THE FOLLOWING CLOSED CAPTIONS ARE IN THE ORIGINAL, UNEDITED FORM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING
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And when you, after birth is say if you're in a mother you say yadda .
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NET or in the case of my children Gotcha. You know, cause you're teaching the child.
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That you're not an individual that you're part of a plan, you're part of a bigger group.
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And so you introduce your clan verse. That way you and you telling people that this is who I am.
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This is who my father's. People are, this is who my grandparents are. Is who I could add.
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Others are. And finally, if you have any children, you always say this is who my children are.
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So. That way you're establishing kinship and barn with people. That you're meeting and you're you're saying that I'm part of a bigger group of people and if you might be related to me and in this way and
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And so on and so forth. So. That's one of the things that when we talk about
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And plants and even our connection with the earth. The established kinship with it. So when we when we're first planting our when we're first
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About to go about in the spring of growing things. Really?
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I'm going to start this over just because the volume was so low. So thanks again for all your patience.
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Brandon Francis is a plant researcher from New Mexico State University. Whose family is stewarded corn over several generations in black Mesa, New Mexico.
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In this module, he shares the significance of corn to himself. His ancestors and descendants. With stories showing the interweaving of corn throughout DNA cosmology.
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I am Gretchen Groffy. I'm here with Brandon Francis and We're excited to bring this knowledge about corn into the grain school online.
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So I'll pass it to you, Brandon. Go ahead.
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Oh yeah, they say, I, Shelton A, T.
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I see gently gene day in my show. I'll be last ladies. Hi, I'm Brandon Francis and I just introduced myself.
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How we traditionally introduce ourselves. As the MET people or Naval people. I was always taught to introduce your clan first.
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Because when a baby is born One of the first things that you say to your baby when the when when you after birth is say if you're the mother you say yeah there She, or in the case of my children, That is, you guys, N.
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You know, because you're teaching the child. You're not an individual that you're part of a clan.
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You're part of a bigger group. And so you introduce your clan verse. That way you and you're telling people that this is who I am.
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This is who my father's. People are, this is who my grandparents are. Is who might be bad.
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Mothers are and finally if you have any children you always say this is who my children are so That way you're establishing kinship and barn with people.
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At your meeting and you're you're saying that. I'm part of a bigger group of people and if you might be related to me and in this way and
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And so on and so forth. So. That's one of the things that when when we talk about
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And plants and even our connection with the earth, the established kinship with it. So when we when we're first planting our homework first
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About to go about the spring of growing things. Early in the morning. We, when we pray.
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We gather all our seeds with this in the spring before planting time. And pray with them, pray with them to the rap.
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Right before the sun rises. Cause there's the net people, we believe that. This is when the holy people worked at the end in there.
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Passing over and looking at everybody. And passing out their blessings. And earlier before the sun rises when the Most holy at the beans pass out the best blessings, so.
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In the early spring or even before planting time you take your seeds out there your corn seeds or squaw seeds or bean seeds and you pray with them because you want them to get blessed as well.
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And receive the blessings of the Holy People so you pray with them. So this is just the start of a long process that is year long.
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And then finally when you actually go out to the cornfield or your field which is which has that term dark at the in it.
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Which means which which has that term in it which has that word. Which implies kinship, which implies relationships with but things not only with family or blood relatives but with their earth with the water.
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With the plants. So. We're actually preparing the land. Yeah, actually,
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Actually, it's a very Let me grow corn, it's a very secret secret. It's a, you're, you're performing a holy duty.
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As a corn planter like when you first have that first kernel of seed and They're both planted in in the ground.
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You're making an unwritten pact. That you're gonna love all things. No matter how small or big that You're making a pack that as a grower, you're you're not loved and Take care of all teams and show stewardship over it.
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Because you know it's not gonna put something in the ground and walk away, you're gonna actually gonna come back and care for it.
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And that's only the start of the process. And even before that. Traditionally, We were taught that you soak your seed.
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In what's called dark grease wood or dewy shine. And it's also.
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Traditionally what they made there. We made our planting sticks out of. Because we had the sickest secret.
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Packed that we were not pushed to disturb the air in any way or dig up anything. And so the planting stick was a way of honoring this.
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Ancient pack that we made. And traditionally even before we.
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We collected the planting. And the leaves in a planting stick. Would always make a offering to the plant that we were gonna Use a part of it and kind of weigh a partner for not only for use but for for planting but for also for soaking the the corn seeds in which is something people traditionally do.
