Cherokee Nation Gives Members Free Seeds For Native Crops

The Cherokee Nation is giving away seeds to its citizens to help them grow native Cherokee plants.

Feather Smith, an Ethnobiologist with the Cherokee Nation, said these seeds are an important part of Cherokee culture.

"Many of our stories, many of our myths, actually talk about when we came over on the Trail of Tears that we carried these seeds with us. And we do know for a fact, at least with a couple of our crops, the Cherokee White Eagle Corns, some of the beans, that they were carried across,” Smith said.

Smith sais her Cherokee ancestors did everything they could to keep the native traditions alive.

"Our stories say that we would sew them into the clothing to ensure that they weren't lost as we were coming across the trail, so it was such an important thing to preserve the knowledge and preserve these crops as well," said Smith.

Each year, Cherokee biologists take the best seeds and store them away to preserve their genetics.

Then, the rest of the seeds are given to citizens for free.

Smith said this is another way to make sure Cherokee members stay connected to their history.

"We often times say that the plants, the environment around us, was so integral to our being that that knowledge being lost would almost kind of cause us to lose a big portion of the culture," said Smith.

She believes her ancestors would be happy to see Cherokee citizens still growing the same crops.

"So it was just such an important part of being a Cherokee that I think they would be really proud to see that the endeavor is still being continued and that there's such an effort to see that it's going to be preserved and continue on for the future," said Smith.

Cherokee citizens can apply for seeds through the Gadugi Portal starting February 24.