ROWEN’S STORY
Hi, I’m Rowen.
I was born in a swirling blizzard in the fall of 1979, one of two twins named after the snow and wild breath of winter. My Mohawk name is Kanienten:hawi ( “she brings the snow”), a gift from my paternal grandmother who is now one of my most treasured ancestors.
I’m a farmer, seedkeeper, garden mentor, published author, creative intuitive, mother, wife, orator and storyteller, facilitator and strategic leadership guide, and lifelong learner. I am from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne and a passionate activist for indigenous seed and food sovereignty. Our family resides on a beautiful seed sanctuary farm in Northern California. I am the founder and Creative Director of Sierra Seeds which serves a wide and diverse community, and I also cultivate programs specifically for indigenous communities through our non-profit sister program, Indigenous Seedkeepers Network.
I believe that cultivating a culture of belonging needs to be at the heart of food systems change, inviting a diversity of perspectives and voices, cosmologies and values. I believe that food is deeply healing and that when we restore our relationships with our ancestral foods, they help us recalibrate our deep internal knowing of who we are, and this is one of the greatest anecdotes to the diaspora of disconnection that is creating so much ecological and social chaos in these time.
In the age of the increasing industrialization of our food and the erosion of biodiversity within cultural contexts, I am continuing to develop a body of work to guide and mentor mindful eaters and food/seed sovereignty leaders in their capacity to lead, vision and nourish with integrity and deep rooted transformation at the very center.
The Soil I am rooted in…
I have a deep reverent love for the earth as a woman who has apprenticed herself to the divine life-cycles of the seeds and seasons as a farmer and seedkeeper.
I come from a long line of people who love to describe the world around us; through writing, oration and storytelling and visual art I have found a pathway home to a sense of purpose and place as a modern indigenous woman.
I have a deep love for asking provoking questions that help facilitate community conversations as we work towards cultivating ways and means of nourishing ourselves that align with our cultural values.
I have a deep passion in teaching and mentoring, developing many curricula that focus on holistic, indigenous approach to food systems revitalization which honors the many layers of food and seed culture with guiding principles that are rooted in an indigenous ecology of relations.
I am honored to work creatively alongside so many hopeful people in this time to reseed imaginations of what is possible on this beautiful earth we inhabit. I am here today making my life into a love poem and an honoring song for all that has been given to me. I am rehydrating ancestral memory with my storytelling and writing, and my life feels centered in purpose to be a responsible descendent and a good future ancestor.
I believe through the power of cultivating creative supportive learning spaces and circles, we can work together to seed the change for a more equitable and beautiful food system that centers around a deep sense of belonging and connection.
The Soil I am rooted in…
I have a deep reverent love for the earth as a woman who has apprenticed herself to the divine life-cycles of the seeds and seasons as a farmer and seedkeeper.
I come from a long line of people who love to describe the world around us; through writing, oration and storytelling and visual art I have found a pathway home to a sense of purpose and place as a modern indigenous woman.
I have a deep love for asking provoking questions that help facilitate community conversations as we work towards cultivating ways and means of nourishing ourselves that align with our cultural values.
I have a deep passion in teaching and mentoring, developing many curricula that focus on holistic, indigenous approach to food systems revitalization which honors the many layers of food and seed culture with guiding principles that are rooted in an indigenous ecology of relations.
I am honored to work creatively alongside so many hopeful people in this time to reseed imaginations of what is possible on this beautiful earth we inhabit. I am here today making my life into a love poem and an honoring song for all that has been given to me. I am rehydrating ancestral memory with my storytelling and writing, and my life feels centered in purpose to be a responsible descendent and a good future ancestor.
I believe through the power of cultivating creative supportive learning spaces and circles, we can work together to seed the change for a more equitable and beautiful food system that centers around a deep sense of belonging and connection.
I uncovered my love for ancestral seeds at 17, and have followed the breadcrumbs of my curiosity to know the foods and seeds that fed my ancestors, and apprenticed myself to the seeds themselves in hopes that they might help me to find my way home to a greater since of place in this world. This has informed my body of work that I carry into my mentorship, facilitation, online courses and writing.
I am a part of a growing movement to reconnect and rematriate seeds and humans back to the local land, cultivating resilience that will allow us to thrive in the seasons to come. Integral to a more just and beautiful food system is the way we rehydrate and integrate our cultural memories and stories, and how we regain a sense of who we are as a multitude of cultures through our foods and seeds.
I look forward to growing alongside you as we move on our path towards dignified resurgence. I have no greater joy in this world than to care for people who care for seeds and food, and to help others find their voice and their seeds for their ancestral bundles, as we move along the path towards being good future ancestors and responsible descendents.