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Did long time ago. And I was a beginning farmer or getting my farmers education up. The old Fort Lotus up in Hesper's Colorado.
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I always wondered why. Traditionally people did this and why they where they did things in this manner and in a young scientist or a young researcher wanted to see if there was any scientific basis for why people planted this work, why these things were done.
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And as a young person. I always thought, There can't just be a reason why people or telling you to do this, not just because, you know.
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There has to be some scientific merit to it. So I set up test plots. Where I didn't.
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The corn kernels or the corn seed and the, for 4 days until they spread the tails.
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And I had a control where I didn't soak it at all and planted it. And I had one where I soaked it but didn't apply the their leaves to it from the dark grease wood.
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And see if there was any difference in the. Termination rate. Into the, virility of how well the plant grew.
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So the first year I did this.
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All the all the corn kernels that I sprouted. Soaked in the Dewey's machine.
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Actually, grew and sprouted even before the ones that were didn't have the application and more sprouted.
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So I looked into it further and get further. Information on it. The the Wishy who had the Greasewood.
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Is actually toxic. And as the growing season as each. With each rainstorm that. The water is the plant or water is the grease wood.
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It gets its toxicity level raises. So in some way. Our ancestors knew that. If they applied this to the plant.
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It was a way to trick the pest in there. And, and the other animals that this was toxic and that they kind of needed.
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And so. Can you can we plant in the ground? Every seed is also food. So our ancestors that grew corn and grew things.
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They had tried and true methods. That actually increased their production levels and their yields and their germination rates.
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Because they but they were growing. He's this produce or this corn for hundreds if not thousands of years in this region.
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The region I'm from. Like I mentioned in. My introduction, our traditional introduction.
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I said I was from Justin Gene. Which is a big area, Black Mesa, specifically Chilguay, which is white grass.
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Which is, there's no. There's only a hill of white grass up there right now.
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But before the strip mining of the area, there were this the whole area was covered in this. Plant that was a white actual grass.
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And That's why they named the white grass. And
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So they want. Archaeologists or people studying the area. Action phone corn. From.
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Carbon dating. Grinding stones. Dating back to at least 4,000 years ago.
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Got people been growing corn up on Black Mesa, Arizona. So, so the tradition from my family.
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Of growing corn. It probably goes back that if not. 4,000 years at least at least that far so There's a very, very long history.
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Of growing corn Pacifically. And the genetics of Means is younger, but people have been growing squash for at least 10,000 years.
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The genetics of corn, it goes back. 6,000 almost 7,000 years now. So there's a strong long history of people growing things.
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Living in symbiosis with understanding that. That their very way of life depended on making sure that they had a successful crop and success for yield and taking care of the earth.
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And the water and the plants. Was, ensured their survival. In this region which is a very very hard region and Very hard.
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Hard region not only to living but to grow things. And that if they if they kept. Strong connection to the plants and to the to the corn specifically then.
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They could survive in this region. And Indigenous people living in the region now. Where evidence of that.
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Sustainability of that resilience. So. And so the corn that I grew up in Hesperus, Colorado.
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The elevation there was 6,007 or 6 or 7,650 feet. And there I come from on Black Mesa is 6,600 feet.
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So when I was growing in Hesperus. The people growing there, told me that. It's very hard to grow corn there and not has not always been successful if not and hasn't been successful.
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So me, I took that on as a challenge and as a opportunity to show. The corners are very resilient.
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Crop and it's very adaptable to. The various situations. So I brought the corn with me.
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That we traditionally grow. On Black Mesa and grow many varieties but variety that I decided to grow.
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Was was a blue corn that my family been growing for as long as I can remember. I always tell people this that mom and dad side one of my earliest memories of anything is being in a corn field.
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And In fact, my earliest memory is being with my nihilator or my my dad's mom.
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Playing hide and seek into cornfield and that's like with my brother and that's my earliest memory I can remember.
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So. So when I wanted to do this study I went home and I asked my auntie.
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Who oversees our traditional use area in Black Mesa. And I was like. I want to grow things.
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I want to Oh, I have this experiment lined up and I have this land that where I'm gonna grow things.
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And We in school, I told her it's very. Very hard being away from home.
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It's very hard not being able to help you out with the planting with the growing. And that cycle that I was used to was disrupted.
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And so I wanted to. In a way, you know.
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The bands are or No, Hesperus is very, is within our traditional ancient traditional use area.
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We no longer have access to that. Wanted to return that to this area. And I felt that growing that blue corn since those are the similar, we grew at a similar elevation.
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He would have a chance. That There was some epigenetics within the seed knowledge that. Would help it drive in this new environment.
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So.
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So eventually
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Ken will do it justice but.
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As you can see. This is This is this year's crop. Of bluecorn. And.
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I was like to tell people that When I first started growing there. The corn if the tallest corn
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Let's start up to my shoulder. And it was very hard for the corn because Not only that was it adapting to a nasal type to a new soil conditions but It was also adapting to a shorter growing season of about 90 days.
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And traditionally, the corn that we grow. Or they call Indian corn or flower corn. As a hundred 10 day.
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Growing cycle. So it has 110 days. 2, when you put it in the ground, when it's producing ears of corn that I've been.
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As you can see, fully pollinated.
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Fully grown and gone to seed. And this is considered. Fairly hard but or the first is the corn I got.
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They want they weren't that big. I knew that if I save the seed from it. Adapt and continue to grow in that spot in that.
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In that environment. That eventually that the corn would pass on genetic knowledge at a genetic level. On to the next generation.
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That knowledge. Of the season, the growing season that it went through.
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And by the time I
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4 years later. The corn was 10 feet tall. Maybe if that, 10 feet tall was the average.
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So, and then. And then now they. They, adapted and as you can see there. They are fairly large.
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They are. They are very good corn. I like to say that. Now, now corn.
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The the corn they grew up there at the Old Ford is. Is very successful and I took some of the seed to where we grow now.
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Down into the San Oneuver Valley. And the corn gets 12 feet tall. And it's because we put stress on that plant.
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People think some people think, oh, we should baby these plants. We should. Give it the best possible conditions for it to survive.
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You know, but just like if we have children.
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Just give them everything. Everything they want. And then all of a sudden you put them. Put them in a new environment where they're alone where they don't have below or care that you gave them.
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Around they may thrive, they may survive but They weren't taught anything of of any survival techniques or anything to give that you all want them to survive.
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So you want to give them. What they call stress factors, and want to give them little.
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Little like, teach them things. Corn unlike us. Hey, learn they learn this at a genetic level and they pick it up faster.
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Pick it up past it and that and we do because as, as humans or as mammals, are reproductive cycle is longer.
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And whereas corn. Their reproductive cycle is every year. So. For the past 6,000 years they've been gaining all this knowledge back to when they were really really small.
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And so you want to instill that in them as well that. We want to instill some strength in them, especially in the conditions that work.
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Facing. And for the future, and I always tell people this that
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Climate change is not something new. To the to this region and the 4 corners that. People in this region have seen.
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Changes to the environment before and have lived and persisted through them. And it's to do that knowledge of the land.
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And being in tune with their environment and with the things that they grow that they were able to persist. And so that's just a little.
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A little story I like to tell about the corn and how I learned. Not only by growing things from when I was Very, very small and also.
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Adapting those techniques to different environments. And learning with it being symbiosis with it.
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Cause when we grow things, plant them, watering it or cultivating it and cultivating is just a fancy word for.
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Or removing plant set. On welcome in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Removing those from the environment so corn can be successful.
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And when we're watering then we actually talk to them. Actually seen with them, there's actually song, corn, corn songs, planting songs.
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And we actually have to develop a relationship with them because water in them. I would say no, Stayed, Just the same thing that we like you say to your children, you know, grow my little one.
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Cause we, we view them. As a part of our family. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, Cause that says indigenous people.
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In particular as the NET people. Review corn has our relative as as part of our family. And not only that because in our mythology and our creation stories and we believe that They're actually made out of 2 ears of corn.
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A white ear and a yellow ear. And like I mentioned, all Holy people, first man, all the holy pains.
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It came around the they sang over us and they prayed over us. For 4 days and filing.
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The big wind came and breed the breadth of life into us. That's why as novel people We always tell people that.
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For song and prayer. Given physical form. And that's why we always tell people. The things you say, the words that come out of your mouth, they have meaning.
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And they have they have power so we always tell people when you talk. You have to be very eloquent.
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Oh, everything has purpose, even. Where did you say? So, and. We are as we like to say, song and prayer.
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Given physical form that grew. Reaction prayed over and wanted and sang over. So That's just one of the reasons we have such a Deep relationship with corn not only from for the food for their for the things that it teaches us, but also for the corn pollen.
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How we're able to talk with the the holy beans. So One of the reasons I got into this was because
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Agriculture and growing things. Is on the decline, not just among. The net people or indigenous people.
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Not and not only regionally but nationally, internationalist people. Losing connection with their food. But for indigenous people.
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More endangered. Like I mentioned because it's intricately linked with our culture and our language.
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And so if there's any, I have other stories. Michael, and give lessons on corn.
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I always tell people that. Our creation story. Is told over 7 nights. In song and prayer.
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I could probably talk from my knowledge and talk from what I have been growing up. As well but that's just a little of the epigenetics and how Why I do it and how corn.
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Girls from my perspective and how I've adapted the techniques that I was raised.
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As beautiful branded. Thank you so much. I've loved it. Listed to you talk, I learned so much.
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So I'm wondering if you could answer a question about you know, when non-indigenous people are raising corn.
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Growing corn, how you see. Like the best ways to go about that.
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One thing I always, coastal people and my kids especially. Is Hmm. Or when you're feeding people.
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That's like a secret act and You can never refuse someone that's hungry. Either and someone that's needing food.
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Or someone that's wanting to grow. Because it's a holy That's a holy practice or a holy.
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Profession from our perspective that
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Cannot be denied to people. And cannot be you can't say oh I'm gonna Keep this for myself.
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Cause like I mentioned in the beginning, introduce ourselves like there's no there's no show there's no I in indigenous culture.
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There's no mine. There's an old saying that says. When you pass away you can't take more than your arms can carry.
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So everything that you think you own. There's no such thing. As a business people. You never had.
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Something like ownership. We always viewed ourselves as. Oh, this is this is the area I use. I'm taking care of, you know, we're stewards.
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Ownership as something new.
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That's coming to our way of life.
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My perspective, sharing seeing. Sharing knowledge and sharing stories. Is something that needs to be done. Has to be done for for not only for us but for the for the corn as well for their for their strength, for their growth because they need all that knowledge that we're instilling in it that that happy genetics that grow in in different environments.
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Adopting because we live in a time.
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Where things are changing faster than than before and I did mention that We've seen system class before and in our stories.
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Depending on which indigenous person or novel person you talk to. We've seen system collapse.
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5 or 6 times and it's nothing new. Just forget that ancient knowledge that we forget those packs that we made with them.
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With the earth with the holy beans and This is, reminded of those things and And when we don't follow those.
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Ancient packs. That's when we run into problems and That's one we throw things out of balance.
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Cause as I'm particular as Niagara people. Believe in balance. You believe in harmony and believe in believe that the thing The 2 forces that are in cost of conflict in our universe.
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Or, Huizon, No, no, no, but perfection and room.
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There are 2 forces that are in constant conflict. And the way you stay in balance or her gene is walking that path in between these 2 forces.
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And when one thing leans too far to one way, that's when things come out of balance.
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So.
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I believe that. We live in a time where we don't share this knowledge.
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We could be facing system collapse again.
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And when it does happen, what happens to those people who don't know how to grow their own thing?
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I don't know how. To raise crops or take care of the soil. Or take care of the water.
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What's going to happen to them? And if this something like that happens. How are you gonna view things?
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After that. But, but I was always always taught. Share this knowledge. Share what you're given.
00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:31.000
And you. Use it and I was I like my mom always says. You were blessed with a strong mind and a strong body.
00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:45.000
You're, go, your mission in life should be to help people. And she always share stories of me and like my all my relatives do when they see me doing the work I'm doing now.
00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:52.000
Sure, When I first started out, oh, you're a peace chief, you know. I was confused by that.
00:33:52.000 --> 00:34:03.000
You know, I was always confused by why I should say things like that. And finally, I asked her that, like, why, why do you, why, why do you call me that?
00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:09.000
Told me the story of Traditionally, Niagara people.
00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:17.000
They didn't. I'm a peace chief and award chief. Had nothing to do with conflict.
00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:25.000
Dealing with warfare. It had to do with everything on hold, whole way of life was centered around growing.
00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:34.000
So the peace chief. Started in early spring. You would get go out and gather people. And the local area.
00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:42.000
They would clear the land or they would clear the. Prepare it for growing and then they would he would gather more workers.
00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:53.000
And planting time came and growing and cultivating and and then while they went to harvest came. And the the word chief's job would come in.
