It’s the Chicago O’Hare Airport, and I’m looking at my Bwaan Okosomin, or, maybe we should just call it Lakota Squash. My friend Marty Curry grew it up on our family land in the Little Traverse band akiing of Northern Michigan. Why, you might ask, am I traveling with a foot high Lakota Squash plant?

Because that’s the way we roll up on White Earth. We are working to support restoration of resilient communities in Native America, communities that grow food, and in this case, old food. This squash variety, like our corn varieties we are growing, is pre-industrial, pre-genetic engineered, pre-irrigation, pre-fossil fuels, and I’m guessing pretty nutritious. At least the other varieties we’ve been tracking are high in amino acids, fiber and all sorts of cool stuff! So, this squash is going home to White Earth. It was supposed to go to Madeline Island a couple of weeks ago, but it’s making this trip instead.

I did go to the Island, however, to plant some corn, beans and tobacco, as well as attend the Three Fires Midewiwin gathering for awhile. The ceremonies were taking place at Bad River and they were looking at the Monikawaaning Minis, Madeline Island when they prayed, and, in converse, Aurora Conley and I were looking at the Bad River ceremonies while we planted. Fortunately, Aurora can sing (I am not a very good Indian singer, although, my Bruce Springsteen is not bad). So she sang for our plants there in the garden at our friend Mort’s house. We named the garden Maakoonz Gitigaaning, Little Bear Garden, in honor of our good friend Walt Bressette, from Red Cliff, who passed away a few years ago, but brought me home to the Island.

I did get to talk about the corn planting around town, particularly at Tom’s Burned Down Café, where I got to ask for some baggies to distribute corn seeds all around the Island. It’s a funny era, there used to probably be more pot in those baggies than corn seeds, but things change. We are planning, in any case, for our big party up there at the end of August, with Keith Secola and I, celebrating my birthday, and the fact that I’ve probably outlived my life expectancy as a Native woman.

Back to my cool squash. It is looking pretty good, sort of a big adventure, for a squash at least, planes, security and all. I fully recognize the irony of my plans for a post petroleum economy - I’m still flying around the country, using an airplane as a sort of mass transit (that’s what Americans do, after all) and in the meantime, I’m trying to prepare for the post-petroleum economy, and food system with this Bwaan Okosomin and all. But, I am working on my contradictions, and hoping to make it out the other side of this work, with some sanity.

Just last week, I traveled to Montana, the other way. This time, Nellis Kennedy, my energy campaigner, and I went out to help battle some coal bed methane exploitation, and tried to make some plans to support the Northern Cheyenne ,and Wind River Shoshone in their communities. That’s a hell of a battle up there. They’ve been fighting off coal for decades.

But, just to keep in good form, I did travel back from Billings to Fargo with a lot of cool stuff, especially an Australian saddle, which I checked underneath, stashed away in a bag. They did ask at check-in about the saddle. I explained that instead of checking a car seat, I was checking a horse seat.

So there it is, if you’re gonna go, go big. That’s what I say. Just see what you can get on the airlines these days. Can’t get much more than three ounces, no water, no dangerous nail clippers, but I am all for traveling with squash.