their local school and library boards are including Indigenous texts in local community education,' Hooley said."
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/decolonize-thanksgiving-dinner-observance-national-213225020.html
#Decolonization #CorporateColonialism #LandTheft #CulturalGenocide #CulturalPreservation