GPR 29.2.Indd

Campus- Based Ecotourism A Case Study on the Power of Local Ecotourism

Regina E. Robbins, Travis R. Robbins, and Mark Frailey

ABSTRACT—Academic campuses across the Great Plains can serve as landscapes for teaching and learning about native fl ora of cultural importance with regard to food, medicine, and lifeways. Campus visitors (tourists) and local community members could benefi t from more place- based understandings of how indigenous plants provide nourishment of the mind, body, and spirit to the people of the Plains. In an eff ort to educate and engage local community, the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) Native American Studies program collaborated with UNO’s Service- Learning Academy to develop an academic course aimed to support the development and maintenance of community-based indigenous gardens. Th is course proved to be a unique way of cultivating ecotourism through engaged teaching and learning outside of the classroom. Th is case study, testing ecotourism theory, explores local ecotourism in a service-learning course and examines how the development of campus-based indigenous gardens can serve to protect and promote Native lifeways. Th is article presents the ways in which campus-community and outside visitors’ engagement with indigenous gardens promotes better understanding of local Native cultures by bringing diverse peoples, perspectives, practices, and pedagogies together through an ecotourism lens.

Key Words: campus- based, indigenous gardens, local ecotourism, service learning

Introduction and intertribal people through ecotourism in service- learning garden projects. Th e state of Nebraska and the University of Nebraska campuses reside in lands represented by numerous Native American Studies Native nations, including the Omaha, Ponca, Santee, Ho-Chunk Winnebago, Lakota, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Native American Studies (NAS) is a program within the Arapahoe, Meskwaki, Otoe- Missouria, Ioway, Kaw, College of Arts and Sciences at UNO that is deeply en- Wichita, Kickapoo, and Delaware Nations. Th e city of gaged throughout the metro area and neighboring tribal Omaha, Nebraska, is home to members of more than communities through service- learning and collabora- 100 diff erent federally recognized tribes. Th is article ex- tive initiatives. Th e program has a strong commitment amines how a diverse group of urban-dwelling people to the principles, practices, and pedagogies that trans- representing many tribes of the Great Plains brought mit cultural knowledge about the relationships of living together a campus community and outside visitors to persons with one another and with the environment. engage with indigenous gardens in the city of Omaha NAS classes incorporate indigenous worldviews and through local campus-based ecotourism. We describe share traditional knowledge in relation to ecology, the two partner programs that created a community history, art, spirituality, culture, and other fields that of interdisciplinary, intercampus, intergenerational, intersect in human and nonhuman relationships. Fac- ulty and students in this program investigate the arts and sciences in connection with strong oral traditions, Great Plains Research 29 (Fall 2019):107–121. Copyright © 2019 by the stories, and cultural knowledge that build upon collec- Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Fig. 1. UNO Indigenous Garden. Photograph courtesy of the authors.

tive wisdom, practical experience, and adaptation to of UNO’s campus and saw few visitors. When the NAS change. program off ered a special topics course in storytelling, students were brought to the garden and told stories Native Indigenous Centered Education about Mother Corn and the Sacred Sisters. Student interest in Native American horticultural practices, Native Indigenous Centered Education (NICE) is a pro- indigenous plants, and the importance of human rela- gram in the Omaha public school district that partners tionships with the environment grew aft er experiencing with the community to provide culture-based educa- the indigenous garden. Local community members and tional opportunities for Native American urban youth. NAS students wanted to grow the garden and off ered The NICE program is housed in elementary schools, to volunteer their time and energy to establish a more middle schools, and high schools across the district prominent plot. We (the coauthors of this article) con- and provides support to over 500 urban- dwelling Na- sulted with UNO’s manager of landscape services, who tive American students. Th e program is committed to generously gave us full support by not only dedicating building a unifi ed and culturally enriched community a large plot of land as garden space but also providing that sustains resilience in tribal nations and increas- tools and physical labor to develop that space. es knowledge of cultural identity. The mission of the UNO landscaping, community members, and NAS NICE program is to educate and empower indigenous faculty and students cleared rocks and tilled the land students, families, and communities to seek and achieve to prepare for a larger indigenous garden at UNO. To- holistic well- being through self- advocacy, cultural gether, we designed the garden in the form of a medi- strengths, and academic successes. NICE teachers, cine wheel. By selecting and placing red, yellow, black, student advocates, and community support specialists and white rocks to outline four quadrants, students de- work together with UNO and other local community marcated the four directions (Fig. 1). We held a blessing members through UNO’s Service Learning Academy ceremony to dedicate the garden, burning sage, saying to develop projects, like campus- based indigenous gar- prayers and off ering tobacco. Many faculty, students, dens, that are of mutual interest and benefi t. and community members attended this event where we transplanted what was growing in the small garden into the new plot and discussed the idea of creating a service- How the Gardens and Our Understanding learning class focused on indigenous gardening. of Ecotourism Evolved Our aim was not to create an ecotourism site. In fact, we were not introduced to the concept of ecotour- In 2014 Mark Frailey, coauthor of this article and a ism until we were asked to present on our indigenous graduate of the Native American Studies program, garden project at the Center for Great Plains Studies’ cultivated a small campus- based garden at UNO with Plains Safaris: A Conference on Tourism and Conserva- sweetgrass, sage, and two mounds of corn, beans, and tion in the Great Plains. At that point, we questioned squash. For two years, this small plot lived on the edge the meaning of ecotourism and how our work may fi t

