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10th Annual Sacred Ponca Corn Harvest & Closing of This Chapter

2022 Harvest of Sacred Ponca Corn (Photo: Eric Galushi)

We are honored to invite all of our friends to join us on Saturday, September 23rd for the harvesting of the Ponca Sacred Corn, on Ponca Nation land situated with the Tanderup family farm — the land where ancestors crossed the Ponca Trail of Tears.

Mekasi Camp first had the dream to bring the Ponca Sacred Corn back to its ancestral land, over 10 years ago, as medicine and prayers to protect this land from the Keystone XL pipeline.

After much discussion and prayer as leaders, we have decided this will be the last large gathering for the harvest of the Ponca Sacred Corn.

Please know this will be a very special time to gather, reflect and thank each other for the work everyone did to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. A gift exchange will take place, where Bold Nebraska and members of the Ponca Nation will gift items to people who dedicated 15 years of their lives to help us fight the pipeline.

Before we go out into the field to harvest the corn, you may join us for a communal meal, featuring Indigenous dishes prepared by Stacy Laravie and Mekasi Camp. You may bring a side dish or dessert to share as well!

  • WHAT: 10th Annual Harvest of Sacred Ponca Corn in the Path of Keystone XL
  • WHEN: Saturday, September 23, 2023
    • 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m (Optional): Arrival and lunch provided (bring a camping/lawn chair if possible, your own refillable water bottle, and a tupperware to bring leftovers home with you!)
    • 1:00 p.m: Ride the flatbed tractor into the field for circle prayer and harvest the corn (Note: No sandals or open-toed shoes — there are sand burrs and uneven surfaces in the field. We strongly suggest higher rubber boots with pants tucked in)
    • 3:15 p.m: Return to Art & Helen’s place
    • 3:30 p.m – 4:00 p.m: Prayer, gift exchange and closing remarks at the Pipeline Fighters Arboretum
  • WHERE: Ponca Nation land (returned in 2018), the Tanderup Farm near Neligh, NE (address after RSVP)
  • RSVP: You must register to attend on the form below
  • BACKGROUND ON THE PLANTING OF SACRED PONCA CORN IN THE PATH OF KEYSTONE XL: https://boldalliance.org/case-studies/ponca-sacred-corn/