AcknowledgementsAho, Mitakuye Oyasin: Charlotte Clausing (NWIC), Rebecca Saxton (NWIC), Suzanne Jordan (Cedar Mountain Herb School), La Belle Urbanec (NWIC Cooperative Extension/ ecoAmbassador), Dr. Marco Hatch (Director of the National Indian Center for Marine Environmental Research and Education [NICMERE] and David Given-Seymour); James R. Freed (Washington State University Extension); Ane Berrett and Nicole Jefferson (NWIC Indigenous Service Learning & AmeriCorps Vista); the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA); and Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy (Director of NIFA).

IntroductionNWIC received a two–year grant (2013-2015) from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support a project entitled “Telling the Story of the Land: Revitalizing Traditional Plant Knowledge and Harvest with a View Towards Sustainability.” The NWIC 2014 Summer Science Internship Program NIFA project team included NWIC students: Paul Cline (Lummi/Nooksack), Na’ta’ne Miles (Pima-Maricopa/Salinan/Oglala Sioux) and Renae Stanley (Lummi).This project sought to answer the question: is it possible to revitalize traditional plant knowledge and harvest practices related to lowland forest ecosystems which focuses on promoting sustainability? Our approach incorporated the applicability and examination of forest gardening and land management systems to replicate woodland ecosystems, with an emphasis on practical aspects capable of integrating culturally relevant educational exploration and traditional plant cultivation management methods towards food production at a Tribal college.My individual interest in the project began with my previous ecoAmbassador internship where I worked in the NWIC campus gardens with a particular concern for what we referred a small grove of cedars to as, the “Salish Garden,” a disturbed area which was remnant of a much larger forest that existed before the campus expansion took place. Over the academic year I noticed an increase in invasive non-native species with a concentration of undesirables such as thistles and Himalayan blackberries. I wanted to look into the idea of incorporating methods which would subdue the invasive species and allow for more productive species which could be utilized for food and were indicative of cultural relevancy.This summer I developed an interest in Hügelkultur, a relatively new concept in the United States (an old practice in Germany), when I began my apprenticeship with Suzanne Jordan of the Cedar Mountain Herb School in July. Suzanne makes Hügelkultur work for her small farm in Mt. Vernon where she teaches wild-crafting and herbal medicine. I immediately began thinking if these gardening methods could work for her one-acre homestead, where the soil is very hilly, hard and rocky, it could work for our campus. The sustainability behind Hügelkultur immediately intrigued me. During my research and literature review process, for this project, I began developing on the idea of how Hügelkultur works and how can a Tribal College indigenize methods into a forest garden setting.

AbstractIn my internship project I examined aspects of forest ecology in the Pacific Northwest , indigenous knowledge of traditional ecological systems and Hügelkultur (a German gardening technique which translates to mound cultivation). My approach focuses on a disturbed area which was remnant of a much larger forest before the campus expansion took place at Northwest Indian College (NWIC). I’m looking at a novel approach between synergistic practices and theories within the broader context of forest gardening. My research integrates indigenous perceptions with an emphasis on sustainability, food sovereignty and the potential application of a forest garden on Northwest Indian College’s tribal landscape.

Methods•Literature review process included research on Pacific lowland forests and ecosystems (Kruckeberg, 1999), Forest Gardening (Crawford, 2010), reviewing Traditional Ecological Knowledge (Turner & Berkes, 2006; Berkes, 1999) as well as applied ecological farming methods in permaculture (e.g., Hügelkultur), Holzer Permaculture (Holzer, 2004). •Archival studies and retrieval of photographs from Whatcom Museum Archives Department. •Botanical survey of the Kwina Woods and Cedar Grove on NWIC Lummi campus included identification of vascular plant specimens from indicated sites by using field guilds and databases (Pojar & MacKinnon, 1994; UW Herbarium database Burke Museum, 2014; Native American Ethnobotanical database—University of Michigan, 2014). • Experiential learning around Hügelkultur took the form of practicing the creation of Hügelkultur guilds while attending Cedar Mountain Herb School.

ReferencesAnderson, M. K. (2005). Lessons in Native American plant gatheringBeba, H., & Andra, H. (1979). Mound cultivation: The gardening method of the future. Mannheim,

West Germany: Waerland verlagsgenossenschaft eG. Crawford, M. (2010). Creating a forest garden: Working with nature to grow edible crops. Foxhole

Dartington, UK. Green Books.Holzer, S. (2004). Sepp Holzer the rebel farmer. Leopold Stocker Verlag. Graz, Austria. Turner, N. J., & Burkes, F. (2006). Coming to understanding: Developing conservation through

incremental learning in the Pacific Northwest. Hum Ecology, (34), pp. 496-513. Photo Credits: Beaconhill Food Forest original artwork images retrieved from beaconfoodforest.orgBuilding a Hugelkulture bed in Garden Permaculture retrieved from http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.com/2011/11/building-a-hugelkultur-bed.html. Ridley, D. Hugelkulture series retrieved from http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/group/nscottsdalecavecreekcarefreepermies/forum/topics/

hugelkultur.

