Early in the 20th century, anthropology student Gilbert Wilson made the first of several trips to an Indian reservation in North Dakota to examine agricultural techniques used among the Hidatsa Indians. This intriguing book is the result of his research. More than a survey of primitive agriculture, however, the work sensitively investigates the activities of a unique culture. With the help of Buffalobird-woman, a Hidatsa native, Wilson not only created a poignant biographical study and a classic anthropological document but also presented a Native American woman's interpretation of economics, with views about the land she cultivated, frequently sprinkled with shrewd and humorous observations.The text covers a broad spectrum of topics, including methods that will be of lasting value to modern organic gardeners and farmers. Subjects range from useful advice on clearing fields, applying fertilizer, and storing crops for winter to such traditional activities as braiding ears of corn, making squash dolls, and harvesting tobacco blossoms. Of special interest to anyone practicing sustainable agriculture, Native American Gardening will be of value to anthropologists, economic historians, and anyone fascinated by Native American life.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Chapter I Tradition Chapter II Beginning a garden Turtle Clearing fields Dispute and its settlement Turtle breaking soil Turtle's primitive tools Beginning a field in later times Trees in the garden Our west field Burning over the field Chapter III Sunflowers Remark by Maxi'diwiac Planting sunflowers Varieties Harvesting the seed Threshing Harvesting the mapi'-na'ka Effect of frost Parching the seed Four-vegetables-mixed Sunflower-seed balls Chapter IV Corn Planting A morning's planting Soaking the seed Planting for a sick woman Size of our biggest field Na'xu and nu'cami Hoeing The watchers' stage Explanation of sketch of watcher's stage Sweet Grass's sun shade The watchers Booths Eating customs Youths' and maidens' customs Watchers' songs Clan cousins' custom Story of Snake-head-ornament Green corn and its uses The ripening ears Second planting for green corn Cooking fresh green corn Roasting ears Matu'a-la'kapa Corn bread Drying green corn for winter Mape'di (corn smut) Mape'di Harvest and uses The ripe corn harvest Husking Rejecting green ears Braiding corn The small ears Drying the braided ears Seed corn Selecting the seed Keeping two years' seed Threshing corn The booth Order of the day's work The cobs Winnowing Removing the booth Threshing braided corn Amount of harvest Sioux purchasing corn Varieties of corn Description of varieties How corn travels Uses of the varieties Ata'ki tso'ki Mapi' nakapa' Ma'nakapa Ata'ki Boiled corn ball Tso'di tso'ki and tso'di tapa' Madapo'zi i'ti'a Other soft varieties Ma'ikadicake Ma'pi mee'pi i'kiuta, or corn balls Parched soft corn Parching whole ripe ears Parching hard yellow corn with sand Madapo'zi pa'kici, or lye-made hominy General characteristics of the varieties Fodder yield Developing new varieties Sport ears Names and description Na'ta-tawo'xi Wi'da-aka'ta I'ta-ca'ca Okei'jpita I'tica'kupadi Chapter V Squashes Planting squashes Sprouting the seed Planting the sprouted seed Harvesting the squashes Slicing the squashes Squash spits Spitting the slices In case of rain Drying and storing Squash blossoms Cooking and uses of squash The first squashes Boiling fresh squash in a pot Squashes boiled with blossoms Other blossom messes Boiled blossoms Blossoms boiled with madapo'zi i'ti'a Blossoms boiled with mapi'nakapa' Seed squashes Selecting for seed Gathering the seed squashes Cooking the ripe squashes Saving the seed Eating the seed Roasting ripe squashes Storing the unused seed squashes Squashes, present seed Squash dolls Chapter VI Beans Planting beans Putting in the seeds Hoeing and cultivating Threshing Varieties Selecting seed beans Cooking and uses Ama'ca di'he, or beans-boiled Green beans boiled in the pod Green corn and beans Chapter VII Storing for winter The cache pit Grass for lining Grass bundles The grass binding rope Drying the grass bundles The willow floor The grass lining Skin bottom covering Storing the cache pit The puncheon cover Cache pits in Small Ankle's lodge First account A second account on another day Diagram of Small Ankle's lodge Chapter VIII The making of a drying stage Stages in Like-a-fishhook village Cutting the timbers Digging the post holes Raising the frame The floor Staying thongs Ladder Enlarging the stage Present stages Building, women's work Measurements of stage Drying rods Other uses of the drying stage Chapter IX Tools Hoe Rakes Squash knives Chapter X Fields at Like-a-fishhook village East-side fields East-side fences Idikita'c's garden Fields west of the village West-side fence Crops, our first wagon Chapter XI Miscellanea Divisions between gardens Fallowing, ownership of gardens Frost in the gardens Maxi'diwiac's philosophy of frost Men helping in the field Sucking the sweet juice Corn as fodder for horses Disposition of weeds The spring clean-up Manure Worms Wild animals About old tent covers Chapter XII Since white men came How we got potatoes and other vegetables The new cultivation Iron kettles Chapter XIII Tobacco Observations by Maxi'diwiac The tobacco garden Planting Arrow-head-earring's tobacco garden Small Ankle's cultivation Harvesting the blossoms Harvesting the plants Selling to the Sioux Size of tobacco garden Customs Accessories to the tobacco garden Fence The scrotum basket Old garden sites near Independence