Little Cherokee Seeds Newsletter
Fall Newsletter 2024

ᎤᎳᎪᎲᏍᏗFall

Little Cherokee Seeds Vision

Our vision is to see thriving Cherokee communities: Cherokees who know and live their language, culture, and values and therefore will be healthy, balanced, and happy people.

Little Cherokee Seeds Goals

1. Create Cherokee speakers from infancy.
2. Revitalize traditional Cherokee cultural practices.

Speaker Quote of The Month

Mother’s Corner

Siyo, aya Wali (Hello, my name is Wali). I am 26 years old. Me and my two babies are hitting our two-year mark at the Little Cherokee Seeds Program. We have learned so much in that amount of time.

My daughter, Wegi, is succeeding in the language in almost every way the speakers have hoped. Her first word was, “Etsi” (mom) and was also the first word spoken by a baby in the program. Since then, her vocabulary has been very impressive. She has spoken over 200 words/phrases in her language and has spoken less than 100 in English, making Cherokee her dominant language. Around 80% of her day she hears the Cherokee language. She is greeting the speakers with a handshake, she’s learning how to introduce herself with her name, age and where she lives. She often has lengthy conversations with speakers daily and can repeat almost any phrase/word thrown her way. We are very proud of Wegi and how natural she’s picking up the language. My son, Ginadida, is 16 months old and is on the same route. He has a small vocabulary of maybe five words, all Cherokee. I’m very proud to say they’re both first language speakers on the path to becoming fluent. We work with them both so hard every day at the program and even outside of it. We are tremendously grateful the program took a chance on us for this opportunity. Wado!!

News and Updates

Doyadilanusdidany adanehlivyga and the Little Cherokee Seeds are loving it. As the seasons change, so does our routine. As the weather is cooling down, we are happy to be outside to forage for mushrooms, collect hickory nuts and make kanvtsi (hickory nut soup).

Our two-year anniversary is fast approaching in November. We look forward to hosting our families, donors, speakers, and all who have supported us. Our goals are being met; we have achieved so much within the last two years. Hearing the toddlers and babies converse with our speakers in the language fills us with so much joy. Our toddlers are able to greet guests and shake their hands while introducing themselves, are identifying different things outdoors in tsalagi, and responding to questions speakers are asking. It is important to us to make the cabin feel like home, a safe place to learn and make mistakes as we go.

-Wali (Merinda Adair)

Story of the Season

Long time ago, even now, Native Americans have always planted pumpkins. Spring time was a busy time of the year with lots of work planting in the garden. Even during the hottest time in the Summer, plenty of pumpkins would grow. When Fall came, it was time to pick the pumpkins! They had plenty to share with others as well as plenty to store away.

-by Naomi Stone

Song of the Season

Anitsalagi unilvquodi unatvhisdodi iya iya
Cherokees like to grow pumpkins

Nigohliv sdayi dunilvwisdaneho danatvhisdisgo iya iya
They always work hard they grow pumpkins

Uligohvsdi yigi iya danasuyesgo
In the fall they choose pumpkins

Nole danigisgo iya iya
And then they eat pumpkins

Utedi utedi iya iya
Delicious pumpkins

-by Kenny Glass

Food of the Season

We strive to use as much pre-colonial Cherokee foods as possible, large amounts of fresh fruits, vegetables and legumes and we limit the 5 white gifts (flour, dairy, sugar, salt, lard) in our menus. We partner with Taelor Barton to create seasonal weekly menus that we use for 4-8 weeks before we switch to the next season.

Menu highlights:

This month we ate a traditional Cherokee meal cooked over the fire that was prepared and cooked by the entire staff with most of our entire day outside! We also use this time to learn from the speakers on how to prepare something traditional, that has been passed on for generations. This meal consists of beans, potatoes, boiled corn bread, cabbage & summer sausage. To top this off, we also serve a traditional Cherokee staple called Kanuchi (Hickory nut soup), something I grew up around but only tried once as a child. Being a part of this program got us foraging the hickory nuts, as well as crushing them into what we need for the soup we make. Now I’ve learned to savor it, & it’s also something that reminds me of my childhood around Cherokee speaking relatives. When the weather is perfect and the foliage is all around, it’s the best time of the year!

We also have ‘Pasta Day’ one day during the week. This season’s menu has a roasted bell pepper sauce pasta served with sauteed zucchini and beans. Each meal is served with a fresh made salad, sometimes including vegetables from our own garden! This meal represents the end of summer and soon we will change our menu to reflect the tastes of Fall. Thank you to our dear friend and talented chef, Taelor Barton for crafting our delicious menus and teaching us how to cook them! I’ve always admired the Culinary world and having Taelor provide guidance and comfort with learning the new menus, we all have more confidence in ourselves when it comes to cooking and eating these more traditional meals.

