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A Deep Walk in the Snow
I used to live for snow days in the winters when I was a kid. A day off school that was unplanned meant that nothing could be there...
Ian Thompson
Jan 106 min read
272 views
4 comments


In Memorium of a Friend
Yesterday, we lost a dear friend and the Choctaw community lost a true cultural champion with the passing of Tom Colvin. I remember the...
Ian Thompson
Dec 21, 20244 min read
606 views
2 comments


Bringing Back the Ancient Choctaw Hunt
The old time Tribal folks used to say that when a hunter harvests a wild animal, it’s only because that animal has chosen to sacrifice...
Ian Thompson
Oct 20, 202411 min read
501 views
1 comment


Making A Choctaw Bow and Arrows from the Land We Live On
Traditional archery is the art of our grandfathers. With time-honored craftsmanship, they melded tree, stick, stone and feather to...
Ian Thompson
Sep 23, 20241 min read
385 views
0 comments


Nan Awaya Farm gets Designated as a Natural Area!
Nan Awaya means Place of Growth in the Choctaw language. In 2015 we started Nan Awaya Farm as a hands-on experiment to see what could...
Ian Thompson
Jul 7, 20245 min read
382 views
5 comments


Choctaw Blackberry Dumplings (Indigenous-Style)
It's June. After two summers of drought, seeing the hills and seeps of the farm come alive in a vibrant blanket of green native plants...
Ian Thompson
Jun 3, 20245 min read
690 views
0 comments


Be the Cow You Wish You Had
A wise person once pointed out a fact about life: change is the only thing that's constant. This wisdom applies to the land just as well...
Ian Thompson
Apr 29, 20247 min read
169 views
1 comment


Something from Deep Culture is Calling
One of the coolest Choctaw oral traditions describes something that comes out of the last Ice Age. According to the account, mammoths...
Ian Thompson
Mar 2, 20246 min read
414 views
0 comments


Choctaw Food Book Second Edition
It's been a little while since we shared a post from the farm, but that is certainly not for a lack of writing. For the past several...
Ian Thompson
Feb 11, 20247 min read
1,281 views
4 comments


Winterset Chert: Home Stone
Just about everyone and their grandma associates stone arrowheads with Native American ancestors. That's not wrong. The art of chipped...
Ian Thompson
Nov 19, 20237 min read
405 views
2 comments


Choctaw Persimmon Bread
Out working on the farm yesterday, we noticed our persimmons are just starting to get ripe. Persimmons are a fairly abundant tree in the...
Ian Thompson
Oct 22, 20234 min read
547 views
0 comments


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...
Ian Thompson
Aug 13, 202311 min read
349 views
3 comments


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. ...
Ian Thompson
Jul 30, 20236 min read
722 views
1 comment


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...
Ian Thompson
Jul 8, 202321 min read
1,030 views
1 comment


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...
Ian Thompson
May 29, 202311 min read
528 views
3 comments


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...
Ian Thompson
May 14, 20236 min read
237 views
1 comment


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...
Ian Thompson
Mar 10, 20239 min read
272 views
1 comment


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...
Ian Thompson
Feb 4, 20236 min read
331 views
2 comments


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...
Ian Thompson
Jan 14, 20235 min read
418 views
1 comment


Buffalo Break Rocks!
Buffalo have a well-earned reputation for being tough animals. Under the right circumstances, several different parts of their bodies...
Ian Thompson
Dec 4, 20225 min read
386 views
3 comments
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