Our Farm
We are growing hope and the next economy. In the future we will grow hemp, we will have a hemp thread mill and one day we will have a fabric mill. We see the path ahead, it is green, and full of life.
CULTIVATION AND PLOWING
I have farmed small plots with my two percheron mares for years, and I plan to expand this work. I want to scale up and join the 400,000 other horse powered farming operations in North America, understanding the sacred relationship between life, power and the future. I would like to live well, I am interested in decoupling food and hemp from fossil fuels, and I am also interested in the quality of life which small scale farming creates. I am interested in growing my horse powered farming operations for Winona's Hemp and Heritage Farm and for our community on the White Earth Reservation.
THE HORSES
Transition from fossil fuels
The transition from horse power to fossil fuels which occurred early in the 20th century had many implications, not only for biodiversity (many horse breeds were almost lost) but also for how we relate to the land and power. Some of the foundational horses from my herd have originated from Nez Perce (Niimiipoo) people of Idaho, and my Draft horses are from the Badlands, consisting of ponies to Percherons. The Draft horses, Rosebud and Aandeg, have been an essential part of the historic maple syruping operations here on the reservation.
I am a woman of many horses.
These sacred beings have accompanied me throughout my life - and in the last five years, have been on the front lines of the protection of our water from the oil pipeline proposals - the Black Snake. You can see the my horses on the front lines of this battle in movie, First Daughter and the Black Snake. My coffee company and publishing house is called Spotted Horse Press and Coffees, and is named after my love for Appaloosa horses.
Our horses will continue to be part of our healing, because we will grow Indigenous Horse Therapy for our next generation. The many challenges faced by our people, including historic trauma and socioeconomic stress, are well suited for horse therapy.
