While Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the harvest, and to come together with loved ones, it is also a time to reflect on the origins of the holiday and make sure the First People of this Land are recognized.
An excerpt from our educational book Ready, Set, Grow, written and developed by Brittany and Flannery Denny:
"As we invite you to think about the farm as a place of learning, we would like to acknowledge that Saratoga Springs, including the rich lands of the Community Farm, is part of a wide area whose lands and waters were cared for by the Algonkian people, known as the Mohican for over ten thousand years. About 1,500 years ago, a group of Iroquoian-speaking people, the Kanien-keha-ka (Mohawk) migrated to the area. Both nations regarded the area surrounding Saratoga Springs as sacred. Because of the the mineral springs with healing waters, it was considered and area of peace to be shared by all.
The Mohican, who became known as the Stockbridge Munsee, were forced to remove first to Massachusetts, then to the area of Oneida, New York and eventually to Wisconsin, where the Stockbridge Munsee Reservations still exists. Their name of Mohican relates to Muh-he-kun-i-tuk (the Hudson River), meaning "The River that Flows Two Ways".
The Kanien-keha-ka are the easternmost of the Five original Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nations. Haudenosaunee means "People of the Longhouse" and Kanien-keha-ka means "People of Flint". Although most of the Kanien-keha-ka were forced to relocate north to the Akwesasne Reservation straddling the Canadian border and further into Canada to several different reserves, there is a contemporary Mohawk community near Fonda, NY call Kanatsiohareke, which is led by Sakokwenionkwas (Tom Porter), meaning "The One Who Wins"."
From all of us at Pitney Meadows, we wish you a wonderful holiday, and encourage you to further your education about Native culture in the Saratoga area by attending the Saratoga Native American Festival, signing up for a program at the Ndakinna Education Center, or reading some of Joseph Bruchac's books.
#pitneymeadowscommunityfarm
Thank you for the bountiful harvest, good food and friendships. And the modern day long green houses too.
Thanks for sharing this! Growing up in Saratoga Springs, I never knew much if this history
Thank you for this post!
Nice!
Can you imagine a world without supermarkets? Where all of the fruits and vegetables people eat are grown in their own gardens or by their neighbors? This is the time of year when the growing season draws to an end in the northern hemisphere, the time when pantries are filled with things there won’t be more of in this part of the world until next year. It is a time for celebration, reflection & giving thanks. People around the world and through time have celebrated the harvest with dances, feasts, artwork, architecture and pageantry. For many cultures, harvest celebrations are central to collective identity. How do you think the timing of the harvest season changes depending on where people live?
#ExplorePMCF #HarvestTime #communityharvest
The holidays are approaching, and with that the season of gift-giving. Did you know that we have Celebration gift certificates available for sale, both on our webpage and in our Farm Stand? A unique gift, perfect for all occasions, that allows your loved one to have a little piece of the Farm to be proud of and call their own.
You can choose from the following options:
Love From Lily- While on the Farm, you will often find Lily meandering through the fields on the heels of her owner, our Education Director Sarah. Lily is always willing to give a little love in return for a scratch on the head. Your sponsorship of Love from Lily helps preserve the fields and land that Lily loves so dearly to roll in.
Adopt-a-Honeybee: Support our Sunflower Patch- Honeybees and other pollinators are the mini heroes of our ecosystem. When you adopt a honeybee, you're enabling bees to support the reproduction of trees, flowers (they love our sunflowers!) and other crops, which serve as food and shelter for creatures great and small.
Adopt a Tree on the Trail- Our 166 acres of farmland offer opportunities for outdoor recreation on our trails through woodland and meadows. Adopting a tree supports our trails program and makes you a part of an important land-preservation project.
Fund the Forever Farm: Feed the Next Generation- When you give a gift of funding the Forever Farm, you offer a stake in the importance of community farming and community resilience.
Fill a Food Box, Feed a Family, Grow Community- Take a part in our grow-to-give effort. This gift certificate reflects a donation of a food box to our neighbors struggling with food insecurity. When our fresh produce is donated to local pantries and other food programs, your loved one can be proud of directly helping someone in need!
Head to www.pitneymeadows.org/holiday-gifts or visit our Farm Stand to purchase a Celebration gift today!