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Indigenous Permaculture on the Menominee Indian Reservation

Permaculture can be defined simply as the way in which we, humans, interact with our environment in a sustainable way. Indigenous Permaculture is a group of community members and high school students working together to regain our traditional ways and introduce new ways of sustainable living to our community. The group is working to assess and access the skills, resources, knowledge, and wisdom contained within our greater community.

The students at Menominee Indian High School have helped to create a vermicomposting (worm) bin in the High School Library. They have learned what to feed the worms and how to take care of the bin. Shredded paper from the High School office is reused as bedding. School breakfast and lunch scraps that would have otherwise gone to the landfill are used to feed the worms, which will in turn create rich castings to feed the garden vegetables, which will feed the students, thus completing the circle of life that is prominent in Indigenous teachings. The students will also have access to bait for fishing this summer!

With help from the Sustainable Development Institute at the College of Menominee Nation, students, teachers, and community members will learn how to measure the waste created by the High School and brainstorm ideas on how to reduce this waste. Identification and uses of Indigenous plants for medicine and food are introduced at each of the meetings in both Menominee and English. Indigenous Permaculture will be working with local orchardists, bee keepers, sustainable cattle ranchers, and gardeners. They are also helping to create a Permaculture demonstration site at the Mawaw Ceseniyah Language and Culture Center (W2266 CTH VV Keshena, WI). Traditional mound gardening will be created using the process of sheet mulching. Rainwater will be harvested from the culture building on site. A greenhouse/poly-tent will be erected using the same frame style as a wigwam structure. A hot composting cooperative will be formed to travel to community members’ home gardens to create rich fertile soil for their gardens in only a few weeks.

Indigneous Permaculture meets every Wednesday at 4:30pm at Mawaw Ceseniyah Language and Culture Center. See the website www.indigenouspermaculture.org for a calendar of events or change of venue. Community is always welcome and encouraged to attend.