© 2019 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska– Lincoln Campus- Based Ecotourism · Regina E. Robbins et al. 109 into that fi eld. Our investigations into ecotourism re- motion, management, etc.) and the impacts (e.g., envi- vealed that the emphasis given to diff erent aspects of ronmental, educational, socio-cultural, economic, etc.) ecotourism varies between stakeholders, countries, and that they can have on tourism and community. Accord- cultures, making it diffi cult to generate any universally ing to Cheia (2103), the most common feature among recognized defi nition. theoretical approaches to ecotourism is “based on the Th e lack of an operationalized defi nition of work of nature . . . and simultaneously, the concern for ecotourism inspired Fennell (2001) to conduct a content conservation/environmental protection”. Th is, Cheia analysis of ecotourism, examining 85 defi nitions of the argues, can be achieved through collaborative “urban term. Fennell (2001) found the following fi ve most ecotourism” eff orts with a particular focus on educa- frequently cited variables in ecotourism defi nitions: tion and the local community; Cheia claims that, in this (1) reference to where ecotourism occurs (e.g., natural way, the “eco-tourism principle” can become a reality areas); (2) conservation; (3) culture; (4) benefi ts to locals; (Cheia 2013). and (5) education. Weaver (2008) supports this fi nding, Over 1,000 representatives from more than 100 arguing that ecotourism encompasses the facilitation of countries collaborated at the World Ecotourism Sum- learning experiences and appreciation of natural and/ mit to discuss principles of ecotourism and produce a or cultural environments. Moreover, the International “Declaration on Ecotourism,” which suggests that the Ecotourism Society (TIES) defi nes ecotourism as following fundamental principles distinguish the theory “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the of ecotourism from other forms of tourism: environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education” (TIES 2015). 1. Intentional inclusion of local and indigenous commu- Even as our understanding of the fi eld grows and the nities in planning, development, and implementation. principles and parameters of ecotourism evolve, schol- 2. Suitability for independent travelers and small groups. arly literature pays minimal attention to ecotourism in relation to academic institutions (Weaver and Lawton 3. Interpretation of the natural and cultural heritage of 2007). In fact, a search for “ecotourism” in ERIC ed- the destination to visitors. ucational resources database produced a total of only 4. Active contributions to the preservation of cultural and 49 publications; a search for “ecotourism + education” natural heritage. produced 43; a search for “ecotourism + campus” pro- 5. Promotion of local and indigenous communities’ well- duced only two fi ndings, and a search for “ecotourism being (UNEP and WTO 2002) + campus + garden” or “ecotourism + education + garden” produced no results. Th e dissonance between the Th ese characteristic activities establish ecotourism defi nitions and theories of ecotourism that include ed- as a complex phenomenon. Th ey also intentionally set ucation as an area of focus and the lack of integration of ecotourism apart from tourism in general. Although that within the literature, suggest, as Weaver and Lawton understanding what defi nes ecotourism is important, it (2007) describe it, “that ecotourism, as a fi eld of aca- may be more benefi cial to consider ways in which we demic inquiry, is still in a state of adolescence” (1168). could redefi ne tourism in ecotourism’s image. Cheia Weaver and Lawton (2007) point out that numerous asks, for instance, “Why just talk about eco-tourism as universities off er courses, major concentrations, and de- a segment of tourism and not as a basic principle of the grees in ecotourism. We also know that numerous uni- whole sector?” He argues that we should make ecotour- versities are home to campus-based gardens and that ism a “way of life” or a “basic principle.” Th e fi ve local the integration of educational activities within these campus-based indigenous gardens discussed in this ar- gardens creates an important and powerful learning ticle provide us with an excellent case study to examine environment (Cheang et al. 2017). Campus- based in- how the theory of ecotourism might guide the practice digenous gardens that serve as the focus of an academic of tourism and one day more accurately defi ne tourism service-learning course are, thus, fertile ground for un- in general. We address what Ross and Wall (1999) attest packing our understanding of ecotourism. to as the “growing gap between ecotourism as espoused Taking a closer look at the theoretical notions about by its advocates and its application and manifestations ecotourism may help us better understand the practical on the ground” (123). We aim to illustrate suffi cient de- ways under which ecotourism sites function (e.g., pro- tails about the garden sites to allow readers to engage

