Prairie Restoration Experiments Update
One mishap. It was silly, even comical, but the aftermath has seen me babying a gashed up knee for two weeks now. The buffalo, somehow...
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Ian Thompson
- Jul 30
- 6 min
Tallahatta Quartzite, Choctaw Silver Stone
Through this post, we'd like to share a path of learning and reconnecting that we’ve been exploring at Nan Awaya Farm this summer. ...
184 views1 comment
Ian Thompson
- Jul 8
- 21 min
How to Braintan a Buffalo Robe
Wrapping up in a traditionally tanned buffalo robe on a cold evening is something special. The leather side is supple, almost like a...
220 views1 comment
Ian Thompson
- May 29
- 11 min
The Ancient Art of Stone Tool Bison Hides
Bison hide tanning is a deep traditional art. It was practiced by Native American ancestors at the end of the last Ice Age, and the...
327 views3 comments
Ian Thompson
- May 14
- 6 min
Sandy Seep: Managing Rare Habitat
Almost half of Nan Awaya Farm is made up of an uncommon and threatened habitat type. Known as an acid hillside seep, it's a unique kind...
199 views1 comment
Ian Thompson
- Mar 10
- 9 min
Clovis Point Challenge
This winter, I took on a self-challenge to learn how to make one of the most ancient Native American traditional arts. Through this...
227 views1 comment
Ian Thompson
- Feb 4
- 6 min
Choctaw Heritage on the Prairie
We've got a Choctaw friend who loves the ocean. Water is simply a part of who she is. She says that her ancestors must have come from...
267 views1 comment
Ian Thompson
- Jan 14
- 5 min
A New, Fun, Cultural Way to Recycle
At Nan Awaya Farm we're committed to making our operation and our home life as easy on the land as we possibly can. One part of that...
340 views1 comment
Ian Thompson
- Dec 4, 2022
- 5 min
Buffalo Break Rocks!
Buffalo have a well-earned reputation for being tough animals. Under the right circumstances, several different parts of their bodies...
253 views3 comments
Ian Thompson
- Oct 18, 2022
- 6 min
When the World is Running Down...
...you make the best of what's still around... This a classic rock title, released by the Police a short time before I was born. It...
230 views2 comments
Ian Thompson
- Sep 18, 2022
- 5 min
Bvnaha: Choctaw Comfort Food
The traditional 13-month Choctaw calendar is based on the phases of the moon. The season we are currently in is known as Hoponi Hvshi,...
644 views2 comments
Ian Thompson
- Aug 21, 2022
- 6 min
Chahto is the Choctaw Word for "Drought"
For people who depend on the productivity of the land for their livelihood, drought is a fact of life. When drought gets bad, life may...
274 views3 comments
Ian Thompson
- Jul 18, 2022
- 7 min
Forged in Heat
With hardly a cloud in the sky for the past month, the unstoppable summer sun has progressively dried out and heated up the ground. Then...
351 views1 comment
Ian Thompson
- Jun 12, 2022
- 4 min
Continuing an Ancient Harvest
It’s one of our favorite seasons at Nan Awaya Farm: the sand plum harvest is upon us! These colorful gems of bold, native flavor can’t...
290 views2 comments
Ian Thompson
- May 29, 2022
- 6 min
A Good Spirit Came to Visit Us
With COVID restrictions fully lifted, our work pace at Choctaw Nation has been frenetic this spring. That's left only a few hours...
213 views6 comments
Ian Thompson
- Feb 21, 2022
- 7 min
Our First Controlled Burns
Fire is one of the oldest and most effective tools that humans have for managing the land. The Indigenous peoples of North America began...
282 views1 comment
Ian Thompson
- Feb 5, 2022
- 4 min
Hvshtula: The Reclining Sun
Our 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,...
194 views4 comments
Ian Thompson
- Jan 23, 2022
- 8 min
The 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...
467 views2 comments
Ian Thompson
- Jan 3, 2022
- 6 min
Practical Prairie Rehabilitation - Little Bluestem
After record-warm temperatures in December, we're finally enjoying our first taste of real winter weather this weekend. First thing this...
485 views4 comments
Ian Thompson
- Nov 21, 2021
- 6 min
Restoring Little Suns in Our Prairie Pastures
For several years now, we’ve been actively working to restore the native landscapes of Nan Awaya Farm. One of the things the experience...
300 views1 comment
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