Standing on the edge of a dry riverbank with two Indigenous female farmers,

We looked deeply into the water and spied a tiny snake having a swim and a sun.

I had walked with Quimimila and Rebecca through the back part of the Indigenous farm hub’s property… hearing stories about Quimimila’s experience with Standing Rock protests, Rebecca’s journey into herbalism, and the always, deep need for water.

Just before we hit the river(which supplies the farm with water for produce, which feeds a few hundred folks through CSA boxes) we had stopped short.

Mid-sentence, I heard Rebecca exclaim, “look, thistles!”

She and Quimimila had been telling about herbs that heal, and how the earth around us has everything that we could need, if we have the eyes to see.

Water, and water rights, are crucial keys to these needs.
Indigenous people have struggled with water rights for a long time,

Dampening health, access to clean food, and access to non-radiated water.

Thistles only grow when there is just enough water… which is New Mexico, is a miracle.

Rebecca began to tear up on sight, then shout with joy…

Quimimila smiled with tenderness.
“Thistles are great for cancer” she said.

They showed me how the sluice system works in the river.
Traditional farming methods involve flooding the fields, but they are using drip tape (a tape laid along the roots of plants) for most of their needs to conserve water.

There is a method that doesn’t exclude modern farming tools

Or exclude traditional indigenous practices

But that rather, welcomes the best of both worlds.

On our long walk back from the sluice, Quimimila shared that she struggles with weeding… because she has knowledge of herbs and “weeds” which grow around plants.

She had recently made a “weed” juice 

From plants they pulled away from the vegetables

that had a lot of vitamins and minerals

for the farmers who work at Indigenous Farm hub.
“Tasty, too” she said.

Rebecca smiled.

“Reciprocity is my favorite thing” she said.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Honestly… I’ve been learning. It’s a mutuality that we share with the land, and with each other, and with the plants. Even with the water. It’s a value that if you give to me, I will give to you.”

Quimimila nodded. “All the “weeds” are actually in harmony and in sync with the others… and they have things we need… so that’s why I don’t love “weeding.”

I’ve been thinking about this for literally three months.

Living in sync and symbiosis with the world, and the people around us, 

Is a special kind of stewardship.

If you give to me, I will give to you.
In lieu of only taking,

Or only giving

(I daresay most of us live in one extreme or the other)
We recognize the relationship that we have with the people around us.

And… we recognize our own impact.

Reciprocity is one thing

That I have been deeply learning from.

Having the opportunity to hear stories about the folks at Standing Rock

From an eyewitness was a gift.

Hearing about water flow, water rights, and the value of symbiotic relationship was… incredible impact.

Now, I invite you to join in.

In the spirit of reciprocity,
I invite you to take a look at the people who have truly given me so much

The Indigenous Farm Hub

In Albuquerque, New Mexico.

They provide hundreds of pounds of produce to folks all around Albuquerque, and they employ and train farmers to learn about farming traditionally and with technique.

They’re pretty amazing and you should visit them :)

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