© 2019 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska– Lincoln 110 GREAT PLAINS RESEARCH VOL. 29 NO. 2, 2019 with us in transferring the theory of ecotourism to es- domains within any research path: a substantive “real tablish some internal generalizability across sites in this world” domain, a methodological domain, and a con- case, where applicable. ceptual domain. Although these domains are all con- Th is article analyzes how the abovementioned the- nected and we worked iteratively between the three, oretical fundamental principles of ecotourism come to our primary domain of interest in this study was the life through a service-learning project that established conceptual domain. We focused on understanding the various campus- based indigenous gardens in and explanations underlying ecotourism by following a around Omaha. In so doing, we provide evidence of how concept- driven theoretical path in which we conducted the people, places, and practices involved in this project cross- site analysis to reveal ecotourism through analyt- exemplify each of the fi ve fundamental characteristics ic induction (Yin 2017). We report on our analysis of of ecotourism. Analysis of community engagement in descriptive representatives from the multi-site case. We these campus- based indigenous gardens can lend sup- use the data and experiences gathered from participa- port to the idea that local ecotourism can be a signifi cant tion in the gardens to examine the practice of urban resource in educating local communities about ecolog- ecotourism in a real-life service-learning campus-based ical and cultural knowledge. indigenous garden project.

Methods Results

As Løkke and Sørensen (2014) explain, “case studies are We found that the theory proposed in the “Declaration useful when the phenomenon under investigation is on Ecotourism” can be transposed into practice. Below, complex” (71). Th e service-learning campus-based in- we discuss how the service- learning course (focused digenous gardens off er us a case of vefi sites that provide on the development and maintenance of campus- an in- depth way of understanding ecotourism through based indigenous gardens) put into practice the five descriptive and explorative methods. Buckley (2013) up- fundamental distinguishing principles of ecotourism. holds that research in the fi eld of ecotourism has been We also describe the experience of engaging in col- propelled by “diff erent interests” and that scholars aim laborative eff orts with an urban community through a to “promote their own perspectives on what [ecotour- service-learning project aimed to develop and maintain ism] means,” claiming that “each protagonist sees com- campus- based indigenous gardens that protect and pro- mercial or political advantage through the adoption of mote Native life ways in the heart of a major city in the their preferred defi nition” (9). Buckley (2013) expounds Great Plains. that research in the fi eld is limited to proposals of “nor- mative frameworks under which ecotourism terminol- 1. Intentional Inclusion of Local and Indigenous ogy should be applied according to some predefined Communities in Planning, Development, and position,” simple summaries of “how the term is used Implementation through Service Learning in practice” and defi nitions of “ecotourism” and “eco- tourists” (9). Service learning provides an approach to teaching and Th eory testing through a case study is an innovative learning that intentionally brings diff erent sectors from approach to research in the fi eld of ecotourism. We em- across campus and the broader community together ployed a multi-site case study to test the “Declaration around a common project. Engagement in garden proj- of Ecotourism” theory in an eff ort to develop and refi ne ects provides faculty, students, and community mem- knowledge in the fi eld. By considering fi ve sites within bers with opportunities to apply knowledge and skills one case, we gain a macro lens to observe and exam- in active ways that address genuine community needs. ine ideas directly in relation to how the phenomena of UNO’s Service Learning Academy created the platform ecotourism plays out in practice. Th rough a process of and resources necessary to bring our campus commu- induction, we move from specifi c understanding of in- nity together with local and indigenous community dividual sites in the case to a collective understanding in planning, development, and implementation of nu- of general phenomena. merous indigenous gardens. We intentionally included Brinberg and McGrath (1985) describe three distinct

Fig. 2. Turkey Creek Medicine Garden. Photograph courtesy of the authors.

university faculty, students, and staff , elders from of our dening practices on reservations and among urban In- local Circle of Grandmothers, master gardeners from dian communities. the broader community, as well as representatives from In 2017 Native Horticulture was taught by tribal our local nature preserve and Omaha public schools. community leaders, master gardeners, and three Native Together, we discussed and decided upon where, what, American Studies faculty members: one faculty mem- how, when, and why we cultivated indigenous gardens ber specializing in ecology (housed in the Department in the ways that we did. of Biology), another faculty member specializing in We worked with UNO’s Service Learning Acade- preventive and societal medicine (housed in the De- my to develop a course that could help sustain not only partment of Sociology and Anthropology) and anoth- the UNO Indigenous Garden but also other campus- er specializing in cultural education (housed in Native based gardens throughout the community. Th is service- American Studies). Th e Service Learning Academy pur- learning course, Traditional Ecological Knowledge: chased supplies, supportive books (e.g., Densmore 2012; Native Horticulture, was off ered for the fi rst time in the Kimmerer 2013), garden tools, hoses, seeds, plants, soil, summer of 2017. Native Horticulture is regularly co- bloodmeal, cameras, and a storage unit to keep equip- taught and meets in the UNO garden over the summer ment on site. Students and faculty participating in this term. Traditional agricultural practices, land and water engaged- learning course worked in collaboration with management, and biology of the native fl ora associated the community to develop and maintain a total of fi ve with the Great Plains were explored through an indige- indigenous gardens: three at local elementary schools, nous lens. Native Horticulture students examine various one at a local high school, and one on the UNO campus impacts of colonization on the physical, mental, emo- in conjunction with a local preserve which served as an tional, and spiritual health of the indigenous people of extension site to the university. North America. Th ey also studied the socio- ecological Each of the garden sites grew organically out of con- factors involved in the reemergence of indigenous gar- versations between community and campus representa-

