Telling a story is like planting corn.  Both provide a glimpse of where we came from, where we're currently at, and where we're trying to go.  Like telling a story, there are endless ways to plant corn.  Some farmers use 40+ row planters and some use digging sticks.  Some use recently engineered seed while some use seeds that have been in their families for countless generations.  Regardless of approach, all farmers strive towards a harvest that will provide nourishment for their community- whether it is economic, physical, cultural, or spiritual.

Similarly, the stories and visions in a community can be as varied as the corn varieties we plant.  From blank walls to blogs to vacant city lots communities are using their voices to reveal stories of the past while creating a vision for the future.   The common thread of these Horagewi, or Stories we tell together, is that they all seek to restore ecological, cultural, and social balance with each other and the environment.  While this means something different to every community, each approach is essential to regaining the collective health of our local, regional, and global communities.  The horagewi on this site share a few of these stories.


BIO
Brett Ramey (Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska) is a land-based educator and program designer working at intersections of ecological, cultural, and community health. His work has included designing and instructing courses on food sovereignty, collaborative garden design and Indigenous science at Tribal Universities and Native youth summer programs, facilitating healing retreats for cancer survivors and elevating equity and inclusion discourse within local, regional and National environmental organizations. 

Prior to moving to Dakota homelands in Minneapolis in January 2020, Brett served as Director for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the University of Washington, a national undergraduate student program that infuses conservation practice with Indigenous knowledges and perspectives of land and environmental justice. Brett currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Castanea Fellowship- a national program for established food movement leaders, and is leading a collaborative funding process through the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation intended to direct resources and attention to BIPOC-led initiatives. Brett is a Climate Resilience Planner for the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska.