Dream of Wild Health

The Dream of Wild Health is a traditional garden project in the upper Midwest. It's mission is to become the seed saver of indigenous Native American plants in the region. Primarily, we are about the recovery of indigenous cultural wisdom, and within that is an effort to save indigenous varieties of seeds and perennial plants. We value cultural continuity regarding agriculture, health and food systems and see it all as healing work.

Cultural preservation is a big part of the picture for Dream of Wild Health. Native American people have a tradition of gardening and using medicines derived from plants. Lifestyle traditions that may improve and restore health and well-being are threatened by the rapid demise of our elderly population, keepers of knowledge. Elders are often times the last speakers of traditional languages and serve as the remaining repositories of old seeds and the knowledge of their uses.

The Dream of Wild Health Network is a community building  project that provides resources for healing and illness prevention based on holistic Native American practices.

Minnesota has one of the highest urban Native populations in the country, who share disproportionate levels of poverty, reduced life expectancy and isolation along with Native people in other higher-tier cities. These circumstances have increased the appearance of diabetes, breast cancer, mental illness, chemical dependency and other serious conditions. Two newly released reports by the Office of  Minority Health in Minnesota Department of Health have attracted the attention of both the Native community and health care professionals, although the findings are far from good. Both reports deliver a picture of increasing health for white Minnesotans between 1980-1990, while Native Americans have experienced an alarming demographic collapse of well-being.  Welfare reform measures have likewise added to an existing Native distrust of, and lack of access to conventional healthcare systems.

By contrast, many Native people know that traditional foods, herbs and medicines have the ability to heal, although the cultural concept of health is actually based on prevention. The Dream of Wild Health Network will allow Native people to participate in the re-emergence of Native systems and approaches to individual and community wellness. The program essentially involves the accomplishment of three goals in a three phase plan.  1) In order to develop a strong sense of community ownership, a number of groups  meet before spring planting. These groups consist of 2 groups of elders, 2 groups of community residents and 2 groups of Native and non-Native ethno botanists.  Input from the meetings determine elements of the program design, and provide individuals who can serve on a small advisory committee. 2) Scattered-site gardens in the Twin Cities, a reservation Woodlands bio-region, and a reservation prairie bio-region, will provide the vehicle for cultivating indigenous plant medicines and foods that will be available to traditional Native health practitioners, as well as Peta Wakan Tipi residents and others. With hands-on involvement in the gardens, community members will learn about plant medicines by mentoring with elders and Native plant experts. Eventually this process will incorporate Native youth and Elder teams, who will expand the general scope of the programs. 3) A communications infrastructure with traditional healers and other holistic Native health networks will be established. The diversity of cultures and bioregions represented means that the amount of information available to share will be very rich.