© 2019 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska– Lincoln 112 GREAT PLAINS RESEARCH VOL. 29 NO. 2, 2019 tives. Th e elementary school sites came recommended UNIVERSITY CAMPUS-BASED INDIGENOUS GARDEN by the director of the NICE program as she identifi ed campuses that had the space and administrative support Th e UNO garden attracts various visitors for teaching, to integrate the gardens into campus and community learning, and social gatherings. Th is garden is highly activities. Together with local community, students and traffi cked with visits from campus community mem- teachers planted and cultivated sage and sweetgrass in bers and the general public as people pass by, study, and medicine beds surrounded by mounds of corn, beans, work in the gardens on a daily basis. Having become a and squash on the elementary school campuses. Native point of destination, the garden is a place where people Horticulture students used photo voice methods to doc- gather, tell stories, listen, and learn. ument plants in these gardens and assist in processes Th roughout the summer, small groups in the Native that supported the design, promotion, and management Horticulture class meet regularly at the gardens. Native of other urban gardens. In sharing our work and ideas Horticulture students have participated in hands- on with members of the local Native American Achieve- gardening activities as they studied permaculture prin- ment Council, one of the NICE program high school ciples, horticulture practices, and the ethics of Native teachers (who served on the council and oft en worked Science. Students engaged in relationship- building with with the Service Learning Academy) was particularly plants and peoples in creative place- based projects that supportive of this project. She spearheaded and facilitat- shed light on current issues facing Native American ed the development of an indigenous garden at a local communities. Because Native Horticulture is a service- high school, gaining permission from the school, access learning course, some students visited the garden in- to the land and Native Horticulture and NICE student dependently or in pairs (or small groups) to maintain support to cultivate a food and medicine garden. the garden outside of class time. All Native Horticulture Th e UNO campus garden also sprouted an affi liate students utilized the garden to investigate components garden at Turkey Creek Preserve, a private local preserve of the ecosystem in a holistic approach to sustainable that serves as an extension site to the university. Situated living. Th ey studied weekly course topics, such as Th ree just north of Omaha, this 595- acre preserve of wetland, Sacred Sisters and Four Sacred Medicines; Ceremony, savannah, woodland, lake, creek, and restored prairie Planting, Stories; Tribal Geography; Gardening Prac- habitats is made available to the university for research tices; Spirit of Place; Seasonal Based Horticulture and and teaching. For this project, the Turkey Creek Over- Permaculture; Traditional Ecological Knowledge; Sus- sight Committee collaborated with Native Horticulture tainable Agriculture; Ethics in Native Science; Indig- faculty and students to establish an indigenous medicine enous Research Methods; Teaching Native Science; garden within the preserve’s diverse landscape. Com- Harvest, Food Preparation, Storage, and Recipes. munity members, Native Horticulture students and fac- In the fall and spring, students enrolled in Introduc- ulty and the Turkey Creek Oversight Committee worked tion to Native American Studies classes visit the UNO together to till and design a small medicine wheel plot Indigenous Garden as a whole group, on class fi eld trips. where we planted fl at cedar, sage, sweetgrass, sunfl ow- In class lessons, faculty and students discussed ways of ers, and a red willow tree (Fig. 2). planting, maintaining, harvesting, and using what grows in the garden. Students in Introduction to Native Amer- 2. Suitability for Independent Travelers and ican Studies visited the gardens on an individual basis Small Groups to fulfi ll a course assignment requiring engagement in relevant and meaningful community-based activities Gardens oft en attract a range of tourists as well as reg- outside of class. Th e majority of students took this op- ular local visitors who venture out to sightsee, explore portunity to spend time alone in the garden. In refl ective and learn (Ballantyne, Packer, and Hughes 2008). Our journaling, students reported relaxing and engaging in campus- based indigenous gardens welcomed small contemplative practices and a deeper sense of apprecia- groups for communal gathering and local visitors for tion for the environment and in particular, indigenous independent activities. Below, we highlight some of the plants, cultures, and history. activities of independent visitors and small groups with- At the beginning of each new academic year a in diff erent garden sites. commencement event is held at the UNO Indigenous Garden. At this event, a Native American elder from

© 2019 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska– Lincoln Campus- Based Ecotourism · Regina E. Robbins et al. 113 the community off ers a blessing for the new academic or hold class. Moreover, this garden serves as a satellite year. Students, faculty, and staff unite at the garden to campus for guest lectures. On occasion, the manager welcome the new semester. All sectors across campus, of Turkey Creek Preserve will meet with small groups including deans, department chairs, and even the chan- of students to introduce them to the history of Turkey cellor are invited to share in a humble ceremony for a Creek Preserve, the flora and fauna on the grounds blessed new year. Undergraduate and graduate students and her vision for the ecosystem. Native Horticulture join with faculty and staff in sharing positive intentions students have worked and studied at this garden. Be- and making commitments to one another to cultivate a yond that, this site is a place visited by the Turkey Creek good year. During the ceremony, medicine plants har- Oversight Committee, researchers and those who live vested from the garden (sweetgrass and sage) are used and work at Turkey Creek Preserve. Here, individuals to smudge those that gather at the garden as a way of spend time in the gardens and commune with local and sending up prayers. indigenous fl ora and fauna.

