TUES: Culture, Gardens & Equity - Pollinator Power Party 2022. Online registration by Cvent

When you think of pollinators, do you think of equity? The people most likely to be impacted by pollinator loss are those with the fewest resources available for alternatives to pollinated foods and medicines, making pollinator health a human equity issue.

We invite you to join us as we open this day with a blessing from a Tribal elder, and hear about cultural traditions and equity related to communities and gardening. We will explore the conservation of Cherokee culture through the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank, and learn about efforts to improve equity in Oakland, California through efforts to improve pollinator habitat in the city.

Please share pictures of your family’s gardening activities or cultural traditions using #PowerInPollinators

Opening Blessing & Song

Tina Orduno Calderon, Tribal Elder

Tina Orduno Calderon is a Culture Bearer of Gabrielino Tongva, Chumash and Yoeme decent. She is wife, mother, grandmother, sister and auntie to many. Tina is a singer who also enjoys creative writing and composing poems and songs. To date she has composed over a dozen songs in her ancestral languages of Tongvé and Chumash.

Additionally, Tina is a traditional dancer and storyteller who strongly believes in honoring her ancestors by sharing their history, educating others about Indigenous truths and inspiring others to respect the land, waters, sacred elements and environment.

Tora Rocha, Pollinator Posse

The Pollinator Posse, located in Oakland California, is “Creating Pollinator Habitat through the Urban Jungle”

Tora is an expert in landscape design and gardening for pollinators, with over 40 years of experience. She previously worked as the Parks Supervisor at Lake Merritt. She is passionate about pollinator conservation, which lead her to co-found The Pollinator Posse, a group dedicated to education and
outreach about the importance of native bees, and how to garden in ways that protect these important insects. She recently received a Jefferson Award for public service in the Bay Area.

The Pollinator Posse creates pollinator-friendly landscaping and fosters appreciation of local ecosystems through outreach and education in the urban and highly diverse communities in Oakland, CA. With eco-friendly landscape techniques at the heart of their work, they teach respect for the creatures which keep Northern California blooming. Pollinator Posse envisions a day when life-enhancing, thought-inspiring green spaces will grace every corner of Northern California and the world.

Feather Smith, Cherokee Nation Seed Bank

Feather Smith has been with Cherokee Nation Seed Bank in Oklahoma since 2007. She worked as a tour guide in the Diligwa Village at the Cherokee Heritage Center until 2015. She then served as a cultural biologist before becoming the current Ethnobiology Manager with the Secretary of Natural Resources Office. As the Ethnobiology Manager, she oversees the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank, and helps care for The Cherokee Nation Heirloom Garden and Native Plant Site. Feather has a Bachelor of Science in Fish and Wildlife Biology from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK.

The Cherokee Nation Heirloom Garden and Native Plant Site was initially created to preserve Cherokee heirloom seeds unique to the tribe. After the preservation of heirlooms was underway, it was natural to start adding a variety of culturally important native plants to the site as well. This provides a great opportunity for Cherokees to continue the traditions of our ancestors and elders, as well as educate our youth in Cherokee culture. These plants represent centuries of Cherokee cultural/agricultural history.

Cherokees become the first US-based tribe to deposit traditional heirloom seeds in the Arctic vault - CNN

Seed Bank Helps Preserve Cherokee Culture Through Traditional Foods : The Salt : NPR