00:34:53.000 --> 00:35:03.000
And his job was to distribute all that food, make sure everyone got everything. And even cut based on their input into the labor process.
00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:10.000
And over the course of the winter, the word chief would go out and Make sure into the local area when everyone's spread out.
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.000
I want to go to there traditional.
00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:23.000
Winter winter camp and go around to the various families and he would check on families. Making sure they had enough blue.
00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:30.000
And just check check on everyone's wellbeing. Winter time until springtime. So. That was just her way of saying.
00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:36.000
They're helping people with their growing. You're helping people making sure that.
00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:46.000
That this knowledge is being passed on. So. And II viewed that as. As necessary.
00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:56.000
In terms of how we can. Take this genetic. Separated at a genetic level.
00:35:56.000 --> 00:36:05.000
Is something that takes away ownership away from. That 6,000 year process that all this work that went into it.
00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:12.000
We don't know the damage that it's going to do to our to our plants in the future.
00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:23.000
And we don't know, we, we can say, oh, right now. It has all these advantages, you know, and we're, we're.
00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:31.000
Cut this corner and made. Taking on all this work and taking the best. But it's an immediate change.
00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:38.000
And it's beneficial but we don't see the long-term. We don't see how it can.
00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:41.000
Heard our plants.
00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:46.000
II don't grow anything that.
00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:52.000
Is genetically modified or in any way. But even though we've been going on.
00:36:52.000 --> 00:37:09.000
Let me call artificial modifications. Which take centuries and decades but There's always that danger where something could jer down to your crops and from someone else's field and even that has to be taken into consideration.
00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:13.000
So. We live in modern times and we
00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:25.000
Problems that even our ancestors. Based, face similar situation but the problems a modern farmer faces is is way different.
00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:30.000
Thank you. For sharing. I really appreciate. Everything that you're offering right now.
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:36.000
We've got about 10 min or so. Is there any other topics on the top of your mind that you want to share about?
00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:44.000
I was planning to go for like 3 h. Sensor cutting me off at 10 min. No, I'm just kidding.
00:37:44.000 --> 00:37:50.000
One thing I wanted to show. Was
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:59.000
I always like to I always like the Show the story of what I showed you before.
00:37:59.000 --> 00:38:04.000
This is irrigated corn.
00:38:04.000 --> 00:38:10.000
Water coming to it. This was set up on drip.
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:19.000
Was hitting it like once a week. Good. Corn is about an inch of water every week.
00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:29.000
And since we were part on, it it fully pollinated as you can see there's no There's no, I'm not from the point, it grew.
00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:35.000
All the way, the pollination process is different. And it's gonna see each of these hairs, soks.
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:45.000
Has to get pollinated. I would say I'll still be missing one. As you can see this one was nicely pollinated.
00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:48.000
There's no missing kernels.
00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:54.000
But if it doesn't get pollinated fully, then it'll have missing kernels.
00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:59.000
So one another thing I like to show is
00:38:59.000 --> 00:39:10.000
Never see. But as you can see. The caller was just right. This is This is black and corn.
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:16.000
That we grow and this was grown out in Where can?
00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:27.000
Can. Hotel where her family traditionally grew. And Traditionally We have a what's called a TED.
00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:41.000
Bag or where we carry all our corn. So when I first grew black corn. Manually. I gave her a nice ear of it and she cradled it like a baby and she held it real close to her.
00:39:41.000 --> 00:39:49.000
And she was like, I haven't seen black corn in many, many years.
00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:55.000
And that's when she said. Now will people are posted to have in their tete bag not only corn pollen But each.
00:39:55.000 --> 00:40:02.000
Color representing each color of the 4 sacred mountains.
00:40:02.000 --> 00:40:08.000
So you're supposed to have a black ear.
00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:18.000
A blue ear. And I don't have a. A yellow or a white ear but to have each of those near corn pollen pouch.
00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:28.000
For this year. One of my relatives. Is married to person or a lady from San Carlos.
00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:37.000
There's reservation down south in Arizona. And they're asking for some black corn. In we're told that due to the pandemic.
00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:45.000
He's the ball of our seed corn. And so we're We say we decided, oh, let's grow up.
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:52.000
Let's grow up a field of black corn and See if we can do it and We decided to do it.
00:40:52.000 --> 00:41:03.000
The traditional way and this is non-Erigated corn. See it. So as you can see.
