Baseball field becomes community garden in Portland

(SEPTEMBER 19, 2025) In Portland, a baseball field is now a community garden. The garden is led by Indigenous people. It helps people learn about traditional foods and plants.

Lucy Racehorse Suppah works in the garden. She shows plants like white sage and sweet grass. Some plants grow in water tanks.

The garden is called Wapas Nah Née Shaku. The name means “Holding the basket” in the Wasco language. The garden is behind the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA). NAYA helps Native American families, young people, and elders in Portland.

Lucy Racehorse Suppah helps teach about Indigenous foods. She wants people to connect with their culture and traditions. Many Native people lost their land and traditional foods in the past. This garden gives them a chance to grow and gather these foods again.

The garden grows vegetables like tomatoes, kale, peppers, and corn. It also has special foods and plants used in ceremonies, like tobacco. People can learn the difference between traditional and commercial tobacco.

The garden is open to everyone. People can volunteer and help grow food. They do not need to be Native to join.

The garden helps people connect to the land, learn about traditional foods, and share knowledge for the future.