Reestablishing Roots of a Mohawk Community and a Culturally Significant Plant: Sweetgrass Daniela J. Shebitz1,2 and Robin W. Kimmerer3 Abstract ryegrass resulted in reduced Sweetgrass growth and repro- The restoration potential of Sweetgrass (Anthoxanthum duction. The results of this field experiment indicate that nitens (Weber) Y. Schouten & Veldkamp) was evaluated there is great restoration potential for Sweetgrass because it is easily transplanted and reproduces vigorously. For through a field experiment conducted on Kanatsiohareke, 2 a Mohawk farm, and at the LaFayette Experiment Station 2.25-m plots, Hairy vetch is an effective cover crop for near Syracuse, New York. The effects of competition re- Sweetgrass. Planting the Sweetgrass with Hairy vetch gen- duction and two cover crops on Sweetgrass reestablish- erated properties of the grass that are desired by basket- ment success were examined. Sweetgrass was planted makers, such as abundance and tall blades. This technique under four treatments: Sweetgrass alone; with existing, also allowed for a relatively non–labor intensive method old-field vegetation; with a cover crop of Hairy vetch of cultivation. Reestablishment of Sweetgrass offers the (Vicia villosa); and with a cover crop of Annual (Italian) members and visitors of Kanatsiohareke the means to ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum). The experiment consisted continue to use the plant, strengthen traditional practices of five replicates of the four treatments at both LaFayette associated with Sweetgrass, and benefit economically by and Kanatsiohareke. Sweetgrass biomass, height, repro- selling baskets and medicine made with Sweetgrass. duction rate, and survivorship were greatest in plots that were weeded to eliminate competition and in plots with Key words: Anthoxanthum nitens, basketry, cover crops, Hairy vetch as a cover crop. A cover crop of Annual Hierochloe odorata, Iroquois, Sweetgrass. Introduction Shebitz & Kimmerer 2004). Although it is most frequently The very identity of cultures, the traditions, and lifestyles used by indigenous people as a ceremonial smudge and of the people are often based on their use of plants. The incense or medicine (English 1982; Kavasch & Barr current decline in biological diversity will therefore invari- 1999), its predominant use among the Haudenosaunee ably influence cultures themselves (Minnis 2000). As such, (Ho-de-no-sau-nee), or the Iroquois Confederacy of the preservation of cultural diversity and biodiversity is in- Nations, is in basketry (Benedict 1983; Moerman 1998). extricably linked. For example, the grass prairies and sav- The study presented in this article was conducted with annas that once existed throughout the forest regions of members of the Mohawk Nation of the Haudenosaunee the northeastern United States have historically been im- who are familiar with the use of Sweetgrass in basketry. portant sources of plant materials for native cultures. Tra- Haudenosaunee basket-making traditions have undergone ditions associated with these plant materials are now an evolution in form, purpose, and use, growing from early threatened, however, because many of these areas are now utilitarian forms to intricate, ornate baskets (Benedict mostly limited to waste areas, roadsides, railroad beds, and 1983; Lauersons 1996). Although members of all Haude- beach ridges in parks and nature preserves (Dickerson nosaunee Nations have historically produced baskets, it is et al. 1997). Restoring the land and plants that were a part predominately the Mohawks and some Seneca people of the ‘‘precontact’’ Northeast assists in the restoration of who continue the tradition today (Lauersons 1996). The the cultural identity of the people who lived off of that revenue generated from Sweetgrass baskets has, and con- land (Martinez 1993). tinues to, ‘‘put bread and butter on the table’’ (Benedict & Sweetgrass (Anthoxanthum nitens (Weber) Y. Schouten David 2000) because people either make a living or sup- & Veldkamp [¼Hierochloe odorata (L.) P. Beauv]) is one plement their income by selling their crafts (Lauersons example of a culturally significant plant that is reportedly 1996; Benedict & David 2000). declining in traditional gathering sites (Lauersons 1996; One location in which Sweetgrass baskets are currently sold is on a Mohawk farm, approximately 50 miles west of Albany, New York. The efforts of the farming community, 1 College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98103, U.S.A. known as Kanatsiohareke (Ga no jo ha lay:gay), are dedi- 2 Address correspondence to D. J. Shebitz, email [email protected] cated to the revitalization of their culture and economy. 