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| Author Teresa Peterson |
Medicine, nourishment, and unity are inherent in the intentions and actions of any gardener. In “Perennial Ceremony: Lessons from a Dakota Garden,” Teresa Peterson shares the poignant reflections, poems, and recipes sourced from years of tending a garden and gathering bountiful harvests. Growing and learning along the cycles of beloved tomato plants and the Three Sisters (corn, bean, and squash), Peterson shares the lessons from her mixed German and Indigenous Dakota roots and meaningful work serving the NDN Foundation. The collection is organized according to the seasons, documenting transition and maturity. Peterson imparts practical tips for keeping plants happy, healthy, and productive while she offers her contemplations on the healing ceremony of gardening. We learn what she values about her partnership with her husband Jay, raising children, and caring for the family.
Food is medicine. As Peterson shares the life lessons from her garden, she also imparts delectable recipes from the harvest. Moreover, “Perennial Ceremony” offers an intimate look at one Indigenous leader’s reflections and practices in thriving. While being of a mixed race, Peterson is firmly rooted in her American Indian identity and history. Her prose is an open invitation to step into world views and lived realities of Dakota peoples who survived genocide, land theft, and boarding schools. The community is a testament to the powerful concept of the Seventh Generation. Anchored in reciprocity and benefaction, the essence of the Seventh Generation appeals for intentional and thoughtful actions to leave a better world for our descendants.
From a decolonial viewpoint, Peterson honors life and all relations in her daily gardening practice. Her writing is intimate, warm, and thought-provoking, as she integrates social commentary into her reflections about family and community and our shared responsibility for each other. In my learning journey of remembering how my Filipino ancestors cared for the land, I found solace in Peterson’s reflections about the possibility of true healing. Amid climate change and seemingly irreparable ecological damage, there is an opportunity to plant seeds of hope and healing across generations. Although there are hard truths to confront about human nature and the violence of colonization, resourcefulness and patience will prevail.
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| Buy from UMinn Press |