00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:07.000
Here, gated corn.
00:41:07.000 --> 00:41:11.000
Non irrigated corn.
00:41:11.000 --> 00:41:20.000
So this just means that. We were lucky this year that. Were blessed with a lot of rainfall.
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:24.000
This is this is the size they got.
00:41:24.000 --> 00:41:36.000
And so. The more water you apply to it. Okay, the bigger the ears will be. And that's just a little bit of.
00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:42.000
What we grow in Yeah, I have some.
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:56.000
You can't really see it, but this is redcorn.
00:41:56.000 --> 00:42:04.000
I'll close. Go, with the something the story that I was.
00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:13.000
Tell people about why we grow different ears and colors of corn. And in particular, the red corn and
00:42:13.000 --> 00:42:17.000
. People never ploughed
00:42:17.000 --> 00:42:27.000
Just disturb the land or why we never mind for precious resources. Precious minerals. Because of the sacred pack, like I mentioned.
00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:30.000
That we made and
00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:35.000
In our cosmology or in our mythology.
00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:40.000
We plant by the stars and we have all these reasons why we do it.
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:55.000
One rigidly known to us at the time or to modern people. I was asked my vampire, I was always like, why do we plant by You know, why do we plant by the plates?
00:42:55.000 --> 00:43:02.000
He didn't know, he said that's just. It's cause it just because we can't plant in front of this.
00:43:02.000 --> 00:43:09.000
This is deity, cause that's now all people we have. About 308 deities in our cosmology.
00:43:09.000 --> 00:43:18.000
I control every little facet of our life. And said, once that deity. To play these or give the yeah.
00:43:18.000 --> 00:43:26.000
Disappears from the sky. That's when we can plant. When he returns like right now in our sky.
00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:33.000
That's when you stop. That's when you start.
00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:48.000
All field activity, you harvest and best your growing year because we believe that. Just like in life, we have to have a rest cycle and the earth has to rest and And that's when we contemplate and go into this thing.
00:43:48.000 --> 00:43:57.000
Right now we were in Ogontj, which is and Navajo New Year earlier this month and which is the separation of the seasons.
00:43:57.000 --> 00:44:06.000
And we let the land rest and we go into. Our ceremonial cycle. And contemplate and heal from the growing season of this year.
00:44:06.000 --> 00:44:14.000
Now we go and we think about what we did. In terms of life and growing. Plan for the next year.
00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:23.000
Let me learn. And. That just goes through to show you that. Every little part of our life as indigenous people.
00:44:23.000 --> 00:44:30.000
Is part of something that we. Laid down for we were laid down for us by our ancestors and by the holy people.
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:34.000
By the Holy Beans. So.
00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:43.000
And one of those disruptions this cycle we believe is that That's how we plant and we believe that we broken one of those packs.
00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:48.000
. We're with the with the beings in our lives that.
00:44:48.000 --> 00:44:53.000
So we used to have these warrior twins.
00:44:53.000 --> 00:45:00.000
Master Slayer and Son of Water and they were twin sons of changing women.
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:07.000
Where I live now in Farmington. Just down the road where they built NAVO dam.
00:45:07.000 --> 00:45:12.000
Zetano, Disney or Angel Peak. Just were first man and first women.
00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:22.000
First woman used to live. You know, with the convergence is of the. La Plata and Animus and the San Juan.
00:45:22.000 --> 00:45:29.000
That's a very holy place. And how I can, how I,
00:45:29.000 --> 00:45:34.000
I tell people about about living in a place like this.
00:45:34.000 --> 00:45:45.000
To grow in a place like this. To have modern understanding. Business or not. We're living in our garden of Eden.
00:45:45.000 --> 00:45:48.000
We actually get to grow.
00:45:48.000 --> 00:45:54.000
In a place that was given to us by the Holy People.
00:45:54.000 --> 00:46:01.000
Even being in business and being now grow. We broken some of those packs.
00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:06.000
Monstrous leader in Son of Water made this pact any.
00:46:06.000 --> 00:46:14.000
And one of the previous worlds where there was giants plaguing. There and to read these threat they want to rid the world these giants.
00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:30.000
And alleviate all this chaos and problems that they're beginning. That they were, I was facing mankind or people who live on the surface, the neo-cargeting net or Yeah, plus like the 5 finger people.
00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:37.000
Which is us because we live on the surface and we also have 5 fingers. To eventually find out that their son.
