The Greatest Story Never Told; Indigneous Habit Expansion in the Americas with Lyla June

Presented at the Midwest Women’s Herbal 2021 Virtual Conference.

Contrary to popular belief, there is ample evidence of extensive land management on the part

of indigenous peoples from Alaska to Patagonia. From rhizome gardens in the pacific

northwest, to grass lands stewardship by the great plains nation,. to chestnut edens in the

Kentucky mountains, to poly culture fruit forests of the Mayan civilizations, to pehuen nut

cultivation in the Andes mountain range, to clam garden construction along bountiful

coastlines, indigenous peoples enhanced the food and medicinal plant bearing capacity of

every region in the Americas. Drawing from her doctoral research, Lyla June will discuss the

nature of these food systems, why their stories were never told, and how humanity can bring

them back.

Lyla June is an Indigenous musician, scholar and community organizer of Diné (Navajo),

Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. Her dynamic, multi-genre presentation

style has engaged audiences across the globe towards personal, collective and ecological

healing. She blends studies in Human Ecology at Stanford, graduate work in Indigenous

Pedagogy, and the traditional worldview she grew up with to inform her music, perspectives

and solutions. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree, focusing on Indigenous food

systems revitalization