Traditional/sacred medicines are integral in Indigenous cultures. For thousands of years, Tribes have utilized various species to promote cultural and spiritual health.

Before the Sacred Herb Initiative began, there was no place on HINU's campus for students, staff, faculty, and Indigenous community members who provided larger quantities of medicines such as cedar, white sage, sweetgrass, and tobacco. 

Throughout the fall and winter months of 2022, the greenhouse started harvesting/bundling cedar and growing Choctaw tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and sweetgrass for the community. At the height of winter, there were over 180 tobacco plants living in the greenhouse.

Since 2022, the greenhouse has gifted thousands of seeds, hundreds of plants, and hundreds of individual medicines to the Indigenous community. Throughout the year, the greenhouse provides medicines for various events and people at no cost.

Since the spring of 2023, student researchers have grown a variety of different produce for the community. The Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash) are one of the focal points of this ongoing project.

Cultural gardens are located at the Eric Allen Greenhouse and Tommaney Library. Along with the Three Sisters, the greenhouse grows a variety of other produce to include beets, radishes, onions, blackberries, peas, kale, lettuce, and more.

These gardens not only produce for the community, but also allow for interpretive learning and events surrounding traditional varieties of vegetables and herbs, and how to care for various plant species. Most of the work in present times is focused on weeding and lessening the encroachment of harmful plants into the plots. All produce is given to the HINU community.

Since May of 2023, the greenhouse has been involved in the large-scale restoration of the ecosystems on campus. To date, over 3 acres of woody and invasive species have been removed from the land, and thousands of seeds/hundreds of plants have been (re)introduced to their respective ecosystems.

The Haskell Greenhouse is the first organization to take on large-scale restoration on campus. Restoration of these lands started in the woodlands and expanded to the wetlands and prairies by the end of the 2023 season. 

June of 2023, we began working with the Haskell Cultural Center & Museum to restore the native garden that was established in 2002.

Since the garden was established, there were no designated caretakers for the space, and invasive/non-native species began displacing culturally significant species. The greenhouse has (re)introduced over 40 species to the garden area and has plans to expand the garden.

Since June of 2024, the greenhouse has been working to restore the gardens at Tommaney Library to a thriving, biodiverse garden. These spaces were home to juniper bushes that had been planted in the 1970s, excluding species from this space.

The bushes were removed, and the soils were able to heal, allowing us to plant various species that belong on these lands and have been here since time immemorial. The greenhouse also has plans to expand this garden.

In July of 2024, the greenhouse began working with Indigenous illustrator and designer, Iris Cliff (Assiniboine and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa). Four interpretive signs were designed and installed along the main trail to the Haskell Wetlands.

Before these signs, visitors may have never been aware of the history, culture, and ecology of the land. Because students/staff/faculty cannot always be present to share these stories, the signs fill that niche so people may learn how the land has come to be.

About the Signage

Welcome to the Haskell Wetlands: We honor the land and those who came before us

This sign can be found at the 31st Street entrance to the wetlands. It shares the knowledge surrounding land-grabbing and how the lands have come to be who they are today.

Past and Present: The Wakarusa Wetlands, Indigenous Heritage, and the Trafficway Project

At the Old 31st Street/Old Barker Avenue intersection, this sign tells about the original stewards, the stories intertwined within the land, and the construction of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

From Wetlands to Woodlands: The Evolving Landscape and Ecosystems of Haskell

Located adjacent to Old Barker Avenue, south of the Medicine Wheel/Wetlands intersection, this sign sits within the woodland restoration area. The sign shares how the lands have shifted from open marshlands and wet prairies to the flooded woodlands we know today.

Transformation and Resilience: The Transformative Journey of Haskell and the Medicine Wheel

Adjacent to the Medicine Wheel, this sign tells about the assimilation era and how the Medicine Wheel came to fruition.

This past November, student researchers assisted with upgrading the compost area located at the Eric Allen Greenhouse.

The old compost structure was removed and rebuilt, and new composters were built and installed so the greenhouse may sustainably recycle organic materials received from across campus. Historically, soils and plant material utilized in the greenhouse were thrown away. Today, we give this material new life and work to break down various organic matter into usable soil for growing.

This also gives students the opportunity to learn how to compost and how to implement this process in their own Tribal communities.

This past winter, the greenhouse worked with Jim Martin (Choctaw) to install custom steel/cedar benches and a table in the Haskell Wetlands.

Before this project, there was no place for people to sit to rest, bird, and immerse themselves in the ecosystem. Now, students, staff, and faculty at Haskell and the greater Lawrence community can enjoy this precious place with more comfort.

The ceremonial grounds on HINU lands are integral in giving an outlet for students to partake in cultural practices. To give easier access to medicines, the greenhouse worked with environmental science student, Deanna Teller, to get these beds constructed for the community.

Teller was awarded the American Indian College Fund (AICF) Professional Development Grant to learn methods of land stewardship. This project had help from many people in the Haskell community. The native/traditional foods and medicines introduced to these beds will provide for many years to come.

With the help of Amy June Breesman (Eastern Shawnee) with Good Way Farm, the Haskell Greenhouse has been working to install raised beds at the dorms on campus. 

Beds will be able to be found at Winona, Blalock, Roe Cloud, Osceola-Keokuk, and Pocahontas and will be ready for planting this fall and next spring. 8 beds will be available for students to grow various plant species as we work to make gardening more accessible to the HINU community.