An NPR audio piece says the origin story of America’s Thanksgiving holiday imagines the pilgrims surviving harsh winters because of friendly Native Americans who taught them how to farm.
Since then, Indigenous peoples have had to adapt to the food system Europeans developed here. They often lack access to healthy foods. But there’s a movement to preserve traditional farming practices.
At Coffee Pot Farms on the Navajo Nation, Cherilyn Yazzie starts the day with prayer. Ceremony and seed collecting are part of the seasonal rhythms of the off-grid farm. But Yazzie also uses non-traditional techniques, like hoop houses and a walk-behind tractor. She grows enough produce to feed 30 or 40 families.