3. Interpretation of the Natural and Cultural ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAMPUS- BASED Heritage of the Destination to Visitors INDIGENOUS GARDENS Campus- based indigenous gardens create a point of One of the NICE elementary schools invited a local destination where diverse people and fields of study artist to build a sculpture in the form of a turtle’s back intersect to learn more about indigenous ways of being. along with a medicine wheel circled by bench seats. Interactions with the gardens off er us place- based ways Th e turtle’s back and the benches serve as a gathering of handling, perceiving, valuing, caring for, interpreting, place for NICE students and parents as well as Native and preserving natural and cultural heritage. Students American Studies faculty and students as they work in from across disciplines enrolled in Native Horticulture small groups at the gardens. A small group of 20 people worked together as they dig into and study the garden attended the inaugural blessing ceremony where a La- soil and plants, shared in Native American storytelling kota elder prayed and shared cultural teachings about and listening, learned new languages, and facilitated the environment in relation to language. Th is garden culture- based elementary school lessons. The Native became a learning landscape where community teach- Horticulture course was taught in a hybrid fashion, in- ers, students, and families gathered to develop and de- cluding time and eff ort requirements both online and liver both cultural and academic curriculum. Together in person. Students in the Native Horticulture course with Native Horticulture students and faculty, NICE developed knowledge and skills from across disciplines pre-kindergarten students and teachers have used these to help them meet the following learning objectives: gardens as labs, planting and studying indigenous crops (corn, beans, and squash), learning indigenous lan- • Understand the cultural importance of collaborative guages and identifying plants in tribal languages, and and sustainable practices and shared curation of indig- observing the land through the seasons to understand enous gardens agricultural ways, traditional stories, and practices. • Recognize and acknowledge ethical and sustainable practices in gardening • Use the skills, tools, and concepts developed in this TURKEY CREEK PRESERVE INDIGENOUS GARDEN course to apply critical self- refl ection regarding Native horticulture and traditional ecological practices Turkey Creek Preserve works in collaboration with numerous local organizations (e.g., Nebraska Wildlife Exploring the customs and stories along with the Rehabilitation, Fontenelle Forest Nature Center, etc.) as ecology and horticultural science of planting and grow- well as the Department of Biology and the Native Amer- ing food and medicine helps students understand the ican Studies program at UNO. UNO’s special partner- values that surround the land, culture, and crops. Plant- ship with Turkey Creek Preserve opens up access for ing Native corn, beans, squash, and sunfl owers helped students to meet at the preserve to participate in cere- familiarize students with a crop management system monies, attend wildlife research update meetings, and/ and traditional agricultural practices of Native people.

