Farming was part of the picture
The common image of Apache life as purely mobile hunting and gathering is incomplete. Historical and archaeological sources describe farming among several Apache groups. Some Western Apache bands planted fields along streams and in mountain valleys, and sources mention corn, beans and squash, with small irrigation ditches in some places. The Jicarilla and the Lipan are also described in the literature as practicing some cultivation, and the extent differed between groups and over time. Farming was usually combined with gathering and hunting rather than replacing them.
This history is the background to modern interest in gardens. For many communities, growing food today is not a new idea but a return to, or continuation of, older practices. Broader discussions of Apache farming and, for the Western Apache, Western Apache irrigation, give more of that history.
Why seeds matter
Seeds carry more than genetic material. In many Native communities they are described as part of a family or community’s inheritance, passed from one generation to the next along with the knowledge needed to grow them. Older varieties of Southwestern crops were often selected over a long time for heat, dryness and short growing seasons, which is one reason people take an interest in them.
Interruption of that chain is a central worry. Forced removals, reservation confinement, the replacement of farm and ranch economies by wage work, boarding schools that separated children from their families, and ordinary generational change all disrupted farming knowledge in many communities. Some varieties are reported to have been lost, and others are held by only a few families.
What “seed revival” can mean
The phrase covers several activities that readers may find described in news stories and in the nations’ own materials.
- Community and school gardens. Plots where adults and children grow food, sometimes with elders teaching.
- Seed saving and sharing. Keeping seed from one season to plant the next, often within families or within the community.
- Seed libraries or banks. Collections maintained so that varieties are not lost, usually with rules about who can use them.
- Reintroducing traditional crops. Growing varieties that were once common locally but had become rare.
- Linking gardens to food and health programs. Some communities connect growing food to broader interests in nutrition and diet.
Not every Apache community has the same programs, and not all are open to the public. The programs, leaders and projects mentioned in outside media can be out of date, so this article names none.
Gathered foods and garden foods together
Gardens do not replace wild foods; in many families both matter. Interest in traditional crops often goes along with interest in gathering and preparing wild foods, as described in articles on acorns, mescal and other plants. The pressures on wild plants from drought and land change can add to the importance of gardens as a food source that families can tend closer to home, but gardens are also vulnerable to water shortages and heat.
Questions of ownership
Seeds and traditional crop knowledge raise questions that communities, not outsiders, answer. Some nations treat particular seeds as cultural property and limit sharing. Others work with outside institutions under agreements they define. Outside researchers and seed companies have in the past collected plant material and knowledge without clear permission or benefit to communities, which is one reason caution is common today. The broader discussion of protecting plant knowledge applies here too.
For a reader, this means a few practical things.
- Do not assume that seeds described as traditional are freely available or that sellers using Apache names have any connection to the nations.
- If a program invites the public, follow its rules and ask before photographing people, plots or seed.
- Be skeptical of products and websites that claim to sell “authentic” Apache seeds or recipes without identifying a source in the nation concerned.
Learning more
The best sources are those published or approved by the nations themselves. Many Apache nations have departments or offices covering agriculture, natural resources, cultural preservation, education and health, and some publish information about food-related programs. Tribal colleges and cooperative extension offices that work with tribal governments may also offer classes, though availability changes.
It is also useful to read widely about the Southwest’s traditional farming, noting that many Pueblo and O’odham communities have well-known farming traditions that differ from Apache ones. Treat any account that blends them with caution, and remember that “Apache” covers several different nations with different histories. For current information, consult the official website of the specific nation.