DiscussionIn acknowledgement and honor of indigenous practices, I proposed theories which adhere to sustainable concepts in a contem-porary capacity with a view towards practical application to a Tribal College institution. Traditional ecological knowledge is defined as “a cumulative body of knowledge, practice and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmission” (Berkes, 1999 in Turner & Berkes, 2004 p.497) by evolving and adapting our ecological values, we have the potential to manage our tribal college lands and strengthen community ties.Within the capacity of this project there are many possibilities to explore. Within the scope of ecological factors concerning community issues, cultural sovereignty and management of resources is growing more relevant among tribal communities. I believe my research is conducive to our institutional core values, integrating sense of place and what it means to be a people, not just to Lummi Nation but to empower the multitude of indigenous students attending NWIC. I feel these values are vital components in cultural sovereignty issues surrounding native lands. Lummi community has expressed concerns surrounding food sovereignty matters which is becoming a growing concern among many tribal communities. I believe the methods and models we continue to develop within this project could be developed into instructional material conducive to the community development of other tribal communities and colleges.

ConclusionThis summer internship created a starting point to begin the conceptualization and designing process for implementation of an anticipated forest garden project in 2015. With collaboration among the Indigenous Service Learning Department at NWIC, AmeriCorps Vista, Tribal ecoAmbassadors program from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Native Environmental Science Department (NWIC), plans to build favorable partnerships and support networks at NWIC have begun. Our tribal college gained support and formed alliances with other tribal communities and colleges while visitors were here for the annual Vine Delorium Symposium NWIC hosts in July. I strongly feel the methods I’ve explored will produce more food to the surveyed cedar grove, the location I am proposing for a forest garden. I am hopeful and encouraged by the combined efforts to conserve and revitalize the biodiversity in Lummi lands creates the means to strengthen cultural ties across communities in sustainable ways. I am excited to see where this project goes next.

Structure System of 7 layers (stories of vegetation)

•Canopy - consisting of mature native trees (cedar, maple, cottonwood, cascara, Douglas fir). •Understory - consisting of smaller fruit and nut trees (hazelnut, mock orange, maidenhair).•Shrub - consisting of fruit shrubs like berries and currants.•Herbaceous - consists of perennial vegetables and herbs (comfrey, yarrow).•Rhizosphere - underground layers of plants grown for roots, bulbs and tubers which ideally are also edible (fungi, ferns).•Ground - cover layer consists of edibles that spread horizontally or across forest floor.•Vertical - consists of climbers and vines (honeysuckle).

Results: Eco-Factors of Forest Gardening

Indigenizing Forest Gardening Methods: How are all these concepts connected and how can we apply contemporary methods which will work for us in an indigenous setting?

•By utilizing what is already available in our environment we can create more sustainability. Recycling fallen trees from Kwina woods is not only a free source, it contributes to the soil structure of the cedar grove and the revitalization of the native plants growth. •Grass clippings are readily available on NWIC campus. •Hügelkultur guilds are easy to assemble and they create the possibility to grow food anywhere at the college. •Polyculture planting is an indigenous practice which mimics natural forest ecology and encourages multi-structures of companion plant growth.

Na’ta’ne Morning-Song Miles Na’ta’ne Morning-Song Miles Northwest Indian College, Native Environmental Science ProgramNorthwest Indian College, Native Environmental Science Program

Lummi Nation, Washington—Brian D. Compton, Ph.D., Faculty AdvisorLummi Nation, Washington—Brian D. Compton, Ph.D., Faculty Advisor

Fig 1: Forrest garden ecology cycles

Fig 2: Hügelkultur successional layer system (Holzer, 2010).Fig 5: Personal photos taken at Western Washington University’s Outback – Students developed a food forest 10 years ago, this is the state of it now (2014).

Fig 3: (Top)) Hügelkultur process of layers in the construction of a guild (Ridley, 2014).Fig.4: Personal photo taken at Cedar Mountain Herb School (Mt Vernon, 2014).

Common Ground: HügelkulturIn theory, I believe the layers, which comprise

guild mounds, mimic the ecology of nurse-tree logs and fallen tree mounds.

•Base – Twigs of all kinds, from fruit trees and shrubs to fallen down logs from mature trees are mounded shallowly to create a base (Beba & Andra, 1979). Fallen tree mounds soak up moisture which creates a perfect environment for new trees, epiphytes and wind blown seeds to germinate. Since Hugelkulture is a relatively new concept of permaculture, this is a possible topic to test in the future of this project. •Middle Layers – Smaller woody plant material, soil, moist leaves, soil, well rotten wood, peat moss or course compost.•Top Layer – Fine compost, well sifted and mixed with grass clippings or additional peat moss.