Cherokee Nation to Preserve Culturally Important Seeds in Arctic Vault
October 11, 2015. Different varieties of Maize are displayed at a stand in Texcoco, Mexico. Photo Credit: Juan Arredondo/Reportage by Getty Images for The Global Crop Diversity Trust.21 February 2020
7 February 2020 | The Guardian
The Cherokee Nation will bank beans, squash and corn, including some of the tribe's most sacred corn, in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, becoming the first US-based tribe to safeguard culturally emblematic crops for future generations.
On 25 February 2020, a total of 36 institutions from around the world will deposit their seeds in the largest depositing event since the Vault's opening in 2008. With the deposit of over 60,000 seeds the total amount of seed samples stored at Svalbard Global Seed Vault will be raised to over 1,050,000.
The deposit by the Cherokee Nation will ensure that not only their sacred seeds are preserved forever, but also their culture and history.
Read more on The Guardian
Category: Svalbard Global Seed Vault