By experimenting with an indigenous garden, students Dakota, Lakota, Ponca, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, Kiowa, were able to watch, fi rsthand, how crops respond to be- Pawnee, and Winnebago are among those who used ing planted together (as an ecological community) and sweetgrass as medicine (Gilmore 1991). Community learn the importance of plant diversity. members, visitors, gardeners, faculty, and students alike Each of the indigenous gardens planted across Oma- learned that sweetgrass can be burned, used in infusions ha includes the four sisters: corn, beans, squash, and or in salves, or kept in medicine bags for protection, sunfl owers. Each garden is home to diff erent varieties cleansing, or healing of diff erent ailments. Th ey of corn, all from heritage seed stock. Regular visitors discovered that burning braided and dried sweetgrass observed how the functional diversity of the four sisters or bundled sage is a common practice among Native works together as its own nurturing community. Corn peoples. Th ey learned to braid sweetgrass. Th ey learned was planted fi rst to grow and give the vines of the bean to bundle sage. Th ey were also taught that sage could be a place to purchase. Th e beans in turn gave the tall corn- used in teas, poultices, or salves. Some visitors may have stalks greater fortitude in the wind. Beans were also ni- had a fi rsthand experience with the distinct scent or feel trogen fi xers, providing essential nutrients for the corn or even smoke of both sweetgrass and sage. For others, and surrounding plants. Squash grew prostrate with infographic fl yers and other informational materials large leaves that shade the soil, keeping the soil moist were created by Native Horticulture students and faculty by preventing rapid evaporation. Sunfl owers were plant- to distribute on-site to help visitors understand these ed around the garden as a windbreak. Th e gardens teach plants and point out their ceremonial uses. us about how the four sisters provide a large range of nutrients necessary for human survival. Corn provides 4. Active Contributions to the Preservation of carbohydrates, beans proteins, squash vitamins and Cultural and Natural Heritage minerals, and sunfl ower seeds provide proteins and fats. Each garden is also home to many medicine plants Jeannette C. Armstrong (Syilx/Okanagan Nation) ex- that are used in ceremony, such as sage and sweetgrass. plains “my own father told me that it was the land that Th e UNO garden contains fl at cedar, lavender, prairie changed the language because there is special knowl- grasses, aronia (chokeberry), red willow, several variet- edge in each diff erent place. All my elders say that it is ies of wildfl owers, and gourds. Native Horticulture stu- land that holds all knowledge of life and death and is dents were introduced to Native Science and cultural a constant teacher” (Macfarlane and Ruff o 2015, 146). aspects regarding the planting, caring, and harvesting of Beck and Somerville (2002) maintain that an embodied these indigenous garden plants, including how the dif- presence in the landscape, such as that which is cultivat- ferent plants are used in traditional and medicinal ways. ed in an indigenous garden, is essential to understand- Native Horticulture curriculum included biology texts ing indigenous stories and seeing the landscape in new that introduced the scientifi c names of plants as well as ways. Native American peoples have survived forced University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Science Edu- relocation, boarding schools, systemic racism, and bro- cation Partnership Award (SEPA) Ethnobotany Study ken treaties, and have overcome the disinheritance of Book that presented the local names in tribal languages land, knowledge, culture, community, and food. One including Omaha, Dakota, and Ho- Chunk. way we see the manifestations of Native American re- Th ose working in the gardens were introduced to the silience is in the many community- based indigenous many uses of the medicine plants of the Great Plains gardens that are popping up in urban and tribal lands. (e.g., sage, sweetgrass, tobacco, and cedar). Students and Th ese gardens create opportunities for Native peoples visitors were taught to off er tobacco before planting, and their supporters to reclaim land, learn traditional transplanting, or harvesting as a way of remembering knowledge, share meals with traditional food, and ex- our connection to Creation and honoring a reciprocal perience physical and spiritual healing through the sus- relationship with creation. Tribes of the Great Plains tenance provided from the harvest of knowledge, food, have used sweetgrass and sage ceremonially since time and friendships (Mundel and Chapman 2010). immemorial, oft en smudging with sage and sweetgrass (and cedar) when off ering blessings for the gardens. As cultural landscapes reclaiming indigenous Students learned that sweetgrass is a widely used lands, crops, sense of place and community, medicine among tribes of the Great Plains. Th e Omaha,

community gardens play a strong role in decol- heritage in an informal way. In more formal ways, the onization for Native American and First Nations gardens serve as a place that can connect curriculum peoples. Th at is, community gardens can promote to practice. Examples of this can be found in the inte- the restoration of local food economies and food gration of the UNO Indigenous Garden into academ- sovereignty for native peoples, encourage a re- ic coursework as well as pedagogical conferences and vival of healthier traditional foods and diet and teacher education classes that reach beyond the Native reinvigorate numerous complex and ecologically Horticulture service- learning course. sustainable indigenous agricultural practices and Drawn to the attraction of the campus- based in- systems. Th ey also allow native gardeners to re- digenous garden, Omaha Public Schools, for example, connect with the earth and plants, to revive cul- hosted their Indigenous Immersion Day for Teachers tural teachings for health and healing, and to re- at UNO. Organizers planned an environmental nature inforce a holistic sense of identity and being with walk and guided tour through the UNO garden as part the land. (Walter 2013) of the conference agenda. Students and educators from other academic programs, such as UNMC’s Summer Campus- based gardens have bloomed into a natural Health Professions Education Program, the NICE sum- and cultural resource in the Omaha community. Th e mer STEAM program, and various summer institutes architectural elements and the specifi c crops planted to have also gathered at the gardens for lessons. grow in these gardens express and reinforce particular Furthermore, a group of approximately 10 preservice Native American cultural identities and have the capacity early childhood educators met at the UNO Indigenous to teach these to others. Native cultural identities and Garden for a special class that involved a guest lecture by traditions are refl ected in the medicine wheel design of Native Horticulture faculty and a community member the gardens, the agricultural and horticulture practices and fellow gardener. During this time, students gently employed, and the crops planted and growing. Moreover, walked around the garden as they were taught the Lako- relationships have sprouted between each garden and ta design of the medicine wheel, the prayer fl ags and the local community organizations and individuals that are garden beds. Native Horticulture faculty described the teaching and learning how to support Native American plants and how they were planted according to where peoples and their ways of being, knowing, and doing. they were from in relation to the garden. For example, Th e fact that each garden is located on an academic Cherokee corn was planted in the south quadrant, Man- campus creates infi nite opportunities for community dan corn was planted in the north quadrant, Cheyenne members, educators, and students alike to actively and Arapaho corn was planted in the west quadrant, engage in the gardens and use the gardens as resources and Ponca corn was planted in the east quadrant (Fig. to help preserve the cultural and natural heritage of 3). Students made connections between the gardens and indigenous peoples and places. their work in the fi eld of education, explaining that the From an indigenous worldview, sacred sites are not garden is home to stories, and story sharing is one of specifi c locations with delineated space. In fact, we do many indigenous pedagogical approaches. Native Hor- not view the campus-based gardens as places defi ned ticulture faculty also introduced students to the con- simply by the boundaries of the rocks outlining the cept of traditional ecological knowledge and shared a medicine wheel, but as cultural landscapes that extend handout with students that included Robin Kimmerer’s beyond pinpoint- able physical, spatial locations. Th ese explanation of the rules of an honorable harvest. Th is cultural landscapes include plants, animals, sound, light, included the following excerpt from the book Braiding and other sometimes intangible features as understood Sweetgrass: through indigenous cultures and languages that bring that space to life. Native peoples’ special relationship 1. Know the ways of the ones that take care of you so that with the land and sacred sites, or even campus-based in- you may take care of them. digenous garden sites, may be understood or described 2. Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who or expressed through tribal language, songs, prayers, comes asking for life. stories, dress, ceremonies, place names, and more. In this sense, the relationships between the garden sites 3. Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer. and visitors express and teach both cultural and natural 4. Never take the fi rst. Never take the last.

