HORSE PROGRAMS

Anihinaabe Agriculture Institute is strengthening an intertribal horse cultural cooperative, focusing on our youth, healing our communities, and growing food with the benefit of the horse nation’s power.

WHY HORSES

There are currently 400,000 farms in North America which utilize horses for some of their farming operations.  Horse-power as a part of an integrated agricultural system means more physical work and time with horses, but lower fuel bills, less depreciation of equipment, a move away from a fossil fuel economy and an ongoing cultural practice. Indigenous horse farming history is long, but with both the decline of Native agriculture, and lack of access by Native farmers to farm loans, land and equipment, Native farmers have diminished significantly. Highest rates of horse farming remain in the Amish communities, with a resurgence in horse farming in small scale organic CSA and other productions.

The Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute intends to restore horse farming opportunities for heritage crops to both reduce petroleum based agriculture in our region and create small scale community horse farming opportunities. We are ideally situated for this project as we have many years of small scale experience with horse farming and horses, workshops available in our region, and our farm location is exactly north of a large group of Amish Farmers. We do small scale cultivation of our  vegetables with the horses, and intend to expand this as we learn and grow. 

The Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute has access to several small parcels which are ideal for this size of agriculture, and is partnering with Honor the Earth and Winona’s Hemp and Heritage Farm to accomplish this. This year, our intention is to host workshops, attend training workshops, and create a small scale demonstration project where we farm on our parcels and improve our technique. We hope to train at least four people in these farming operations. 

The use of horse farming opportunities will be coupled with Anishinaabeg and Dakota horse teachings and horse cultural practice for the purpose of re-integrating the horses into the community, both for economic and food system reasons, but also as a part of horse therapy and the restoration of dignity and courage in Anishinaabe youth. We will partner with local organizations and associations, and focus on teaching Anishinaabe youth.  In this, we will work regionally to provide training workshops on horse farming and collaborate with our neighbors in the Amish community.

Our intention is to support the creation of an Indigenous 4H program focused on farming, food production, and renewable energy.

Horse Programs

  • Youth Horse Programs*

    We anticipate sponsoring a basic Indigenous horse therapy program based on the guidance of Dr. Jessica White Plume who has trained extensively in this field, and directs the horse programs at the Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College of the Three Affiliated Tribes. We have been working to Traditional Horse Games bi-annually onsite at Akiing 8th Fire. Programming has included horse therapy workshops, youth horse riding workshops, and an in-depth youth horse training program for up to a dozen youth. We are presently working on developing a relationship with the Boys and Girls Club of Pine Point and the Pine Point Elementary School to grow this work.

    Picture: Jessica White Plume, Horse Nation Days 2022

  • Horse Care Workshops, Horse Knowledge, Horse Health

    These workshops will include farrier care, basic horse health, worming, and involve hands on participation by a dozen youth from the White Earth reservation. Working to relearn and bring back traditional horse medicines to our community, including the use of Devils Club, and CBD varieties for horse treats. We intend to develop horse products over the upcoming year to restore traditional medicines for horses.

    Picture: Practicing Akiing 2022

  • Work Horse Training

    We have two teams of work horses- large (percherons) and medium (Belgian/Welsh cross). We will work with those horses in winter for selective logging operations and in spring for the cultivation of our fields and high tunnels at the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute. We are currently training our senior youth to drive horse teams to operate the plow, sled, and seed cultivation homesteader.

    Picture: Tiling for growing season at Round Lake Farm 2022

  • Adorned Horse Program

    In 2019, we developed a set of Horse Masks to adorn our horses for cultural events. The masks were astonishingly beautiful and honored our horses and our culture. Our Adorned Horse Masks are presently available for viewing at Winonas Hemp and Heritage Store in Snellman, MN. We will continue to nurture artisan work in our relationship with horse regalia, and horse tack in the coming seasons.

  • Spiritual Horse Teachings

    Working with our Dakota and Anishinaabe elders to restore horse songs , horse ceremonies and involve our youth in the restoration of the horse nation and our own well-being. This work is daily, and also practiced intenionally on spiritual rides in our community, and throughout the MN/ND/SD region.

    Picture: White Earth Pow Wow 2022

  • Horse Nation Rides

    Since 2013, we have sponsored spiritually based horse rides to commemorate those lost in the Indian Wars, and to provide hope , encouragement and spiritual strength in the present Indian Wars, particularly those involving the Enbridge Line 3 and Keystone Pipeline projects. We have ridden most of these lines, against the current of the oil. These stories are featured in one short film and a feature length documentary, First Daughter and the Black Snake.

    Picture: Pinepoint Pow Wow 2022