John Dugan enjoys his new trailer which will be used for storage and transport of produce harvested from Kituwah, the Cherokee mother town.
John Dugan, a farmer from Cherokee, NC, was recently awarded a valuable new asset for his produce stand: a roomy, climate-controlled trailer he can haul behind his truck to keep produce fresh in transport. The traveling produce stand will allow John and fellow farmers to transport larger quantities of their goods to various locations while keeping them fresh in the summer heat. He and others from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) grow their vegetables at Kituwah, the Cherokee mother town. Not only is Kituwah Mound a prominent site where medicine keepers keep an eternal flame lit inside the council houses, but the mother town itself dates back nearly 10,000 years and is known by all three Cherokee tribes as their place of origin.
John grew up just down the road from Kituwah and loves working the land in the beautiful setting. He notes the Kituwah wasn’t always farmed by the EBCI community, referring to the century and a half that the site was under the control of private non-tribal ownership. In 1996, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians purchased back 300 acres of their mother land and began to revive their traditions on the land. Returning to gathering, enjoying, and farming this land holds special meaning for members of the EBCI.
The Sacred Value of the Land at Mother Town
Agriculture is a way of life for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians that reconnects people to their land and community.
Joey Owle, Secretary of Agriculture & Natural Resources for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and a graduate of the NC State Master’s of Crop Science program with a focus in sustainable agriculture, prizes the Kituwah agricultural community and land as “a place of gathering, recreating, and spiritual connectivity for our community members and our neighbors in the region. I second John’s view that it is an extraordinarily beautiful landscape with tremendous cultural importance to the EBCI.”
During his several summers gardening at Kituwah with a youth program, Mr. Owle had his “own unique, special experiences at Kituwah that affirmed… the presence of our ancestors and its importance for preserving and using this property. Being on the landscape and working the ground on which generations of my ancestors called home since time immemorial continues to be some of my fondest memories.”
John expresses deep gratitude to EMFS and to Kenny Greene of Riverside Trailers and Truckbeds for their help in procuring the state-of-the-art trailer. His enthusiasm for growing food in Kituwah is clear and we hope to taste some of his harvest this summer!