3 Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, College of Environmental Although Kanatsiohareke offers the opportunity for Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY 13210, U.S.A. Haudenosaunee from throughout New York to sell their Ó 2005 Society for Ecological Restoration International crafts, there is little opportunity for baskets to be made JUNE 2005 Restoration Ecology Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 257–264 257 Reestablishing a Community and Sweetgrass on the premises due to the absence of the required plants. The hypotheses tested in this study are as follows: The goal of Thomas Porter, the Director of Kanatsioha- reke, is to reintroduce plants that have always played a signif- (1) Sweetgrass can be successfully transplanted for icant role in the Mohawk lifestyle in order to restore the restoration. cultural values and traditions that are associated with those (2) Sweetgrass survival and rates of reproduction and plants. Traditional crafts made from locally grown plants can growth are dependent upon the level of competition. strengthen the community both by preserving traditional art (3) Sweetgrass survival and rates of reproduction and forms, such as basketry, and by providing a means of income. growth are influenced by the presence of cover crops. Growing culturally significant plants on the premises also helps the community financially by reducing the expenses required to travel to obtain resources (T. Porter 2001, Direc- tor Kanatsiohareke, personal communication). Methods In recent interviews, Haudenosaunee basketmakers and A field experiment was designed to determine if Sweet- herbalists who use Sweetgrass in their medicine shared grass could be reintroduced successfully at Kanatsiohareke their belief that Sweetgrass once grew along the Mohawk and to evaluate the effect of competitors on its growth and River valley near what is now Kanatsiohareke (Shebitz reproduction in garden-sized plots. Sweetgrass was also 2001). Today, the closest area to Kanatsiohareke from grown in combination with Annual ryegrass (Lolium mul- which Sweetgrass is harvested in large quantities is near tiflorum) and Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) to assess the use the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, located on the border of cover crops in alleviating competition. The experiment of northern New York (near Massena) and Canada, was replicated at the LaFayette Experiment Station near approximately 325 km from Kanatsiohareke. Although Syracuse, New York. Sweetgrass occurs naturally at Akwesasne and the sur- rounding areas, it is becoming more difficult to locate, and gatherers believe that its population is declining (Lauersons Description of Species: Sweetgrass, Anthoxanthum Nitens 1996). There is a concern among Haudenosaunee basket- (Weber) Y. Schouten & Veldkamp makers and herbalists that the decline in Sweetgrass is Sweetgrass is a perennial grass that occurs in a wide variety due to competition with non-native plants (Shebitz 2001). of habitats including moist meadows, riverbanks, forest Because the resources are becoming increasingly inacces- edges, low prairies, wetlands, shorelines, roadsides, and sible, basketry traditions are threatened. The continuance other disturbed areas (Walsh 1994; Lynch & Lupfer 1995; of cultural traditions is dependent upon access to plant Small & Catling 1999). It is a midsuccessional species, typi- resources. If the materials that are essential to customs cally found among other grasses, herbs, or shrubs and cannot be obtained, the tradition may die (Martinez 1992; rarely occurs in pure stands (Small & Catling 1999; Greene Anderson 1996). 2000; Winslow 2000). The species requires partial to full Small and Catling (1999) propose that ‘‘there is poten- sunlight and therefore is not common in areas that have tial for increased cultivation of sweet grass in support of a dense canopy (Lynch & Lupfer 1995). It generally grows native culture and handicraft production .’’ (71). For the in soil with a pH between 5.7 and 7.4 (USDA NRCS 1999). Mohawks of Kanatsiohareke, growing Sweetgrass on the Reproduction in Sweetgrass primarily occurs vegeta- farm would reintroduce not only its beauty and heritage tively, through its numerous slender rhizomes from which (Dickerson et al. 1997) to the Mohawk Valley but also shallow roots arise (Lynch & Lupfer 1995; Small & give the community the means to continue to use the Catling 1999; Greene 2000). Sexual reproduction is rare in plant, strengthen traditional practices associated with this species because fewer than 5% of the fresh seeds are Sweetgrass, and benefit economically by selling baskets. fertile (Lynch & Lupfer 1995). Sweetgrass propagation is accomplished through the separation of the rhizomes of an adult plant followed by the planting of the tillers indi- Objectives and Hypotheses vidually (Greene 2000; Winslow 2000). Its rapid vegetative This project is intended