We are farmers and tribal members interested in hemp..
We were inspired by the work of great leaders like Alex White Plume from the Oglala Lakota and John Trrudell Santee. They told us that hemp was the way.
Our Approach
Trudell talked about hemp across the world and had many meetings to develop the ideas of the industry. Alex White Plume grew hemp on the Pine Ridge reservation in l998 the first industrial hemp growing by an Indigenous nation in decades. He also made the first hempcrete house of this era. Trudell’s work is carried on through Project Hempstead ( Link) and Alex White Plume’s crop was seized by the DEA and a federal case ensued . in 2014, with the legalization of fiber hemp, Alex continued his work , all charges dropped. ( Link to story and Standing Silent Nation video)
Pictured below: Ron Chilton, Don Wedlll, Jon Martin and Gwekaanimad Gasco- White Earth tribal nation, first fiber hemp harvest.
In 2015, some indigenous peoples began growing hemp again, under federal, or state permits, or with tribal permits, although most tribal governments had not yet developed hemp codes.
Two communities moved forward White Earth Anishinaabe began tribal hemp growing in 2015, and in 2016, this hemp crop was taken over by tribal members
We realized that we needed to work together tio inform our tribal nations of the potential of hemp for housing, food, textiles and the future, and that we would be working with many allies to build tribal hemp infrastructure. We began meeting and traveling to indigenous nations and gathering to bring together information , farmers and people and began to understand the potential and depth of this work. We met with tribal elected officials and farmers understanding that the seeds needed to be understood by farmers , who were best able to cultivate and rebuild tribal economies. We decided that we needed to form a cooperative
We began to meet, to share seeds, dreams and join other farmers and members of the hemp community. In 2018, we gathered at the NOCO Hemp Conference in Colorado:
In 2021, Dine farmers and weavers came together with Anishinaabe farmers and incorporated the Indigenous Hemp and Cannabis Farmers Cooperative.
Thoughtfully crafted to elevate what matters most.