Fig. 3. Corn. Photograph courtesy of the authors.

5. Take only what you need. lationship with the place, can develop a better under- 6. Take only that which is given. standing of the life process of humans and plants and fl owers and vegetables. Both western science and tra- 7. Never take more than half. Leave some for others. ditional knowledge can contribute toward the preser- 8. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm. vation of natural and cultural heritage. Human culture and horticulture share a life process that can be taught 9. Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken. and learned through the arts and sciences. Walter (2013) 10. Share. explains that learning in indigenous gardens can be con- structive, collaborative, synergistic, and transformative. 11. Give thanks for what you have been given. 12. Give a gift , in reciprocity, for what you have taken. 5. Promotion of Local and Indigenous 13. Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will Communities’ Well- Being last forever. (Kimmerer 2013, 183) Students were invited to harvest from the garden, Numerous scholars have established the importance of keeping these lessons in mind. Th is experience off ered community gardens as sites of multicultural learning for a practical, hands-on approach to teaching traditional marginalized peoples, demonstrating that engagement ecological knowledge and principles that sustain Native with community gardens can inspire social and envi- lifeways. Walking through a garden, developing a re- ronmental justice (Walter 2013). Visitors to the gardens

Fig. 4. Children of the Selu. Photograph courtesy of the authors. report strong positive emotions toward the place, the ty advocacy eff orts and support public health initiatives plants, and the harvest; students’ reflections on their by promoting nutrition and physical activity (Twiss et interactions with the gardens have included the follow- al. 2003). A community- based approach to ecotourism ing descriptive words: power, perspective, appreciation, recognizes the need to promote both the quality of life mindfulness, peace, calm, beauty, etc. Th ose who work of people and the conservation of resources (Scheyvens together in the indigenous gardens share lived experi- 1999). Below are a few examples of how our indigenous ences and become part of a collective that explores both gardens supported both of these eff orts through the arts. self- and group identity. Th is “cultural code of collective identity” inspired by participation in community gardens can promote Native American culture through VISUAL ARTS indigenous design, food, medicine, ceremonies, rituals, and shared beliefs in place (Walter 2013). A local art exhibition, INDIGENIST, co- curated by Indigenous gardens are a source of not only food but fellow gardeners, shared Native American women’s also health (Walter 2013). A literature review of collab- perspectives on health advocacy during Native Heri- orative work in indigenous community gardens sug- tage Month in 2017. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, over gests that teaching and learning in community gardens 100 people came out to an Omaha art gallery to see the have not only intellectual but also spiritual and physical works of 10 intergenerational and intertribal Native benefi ts (Walter 2013). Moreover, community gardens American women who created and showcased artworks have the capacity to build social capital for communi- that shared their stories of health advocacy through

