Community Medicine Wheel
To establish an experiential opportunity to connect with the land as our teacher and partner.
Collaborators
Wo'Takuye Oyate Kinship Nation Inter-Tribal network: Kola, Maske, Wawokiya, and youth leadership circles
City Aberdeen Forestry, CHS Environmental club, Dacotah Prairie Museum
Objectives:
To motivate greater environmental stewardship by educating the community about Indigenous plants and the value of good relations with our environment.
To create an "outdoor classroom" for the facilitation of eco-knowledge. We will provide instruction in traditional tribal uses of plants, along with traditional growing practices.
To provide resources for spirtual practices to the Inter-Tribal community.
Year 1:
Flowers & Herbs (Wish List)
Echinacea
Osha Root
Prairie Smoke
Ten Petal Blazing Star Wild Licorice
Scarlet Gaura
Small Red Stem
Field Mint
Wild Rose
Planting Directions:
Sweet grass – 1.5 feet apart; best if using starters (with intact rhizomes); planting in fall.
White & Blue sage – 18 in. apart
Timeline:
June-July
Map dimensions
Create plant list
Plon fundraising strategy
August-September
Steak out the space
Cut sod
Build primary structure
September-October
Fall planting prairie seeds-2 year cycle. Will not germinate until the second year.
Plant cover crop
Plant sweetgrass
September-October
Plan fundraising strategy
Source plants
Maintenance Schedule:
Hand weeding is key in the first year. Areas that are
narticularly susceptible to weeds should be mapped and alternative plants may need to be found.
Weed Suppression:
Purple or white clover
Hand pulling.