Ian ThompsonFeb 217 minOur First Controlled BurnsFire is one of the oldest and most effective tools that humans have for managing the land. The Indigenous peoples of North America began...
Ian ThompsonFeb 54 minHvshtula: The Reclining SunOur part of the world doesn't get winter weather every single year. Over the past couple of days, though, we've been blessed with ice,...
Ian ThompsonJan 238 minThe Extermination of the American Bison (almost)Warning this post contains some graphic content- This photo was taken by LA Huffman in eastern Montana in 1880. It captures one of the...
Ian ThompsonJan 36 minPractical Prairie Rehabilitation - Little BluestemAfter record-warm temperatures in December, we're finally enjoying our first taste of real winter weather this weekend. First thing this...
Ian ThompsonNov 21, 20216 minRestoring Little Suns in Our Prairie PasturesFor several years now, we’ve been actively working to restore the native landscapes of Nan Awaya Farm. One of the things the experience...
Ian ThompsonOct 30, 20219 minBraintanning a Buffalo RobeA traditionally tanned buffalo robe is something pretty special. If any single thing can embody the connection between people, the...
Ian ThompsonSep 26, 20214 minCooking Choctaw Sassafras DishesThe sassafras tree, kvfi in the Choctaw language, has been a part of the American landscape for a very long time. 65 million years ago,...
Ian ThompsonSep 16, 20214 minThose Bad Buffalo BluesIt was a little bit like the plot of an Alfred Hitchcock movie... We use an electric fence to keep the herd buffalo on our farm. An...
Ian ThompsonAug 16, 20216 minCode Red - Humanity Gideon Lincecum was a naturalist, healer, and free-thinker. In 1819, he moved his family to Columbus, Mississippi, on the border of the...
Ian ThompsonAug 4, 20213 minChahta Nowvt Anya: The Choctaw JourneyThe Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma recently opened its cultural center in Durant. Through it, the Choctaw people completed a dream that...
Ian ThompsonJun 14, 20213 minTaking Out the Trash - A Life-Affirming Experience? From my earliest memory and again today, Sunday evening is the night to take out the trash. I've gotten to take out the trash while...
Ian ThompsonMay 21, 20214 minIt's Not Too LateOne of the joys of fall when I was growing up was getting to experience the monarch migration. With the first hint of cool in the air,...
Ian ThompsonApr 21, 20214 minElectrify UsTomorrow is Earth Day! We'd like to honor the day by sharing our household's experience of trying something new in '21 that was a little...
Ian ThompsonApr 2, 20215 minThe Attack of the Killer FootsThose of you who have been following our blog for a while know that Nan Awaya Farm is about more than raising buffalo. One of our goals...
Ian ThompsonFeb 16, 20214 minA Little Above Texas; a Little Below ZeroAlmost every year as I was growing up, my family watched Holiday Inn. This 1942 film features Bing Crosby as a nightclub performer who...
Ian ThompsonJan 30, 20217 minPrairie Connection ExperimentsWe've been silent for a little bit. This blog was temporarily interrupted by life at Nan Awaya Farmstead. In November, we helped run...
Ian ThompsonNov 28, 20205 minOwvtta: The Fall HuntAn ancient Choctaw story tells of a hunter who, one evening after killing a doe far from his village, made his camp for the night near...
Ian ThompsonOct 31, 202013 minRebuilding Prairie in Pastures: What We're LearningAmerica's native grasslands are amazing places. They provide nutrition for grazing animals that is perfectly synced to the animals'...
Ian ThompsonOct 17, 20206 minAn Unforgettable Year in Native PlantsThe other day, I was listening to a recording of a talk that John Trudell had given in the year before I was born. One of his statements...
Ian ThompsonSep 19, 20205 minBeating the Heat During the Hottest Summer on RecordThe northern hemisphere is just finishing up the hottest summer in recorded history...again. California is on fire. Oregon is on fire. ...