Monthly Archives: January 2018

2,000 years ago, people domesticated these plants. Now they’re wild weeds. What happened?

Natalie Mueller is an archaeobotanist at Cornell University who has spent years hunting for erect knotweed across the southern US and up into Ohio and Illinois. She calls her quest the “Survey for Lost Crops,” and admits cheerfully that its members consist of her and “whoever I can drag along.” She’s published papers about her work in Nature, but also she spins yarns about her hot, bug-infested summer expeditions for lost farms on her blog. There, photographs of the rare wild plants are interspersed with humorous musings on contemporary local food delicacies like pickle pops.

Source: Hunting for the ancient lost farms of North America

While the indigenous language is widely spoken across the country, its use is much more common in the streets than the halls of power. Now, officials are pushing to end its second-class status.

Source: Newfound Pride in Guaraní, a Language Long Disdained in Paraguay

Diné (Navajo) voters registering in 1948. Native voting was barred in several states until the Voting Rights Act.

Court battles playing out over indigenous voting rights have the potential to tip tight races in states with large native populations and to influence matters of national importance.

Source: For Native Americans, a ‘Historic Moment’ on the Path to Power at the Ballot Box