Seeds of heritage

Cherokee Nation’s mission to preserve cultural crops

The passionflower vine twists skyward, its alien-like purple blooms unfurling like cosmic dancers against the Oklahoma sky. Nearby, a battalion of purple coneflowers stands sentinel, their spiny orange centers surrounded by lavender petals drooping toward the earth. A rattlesnake master rises, its spherical white blooms perched atop sturdy stalks that swayed across vast prairies before European boots ever touched this soil.

These flowers are more than beautiful. For the Cherokee people, they carry stories—of seasons, medicines, ceremonies, and connection to the land.

Today, those stories are returning to Cherokee hands through an initiative that goes far beyond gardening.

Each spring, as the land thaws from winter’s hold, the Cherokee Nation — covering 9,000 square miles in northeastern Oklahoma — launches its heirloom seed program. Through this effort, tribal citizens can apply to receive seeds passed down through generations, preserving both biodiversity and culture.

“This isn’t just about pretty flowers or growing food,” says Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “Our heirloom seed program is more than just agriculture. It’s about preserving our Cherokee heritage and connecting our people to the land our ancestors cultivated.”

Last year, the Nation distributed more than 9,600 seed packages. Due to growing interest, this year’s program used a random selection process to ensure all Cherokee citizens—no matter where they live—had an equal opportunity to participate.

“Each seed in our Seed Bank carries centuries of Cherokee agricultural wisdom,” says Christina Justice, Cherokee Nation secretary of natural resources. “This program allows our citizens to participate in a living tradition, cultivating crops that have sustained our people for generations and maintaining the genetic diversity that is so crucial to our cultural resilience.”

The 2025 seed offerings include staples of Cherokee agriculture — corn, beans, gourds and squash — known collectively as the “Three Sisters.” Also available are culturally significant plants like Hearts-a-Burstin, Jewelweed, New Jersey Tea, pumpkin, Trail of Tears beads and tobacco.

“By providing our citizens access to these rare and traditional seeds, we’re not just growing plants,” says Deputy Chief Bryan Warner. “We’re nurturing our cultural identity and supporting our community’s connection to Cherokee agricultural practices.”

Unlike commercial seeds bred for uniformity, heirloom seeds adapt over time to their environments. These varieties are closely tied to Cherokee homelands and agricultural methods, existing primarily within indigenous seed-saving networks that value them for far more than market appeal.

Across North America, Native communities are reclaiming their agricultural heritage through similar efforts. From the Pawnee corn keepers of Nebraska to the wild rice harvesters of the Great Lakes, indigenous-led programs are exchanging seeds, sharing knowledge, and restoring foodways disrupted by colonization. These projects are about more than sovereignty — they are a declaration that the crops cultivated over millennia remain under indigenous care.

To meet rising demand, the Cherokee Nation has expanded the program through its new “Harvesting Our Heritage” initiative, which partners with community and cultural organizations to distribute seeds. A new heirloom garden at the Male Seminary Recreation Center in Tahlequah, served by Lake Region Electric Cooperative, will also double the space dedicated to growing these heritage plants.

Each seed packet comes with detailed planting guides—not just instructions for gardening, but for safeguarding genetic integrity. Participants are asked to follow them carefully to ensure these traditional varieties remain unchanged for future generations.

As Cherokee citizens press seeds into the same soil their ancestors once cultivated, they’re not just growing plants. They’re renewing a relationship with the land and keeping cultural memory alive. For Cherokee people across the world, these seeds carry more than potential harvests. They carry legacy.

Cherokee Nation citizens can apply through the Gadugi Portal at gadugiportal.cherokee.org. For questions, email seedbank@cherokee.org or call 918-453-5336.