00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:43.000
Oh, their father was a son. They went to him to ask for weapons and knowledge to rid the world.
00:46:43.000 --> 00:46:47.000
Of these giants and
00:46:47.000 --> 00:46:56.000
But the son being the creator of all things and He would not, he didn't want to give them this power.
00:46:56.000 --> 00:47:02.000
Because he built that they would go crazy with it and become the immune problem monitor.
00:47:02.000 --> 00:47:11.000
But finally after we're learning team. He told him that. Why would I give you these weapons and this knowledge?
00:47:11.000 --> 00:47:18.000
It killed the giants because the giants are also my children.
00:47:18.000 --> 00:47:25.000
And he told the the word was told them what they were doing on the on the surface, no on the surface of the earth.
00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:34.000
How the all the problems that they were causing. They made a pact with him that they wouldn't use these weapons on this knowledge.
00:47:34.000 --> 00:47:41.000
For evil. So they went about their cycle. We don't want that back to the earth. And Start to.
00:47:41.000 --> 00:47:46.000
On these giants or these giants they were immortal. They were they would turn into mountains.
00:47:46.000 --> 00:47:57.000
They would turn into all these landmarks across land but they would always come back. So like just like in warfare.
00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:05.000
It's an endless cycle and a beginner. Began weigh heavy on some of water and mosses layer.
00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:16.000
All this violence. And I began to weigh heavy on the giants as well. So find the giants were lented, they were tired of being killed over and over and over again.
00:48:16.000 --> 00:48:21.000
So finally they made a pact.
00:48:21.000 --> 00:48:29.000
If they stayed in the ground. They would stay in the ground and stay as these hills and as these mountains and that .
00:48:29.000 --> 00:48:39.000
And marks if the the people that wants a slayer and son of water were. We're doing this for they weren't digging the earth.
00:48:39.000 --> 00:48:44.000
Want to plow up the earth. That's why novel people, never bury people in the ground.
00:48:44.000 --> 00:48:56.000
Never dug up for for silver for gold. Purg or anything like that and planted and planted very carefully in the thought process.
00:48:56.000 --> 00:49:05.000
And planting sticks. There. Very gently and had respect for the earth. One of the reasons that many people believe that.
00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:12.000
Things are bad right now is because we broke that back.
00:49:12.000 --> 00:49:19.000
The steel plows and mine for all these things.
00:49:19.000 --> 00:49:24.000
Digging for natural resources.
00:49:24.000 --> 00:49:31.000
That's another story. But in honor of that pack that we made with the sun. That knowledge he gave us.
00:49:31.000 --> 00:49:37.000
Those weapons he gave us, gave them, gave the K to water, water, sun of water and moistus layer.
00:49:37.000 --> 00:49:44.000
Is that? We would always plant redcorn.
00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:50.000
Or pink corn. And that's the way of saying.
00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.000
That says novel people, not be cool.
00:49:54.000 --> 00:50:03.000
. Those people on the whose mission would be the
00:50:03.000 --> 00:50:11.000
Redcorn in honor of that pact. The same. Everything I know and everything I do. Be for good.
00:50:11.000 --> 00:50:19.000
So. Thank you. Thank you so much, Brandon. That was a beautiful way to close that.
00:50:19.000 --> 00:50:30.000
So we really appreciate you sharing with us and spending your time and your wisdom. And contributing into this to the course and just to the world in this way.
00:50:30.000 --> 00:50:32.000
Thank you so much.
00:50:32.000 --> 00:50:37.000
Thank you, Gretchen. It's always a honor to work with you and
00:50:37.000 --> 00:50:48.000
Always enjoy all the work you do. Or the community and. Anyone that feeding people and sharing knowledge and helping people.
00:50:48.000 --> 00:50:55.000
Process of doing good. And It's always good to work with those type of people.
00:50:55.000 --> 00:51:02.000
Okay. Yeah, thank you so much. That's mutual feeling. Really appreciate it.
00:51:02.000 --> 00:51:08.000
A,
00:51:08.000 --> 00:51:24.000
The day.
00:51:24.000 --> 00:51:35.000
Thank you so much for joining us for the seed story. So just to recap, this was a video from one of our modules in Grant School one on one.
00:51:35.000 --> 00:52:05.000
And you are welcome to sign up for our grand school curriculum by going to. ww.com slash education lots of great information if you are interested or would like to enhance your grain growing knowledge.
