Cherokee Nation accepting applications for Heirloom seeds

The Cherokee Nation will begin taking applications for a limited supply of heirloom seeds for tribal citizens interested in growing traditional Cherokee crops and plants.

Due to the overwhelming demand for heirloom seeds, participants for this year’s program will be chosen through a random draw, ensuring fairness and equal opportunity for all applicants. The Cherokee Nation Seed Bank is not subject to any residency requirements, and applications are open to all Cherokee Nation citizens.

The Cherokee Nation Seed Bank will be accepting applications through March 4.

The available seeds for 2025 include multiple types of corn, gourds, squash and beans, as well as seeds for pumpkin, Trail of Tears beads and tobacco.

There are also seeds available for numerous types of native plants, including American Basket Flower, Blue Wild Indigo, Compass Plant, Cutleaf Coneflower, Green Dragon, Hearts-a-Burstin, Jewelweed, New Jersey Tea, Passionflower, Purple Coneflower, Rattlesnake Master, Sunchoke, Trumpet Vine, and Wild Sienna.

Seed packages can be requested online through the Gadugi Portal by visiting https://gadugiportal.cherokee. org. Applicants should choose six varieties, ranked in order of preference from most to least preferred.

Once selected at random, applicants will receive two seed varieties based on their preferences and availability. If any of the selected varieties are depleted, Seed Bank staff will choose alternative varieties based on available inventory.

The Cherokee Nation Seed Bank will also be launching the Harvesting Our Heritage program, which will engage Community and Cultural Outreach organizations to offer heirloom seeds to citizens in their respective communities. The Seed Bank will work directly with the CCO organizations across the nation to provide them seeds they can either use for community gardens or distribute to citizens who participate in the organizations.

Later this year, the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank will expand its garden with the installment of a new heirloom seeds garden at the Male Seminary Recreation Center (Markoma) in Tahlequah. The expansion will double the space for growing, allowing the Seed Bank to produce more seeds and help meet the growing demand for heirloom crops for years to come.

Claiming Cherokee Nation heirloom seeds is a unique opportunity to honor the agricultural traditions of our ancestors and elders, while also providing a valuable learning experience for our youth about Cherokee culture. Many of the seeds in the Cherokee Nation Seed Bank are rare cultivars, often not found in commercial markets, and they represent centuries of Cherokee agricultural and cultural heritage.

Recipients of traditional heirloom seeds are asked to be mindful of the directions in the planting guide as any variance from the instructions could be a detriment to the plants’ genetic integrity.

In 2024, the Cherokee Nation distributed more than 9,600 packages of traditional seeds.

All seeds have been produced locally by trained Cherokee Nation staff and are made available to Cherokee citizens for cultural uses. The seeds are not to be sold or offered for sale.

Questions about the seeds can be addressed by emailing seedbank@cherokee. org or calling 918-453-5336. For questions regarding the Gadugi Portal, email support-gadugiportal@cherokee. org or call 918-453-5058.