New in Missouri

[Chief Cloudpiler]

Hello. I have just purchased twenty acres of second growth Oak/Hickory/Black Walnut forest in southwestern Missouri and am beginning to convert the entire acreage to Permaculature. I am Elected Principle/Medicine Chief of the Nemenhah Band and Native American Traditional Organization, and I would like to make Permaculture part of the Principles that I teach to all of our Members.

[eco4560]

Welcome on board! We'd all love regular updates of how you are going with your forest. For simple folk like me who own a back yard in town it makes me green with envy to think of all the stuff you can do with twenty acres...

[permasculptor]

Congratulations chief and Welcome.

[Grahame]

Chief, I agree with eco regarding regular updates, I am really interested to hear how you get along with your own place and how the others in your organisation respond.

Welcome to the forum.

Grahame

[milifestyle]

Welcome to the forum and best of luck with your endeavours.

[Yukkuri_Kame]

Peter Bane & Keith Johnson are doing PDC in Indiana:
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/...PcSyllabus.htm

The Quail Springs folks are doing a PDC with the Lakota on the Pine Ridge Res. might be relevant to your purpose:

http://www.quailsprings.org/events

Permaculture Design Certification Course - Pine Ridge South Dakota
August 16-27, 2010

Quail Springs co-founder Warren Brush, and assistant teacher Cory Brennan, will be returning for a second time to teach a Permaculture Design Course at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Local elders and leaders will be joining in teaching the course by sharing their history, their appropriate practices on the ground and in their social structures, and the deep weaving of of their relationship to the land and how it is linked directly to the health of their culture. This Permaculture course will be emphasizing how our destinies of western and native cultures are intertwined in our combined need for healthy and ecologically sound shelter, water, fire (energy), and food to serve ours and the earth's needs and those of future generations. This course welcomes people of all cultures.

All the best,
Jonathan

[MicheleM]

That is so exciting.

[Chief Cloudpiler]

I have identified twenty-two large Oaks to use as my "Farmer Trees." I was consistently told by all my neighbors that you jest kaint plant nothin under them damn trees - too acid. Oaks do contain a whole lot of tannin, but I've found that the duff under them, and the soil under that, is not acidic at all. I thinned limbs to let in light, threw up hugulkulture berms with the huge amount of compost I create out of fescue hulls at the dripline, and fishscale berms upon the gentle slope down toward the wash leading out of the property. Later, I plan to put in a pond there and use it for Temperate Zone Chinampas Aquaculture. Out at the dripline I planted Apples, Cherries, and Mulberries in one guild, and Peaches and Persimmons in another. Goumi and Siberian Pea Shrub serve as N-Fixers, as well as the native Redbud.

My daughter and son have begun their own projects in Zone 1 to demonstrate Urban Permaculture by creating a swale to capture runoff from their cabins. Rachael has dug a small fish pond and installed a beautiful herb spiral. Jeshua has planted a Structural Banboo forest around his swale. Both are going great.

[cdoug_e]

Hello Chief Cloupiler, sounds like a nice project you have going. I will be in Iowa in a couple of months teaching Permaculture at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield (SE IA). They have been reaching out to the tribes as 13 Grandmothers conference was held at the campus not so long ago. I am curious where you are at and if you would be interested in students from our University coming to visit and maybe even lending a had for a day or two? I too have Native American blood, while just a fraction now, i can still feel the Cherokee blood in my veins. I feel this is inherently where my love for the forests of the East comes from. I am in Shawnee country here in Ohio and have read much about the peoples who lived here before I did. I revere Tecumseh as a true inspiration and am glad elders like yourself are embracing permaculture. I truly hope we can work together someday in the future. Also above a few members mentioned regular updates and I could help you set up a blog site about your project and its growth. Mine is www.treeyopermaculture.wordpress.com I would be very happy to help you and your tribe as I think the fusion of permaculture is a great way to engage the youth of all nations and people across the globe.

[Chief Cloudpiler]

I would be very honored to meet you. We are right in the middle of everything, so we are not really to the "demonstration" point yet, but you are certainly welcome.

Chief Cloudpiler