Exchanging seeds in Akwesasne

The smell of spring was in the air last weekend at the fifth annual Akwesasne Seed Exchange, where featured speaker Stephen McComber shared his lessons about planting by the moon at the Akwesasne Seed Hub.

“It was very encouraging to be there. We’re encouraging each other, it’s cultural for me,” said McComber, who is also the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) portfolio chief for sustainable development.

McComber told attendees about the traditional moon calendar, and how it’s represented by the symbolism of the turtle, which has shell plates on its back and sides representing the lunar calendar.

He explained how different crops are planted in different phases corresponding with that calendar. For instance, there’s a time to plant greens like tobacco, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, herbs, and flowers. The upcoming phase will see corns, beans, squash, melons, zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, and more planted.

The full moon phase sees crops planted in the ground, like potatoes, onion bulbs, and garlic.

In the last cycle, though harvesters don’t plant anything, McComber said the garden is worked, with fertilizing, pulling weeds, and preparing beds the priority.

“I got a very big applause at the end, and people came up to me and said it was very informative,” McComber said.

McComber has travelled to Akwesasne’s seed conferences and related events many times, and he said it’s always a valuable visit.

“It keeps our connections between our sister communities, and at these events we always have seeds to trade,” McComber said. “That strengthens the biodiversity of our own Native and Indigenous crops.”

He was given some beans to bring home, and was also gifted corn seeds.

“It’s really nice to become aware of other people’s perspectives, and hear about them learning and sharing their experiences,” McComber said. “It strengthens things that I already know, and it enhances what I can tell to other people.”

The next step for McComber will be preparing for Kahnawake’s own seed conference, which is set to take place sometime in mid-April, with further details to come.

[email protected]