Seeds have come to mean a great deal to me. They are a part of our history, of our evolution and millions of years of transformation. They have grown, adapted and survived right alongside us humans. We have sown them, nurtured them as they grow and collected their seed for as long as we can remember.
Within each seed lies a story that has spanned over eras. In this case a heartbreaking story of tragedy, struggle, resilience and survival.
I feel that knowing the history and story of seeds allows us to connect with our food, appreciate how it has evolved alongside us, and be in awe of the power it has to truly be our medicine - the things that buying dead, already harvested fruits and vegetables from the supermarket has taken away from us.
After starting to delve into the history of the strong and prolific Cherokee Trail of Tears Beans seeds, I feel compelled to pass on their story and the history of it's peoples. I can't begin to provide the perspective of, nor do I speak with any of the authority of the Cherokee people, however, being Minang-Nyungar means I come from a place of understanding and empathy as we share a similar history.
The name for these strong, prolific beans comes from being carried along the 'Trail of Tears' route by the Cherokee people.
A trail that left many suffering and cost thousands their lives.
After the invasion of what is now called the Americas by Europeans, it was expected that land would be 'made available' for settlement. I also assume that resources, like gold may have been on these lands. This, of course, required the theft of said land and the forced removal of Indigenous peoples. Removals that like in 'Australia', were never accepted by tribal leaders, elders or a majority of Native peoples.
The 'Indian Removal Act of 1838' was bought in and over 100,000 square kilometres of land was taken.
Close to 17,000 Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw and Choctaw peoples were marched on foot from the SE to the West alongside African people who were forced into slavery, by thousands of armed military over 1000's of kilometres, during a harsher than normal Winter. They were prohibited from entering into any towns, the to be frank, pathetic excuse being made: that they might spread disease. As if the journey was not arduous enough, this meant going the long way around in order to avoid the towns on their own, and neighbouring tribe's lands.
For the Cherokee people, when they came to the Ohio river, they were charged the equivalent of $23.53 to be ferried across when the rate was normally the equivalent to $2.82. A massive increase in price. They were not allowed to be ferried across until the ferryman had serviced "all others" - meaning those who weren't Native, who wished to cross and therefore the Cherokee people were forced to take shelter under Mantle Rock until the ferry owner "had nothing better to do". Sadly, many Cherokee people passed away huddled together in each others arms at Mantle Rock waiting to cross.
Of the 16,453 Native peoples who were forced into this heartbreaking journey, somewhere between 2000 - 8000 people died from exposure disease and starvation - disgustingly but not surprisingly it seems that no-one bothered to keep proper records and the official number has been estimated at 4000.
In the pockets of the Cherokee people were these small, shiny black seeds, which would not only serve as a food source to those who arrived in the West, but also as a representation of their hope, strength and the land they had called home for thousands of years. These seeds survived, alongside the people, despite coloniser's best efforts.
I am in the process of growing these beans, (see below) carefully propagating them to make sure that I not only keep them in circulation but also to keep this story alive, passing the seeds and their story onto my children. I have transplanted them into the garden and they are ready to grow!
To keep up with this progress, be sure to visit my Facebook and Instagram pages.
