The Main - Children's Garden
Sowing Seeds for a Brighter Future
The Cheyenne River Youth Project®, in developing its garden project, is guided by traditional and spiritual principles, incorporating the traditional Lakota values into the garden’s development - Generosity, Spirituality, Wisdom, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Patience. Integrating these values contributes to building a community that is imbued with and based on the values and principles traditionally practiced by Lakota people. The Winyan Toka Win Garden is built upon a unique combination of spiritual, human and land-based resources. It is sustained by the participation and energies of countless volunteers, staff and children.
Our children are involved in every aspect of the garden from planting and weeding to watering and harvesting. They also participate in weekly classes addressing various topics, such as proper techniques and traditional agricultural methods. For the past two years, the program has incorporated a native practice called “Three Sisters Planting” (corn, beans, squash) into the garden layout. This method not only prevents soil depletion, but also improves nutrient content, which is part of the practice of sustainable farming. The 2-acre naturally grown garden produces several varieties of corn, peppers, squash, melons, beans and berries, along with staples like carrots, beets, turnips, onions and greens, which are shared between CRYP, the local elderly nutrition center and several other community organizations and families.
One of the most important aspects of the garden program is to foster community participation so the value of gardening can be taught from generation to generation. Community volunteers assist with instructing the children and overall maintenance of the garden and advise on planting, harvesting and traditional practices. In addition, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® hosts “Garden Walks” by which community members can monitor our progess and receive updates about the activities taking place with the children in the garden. This summer, CRYP will be introducing a Family Gardening Program and Greenhouse Horticulture as part of the naturally grown garden.
The Winyan Toka Win Garden is so successful that it has been nominated for several awards and has recently won the Garden Supply Company’s Garden Crusaders Award of 2005-2006.