-Gedi (Tesla Hodges)

Recipe of the Season

Red Bell Pepper Pasta with Sautéed Zucchini and Cannellini Beans
Recipe by Taelor Barton @madskillsbarton

Ingredients:

• 1.5 (16 oz) Packages Penne, Cooked According to Package Directions and Drained

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 (16 oz) Roasted Red Bell Pepper Jars
• 1 Cup Cashews, Soaked in Warm Water for 30 min
• 1 White Onion, Chopped
• 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
• 2 Cups Almond Milk, Unsweetened
• 1.5 Tbsp Salt

Sautéed Zucchini Ingredients:

• 6 Zucchini, cut into half moons, ¼” thick
• 1 White Onion, Sliced
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Cans Cannellini Beans
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Pepper

Cooking Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to its package directions, drain, drizzle a little olive oil on the pasta, toss, and set aside.
2. Open jarred red bell peppers, drain liquid and place in a blender.
3. Drain cashews and add to the blender.
4. In a saute pan, heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Move onion and garlic to blender with red bell peppers. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Add sauce back to pan and combine with pasta, and heat through. Simmer pasta in sauce for 5 min on low.
5. In another large saute pan, saute zucchini and onions in olive oil until soft, about 10 minutes. Add drained cannellini beans to pan, stir, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve and enjoy!

LCS Accomplishments

Dream Keepers Award

Little Cherokee Seeds teacher Kathy Sierra was honored on October 14, 2024, with the Perry Aunko Language – Dream Keepers Award from the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission during Tulsa Native American Day. This award recognizes her dedication to preserving and teaching the Cherokee language and culture. Kathy’s work inspires students and the community alike, ensuring that Cherokee heritage continues to thrive for future generations. Congratulations, Kathy, on this well-deserved recognition!

Songwriters Work with Translators

LCS teacher Kathy Sierra was interviewed for her work translating English songs into the Cherokee language for Anvdvnelisgi, a 2022 album featuring over a dozen contemporary songs sung in Cherokee by Oklahoma musicians. Agalisiga shared that singing in Cherokee brings the language to life, creating vivid mental images and a sense of “seeing in color” compared to English. Kalyn Fay, a singer-songwriter on the album, explained that translating into Cherokee deepens one’s connection to culture, even as pronunciation varies with phonetic writing. Listen to interview.

Songwriters Work with Translators

LCS teacher Kathy Sierra was interviewed for her work translating English songs into the Cherokee language for Anvdvnelisgi, a 2022 album featuring over a dozen contemporary songs sung in Cherokee by Oklahoma musicians. Agalisiga shared that singing in Cherokee brings the language to life, creating vivid mental images and a sense of “seeing in color” compared to English. Kalyn Fay, a singer-songwriter on the album, explained that translating into Cherokee deepens one’s connection to culture, even as pronunciation varies with phonetic writing. Listen to interview.

Philanthropy Southwest Conference

Program Director, Melissa Lewis, was invited to speak at the Philanthropy Southwest conference in Santa Fe, NM on October 16, 2024 to share our story. US Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, first spoke about her projects including the Boarding School Initiative in which they found that the US had spent $23.3 billion dollars on boarding schools and other initiatives to eradicate Indigenous language and culture.

Pictured: Alvin Warren, Secretary Deb Haaland, Honorable Regis Pecos, Dr. Melissa Lewis, Fernando Clara

Cultivating Cherokee Connections

On October 21, 2024, Little Cherokee Seeds participated in the Great Oklahoma Lunch Crunch (See our Facebook reel here). The goal of the Lunch Crunch is to support our local farmers and economies while teaching our youth about the importance of agriculture and how to make healthier food choices. We choose to support Samantha Christie at Mizzfit Produce, who is a Cherokee woman who owns her own farm and business. She grows Georgia Candy Roaster squash, cans them, and makes delicious muffins she calls, “Squffins.” You can find Mizzfit at the Tahlequah Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning. Wado Samantha! For more resources from the Oklahoma Farm to School program check out the Tasteful Harvest Resources here.

In Our Garden

We have finished our heirloom Cherokee corn harvest for the year but are still harvesting other heirlooms: Georgia Candy Roaster Squash and Cushaw squash. The children help bring in about 20 tomatoes every day. We just got a new fence installed (Wado Kirk Lawn Care!) and are working with the Tribal Alliance for Pollinators to start a paw paw orchard and new educational butterfly gardens.

[Photo Credit: Melissa Lewis & Phyllis Sixkiller]

Upcoming Events

• October 22-December: Cherokee language classes with Phyllis Sixkiller, Tuesdays at 6pm at Marble City community Building
• November 2: Second anniversary celebration at Camp Sevenstar
• December 3: Giving Tuesday campaign for Little Cherokee Seeds (#GiveNative)

Little Cherokee Seeds Store

We have recently opened up a store at the American Indian Resource Center, Downtown Tahlequah location. All items are handmade by Little Cherokee Seeds moms, teachers, and babies and purchases go to supporting our program. Open Monday through Friday 9AM-5PM.

How You Can Support Little Cherokee Seeds

Your generosity can make a lasting impact! Every contribution helps sustain our current language program, grow new programs, and reach more learners. By donating to Little Cherokee Seeds, you directly support our efforts to keep the Cherokee language alive for future generations.

Visit our Donate Page to give or use one of the other methods below: