Rematriating seeds in the face of change

Aaron Lowden holds seeds as part of his work with the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network Program Coordinator. (Photo by NMPBS)

Generations of farmers at the Pueblo of Acoma have relied upon Kaweshtima — also known as Mount Taylor — for many types of sustenance.

And for signs.

In the past, for example, when the last of the mountain’s snows finally melted away in May, farmers knew it was safe to begin planting their fields below.

In today’s warmer world, snowpack has changed, and so has the timing of runoff. And the mountain signals many other changes: A bare peak in winter means reduced spring runoff for irrigation. It also means deer and elk will roam down from the dry forest, seeking food from the peoples’ fields.

“We’re seeing just all these really big telltale signs … even down to the rains, the inconsistency of the rains,” says Aaron Lowden, Pueblo of Acoma farmer and Indigenous Seed Keepers Network Program Coordinator. “Last year is the first year where there was no monsoon and that was frightening.”

Lowden continues: “I could feel it, feel it in myself. They always say that when there’s no rain, the land and animals get sick, and I could feel it in my bones, like this almost sadness in the air, sadness in the land and the animals.”

In these times of climate chaos, Lowden draws on knowledge of the past. And along with others, he’s also working to rematriate seeds that were taken from Acoma; rematriation brings seeds home to their original soils, waters, and caretakers.

As part of an NMPBS special, “Loving Our Changing Homelands,” Lowden also talks about caring for rain and learning from the past to protect the future.