© 2019 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska– Lincoln 118 GREAT PLAINS RESEARCH VOL. 29 NO. 2, 2019 poetry, paintings, sculptures, dolls, shawls, moccasins, in meals that are grown and prepared by hand can build and more. feelings of solidarity and common humanity (Flammang One of the pieces exhibited in INDIGENIST, Chil- 2009), instructors of the Native Horticulture class held dren of the Selu, incorporated seven dolls made from a feast day for the fi nal class. Students and faculty and the sweetgrass and Cherokee corn that grew in the UNO community members reunited to celebrate their work Indigenous Garden (Fig. 4). In the work’s abstract, the and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Together they share artist described the creative process: “I had never made homemade food prepared with crops harvested from dolls before. But, knowing that my ancestors did, made the gardens along with creative and intellectual harvests it all seem possible. I took only what was off ered to me— of ideas, art, lesson plans, and so on. Indigenous gardens a little at a time— I learned to embrace the uncertainty create opportunities for people from all backgrounds to of the process and with help from my ancestors and help work and learn together as they grow, harvest, and pre- from our Creator, the dolls took life.” Th e dolls were a pare foods and nourishment in ways that support tradi- product of community collaboration in the UNO Indig- tional Native American lifeways. enous Garden; the artist explained, “together with fam- ily, faculty, students and local community members,” the Cherokee corn was “planted, protected, watered, EDUCATIONAL ARTS weeded, cared for and cultivated” (INDIGENIST Exhib- it 2017). Th e artist described how even aft er the course During our fi nal harvest day, Native Horticulture stu- was over, her relationship with the garden on campus dents shared not only food but also knowledge. Stu- continued, stating “I visited the gardens regularly this dents presented teaching lessons that they have created Fall—off ered tobacco, prayed . . . and gave thanks.” (IN- with respect for indigenous teaching methods and in- DIGENIST Exhibit 2017). digenous gardening practices. In 2017 some students presented songs and games, while others shared stories that integrate Native languages or involved science CULINARY ARTS experiments. One student presented a contemplative teaching lesson and brought the whole class back into As Wilson explained (2005), the strategies developed the garden to sit, be still, witness, notice, and listen. As by indigenous people of North America toward decol- a whole, 2017 Native Horticulture students, faculty, and onization and empowerment must be distinctly specifi c community members collaborated to create an Indige- to the guiding ways that sustained them for thousands nous Gardens Coloring Book, which can now be used in of years. Roxanne Swentzell (2014) exemplifi es this by NICE program classes and beyond (Fig. 5). Th is book bringing back traditional food as an act of reclaiming chronicles the planting, growing, and community of her Native American Pueblo culture and creating de- the four sisters and serves as a teaching tool that will fenses against threats to the importance of food sover- continue to reconnect future students to place and to eignty, eating in connection to place, and feasting and all the teaching that may come from spending time in sharing (Gomez 2016). Swentzell initiated the Pueblo relationship with the gardens. Food Experience within her community to promote health and wellness; she conducted a small experiment with a group of Pueblo peoples who committed to eat Conclusions a precontact diet for three months. Th ey found reduc- tions in participants’ symptoms of diabetes, heart dis- Saldivar-Tanaka and Krasny (2004) describe communi- ease, obesity, high blood pressure, allergies, and fatigue ty gardens as not only producers of food and medicine (Swentzell 2014). but also participatory landscapes that invite people to Students enrolled in the Native Horticulture course engage in social, educational, and cultural activities. at UNO were introduced to the Pueblo Food Experience Walton and Sweeney (2014) argue that campus land- and asked to choose a recipe from an indigenous diet, scapes physically embody institutional values. Our make it, try it, and share it with others. Th ey were later campus- based gardens are a testament to the many ways asked to discuss their experiences with peers and share in which the engagement of the campus community and what they have learned. Aware of the fact that sharing outside visitors with indigenous gardens can promote

Fig. 5. The Indigenous Garden Coloring Book. Image courtesy of the authors.

local ecotourism by raising awareness of local Native theory in the “Declaration on Ecotourism,” illuminat- cultures and lifeways in a place-based way of bringing ing how service learning can support intentional inclu- diverse peoples, perspectives, practices, and pedago- sion of local and indigenous communities in planning, gies together. Indigenous gardens draw attention to life development, and implementation of campus-based growing and lives working in ways that speak to the indigenous gardens that educate individuals and small contemporary relevance of Native lifeways and values. groups by interpreting and preserving natural and cul- We found that analysis of this case validated the tural heritage and promoting well-being among local

© 2019 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska– Lincoln 120 GREAT PLAINS RESEARCH VOL. 29 NO. 2, 2019 and indigenous communities. Th e main conclusion of Regina E. Robbins (regina .robbins @unmc .edu), College of this article is that campus-based indigenous gardens are Public Health, Department of Health Promotion, University a form of ecotourism that can contribute to maintain- of Nebraska Medical Center, 984365 Nebraska Medical Cen- ing the indigenous character of rapidly urbanizing rural ter, Omaha, NE 68198- 4365 landscapes through education and community engage- Travis R. Robbins (trobbins2 @unomaha.edu), University of ment with gardens. Th is fi nding may be useful informa- Nebraska Omaha, College of Arts and Sciences, Department tion to academics, horticulturists, artists, policy makers, of Biology, 6001 Dodge Street, AH 114, Omaha, NE 68182 and tribal administrators in their eff orts to preserve not Mark Frailey (mfrailey @unomaha .edu), University of Ne- only landscapes but also cultures. braska Omaha, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of We hope that this case study examining the theory Sociology and Anthropology, 6001 Dodge Street, ASH 383, of ecotourism adds a better understanding of ecotour- Omaha, NE 68182 ism dynamics to the literature base, and, most impor- tantly, serves to contribute to planning, management, and decision- making regarding ecotourism. 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