Extinct Squash Brought Back To Life From 800 Year Old Heirloom Seeds

X Facebook LinkedIn Email Reddit Telegram

An archaeological team found a clay jar buried on a Menominee reservation near Green Bay, Wisconsin, containing heirloom seeds.

A group of students brought the seeds back to life and managed to grow a species of squash believed to have been extinct for over a 800 years.

Off The Grid News reports:

BYPASS THE CENSORS

You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

The seeds are those of what was dubbed “Gete-okosomin,” a variety of squash no one had seen or eaten for centuries. Archeologists found the seeds during a dig on the Menominee Reservation near Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 2008, The Chicago Tribune reported.

JOIN THE MEDIA REVOLUTION - CLAIM YOUR STAKE IN ALTERNATIVE MEDIA!

‘Really Cool Old Squash’

The seeds were given to Winona LaDuke, an advocate of heritage seeds and food independence for Native people. LaDuke has been trying to supply the seeds to Native groups throughout the United States and Canada.

Bernard Tritz YouTube video:

Gete-okosomin translates to “really cool old squash,” The Tribune reported. The planting results have been very impressive, according to gardeners.

“I planted four seeds,” Menzel said of squash she planted on Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe reservation near Hayward, Wisconsin, in 2013. “By July the vines were more than 25 feet long. … By the time we were done we had two dozen (squash). The largest was 3 feet long, 18 pounds.”

Food independence and local food are important issues to Native Americans because of their history. During the 19th century the United States government was able to end Native American resistance on the frontier by destroying their food supplies. This forced the tribes onto reservations, where many of them were dependent on government handouts for food.