Center for Great Plains Studies, Otoe-Missouria to create Indigenous garden

A clearing with trees behind it on a partly cloudy day.

Courtesy | Christina Goodson

An Indigenous garden is planned for the Prairie Pines Nature Preserve in Lincoln. The planned site is just north of the main driveway and visitors building.

The Center for Great Plains Studies and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma are building an Indigenous garden. The project is part of Walking in the Footsteps of Our Ancestors, a joint initiative that aims to promote healing and reconciliation in southeast Nebraska by reconnecting the Otoe-Missouria to their homelands and educating non-Native people about the history and ongoing presence of the tribe and other Indigenous peoples in the region.

The project will involve growing traditional crops, as well as ceremonial and medicinal plants, in a one-eighth-acre garden for the next two years in partnership with Community Crops at Prairie Pines Nature Preserve in Lincoln. Community Crops is a nonprofit organization that empowers people to grow food through education, experiences and resources. The Wachiska Audubon Society has recently taken over management of Prairie Pines.

Community volunteers Tom Lynch, professor emeritus of English, and Meryl Sahouet, graduate research assistant at the Center for Great Plains Studies, will lead the project on the Lincoln side, while Otoe-Missouria tribal members Veronica Pipestem, consultant; Christina Goodson, project co-director; and Cory DeRoin, project team leader, will provide guidance.

A land blessing and planting is 11:30 a.m. April 26 during Bi Mą K’anye (month they dig the earth). The public is invited to participate in a potluck to celebrate the garden, connect with one another and learn more about the Otoe-Missouria (Jiwere-Nut'achi) people. Those who would like to attend should register here and bring a side dish to share; plate and utensils; and folding chair, though some picnic tables will be available.

Smoking is not allowed on the planting grounds. Attendees should wear closed-toe shoes.

Volunteers are needed to help with all aspects of the garden. Those interested should contact Tom Lynch at tplynch2@gmail.com.

Prairie Pines Nature Preserve is at 3000-4498 N. 112th St. in Lincoln. The project is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities.