Starting from the Roots
By: Abigail Nez-Johnson
Tribal affiliation: Diné
Major: B.S. Geography (Concentration in Meteorology & Climatology)
I like to say I got into my major in geography on accident. I was originally a journalism major with the intention of becoming a news reporter. I took a physical geography course for a science credit and realized that I was passionate about landforms, weather and land masses. Once I declared my major, my interests ignited in weather, plants, water and soil.
I became serious about gardening when I started taking plant courses in ASU’s Applied Biological Sciences program during my third year in January 2018. I particularly fell in love with being in the greenhouse for hours each week.
My passion for gardening also began to grow in my everyday life. In my free time, I found myself attending farmer’s markets, collecting seeds, visiting farms and growing plants in my apartment. I started reading books on plants, volunteering at gardens, and joined ASU’s Polytechnic Horticulture Club, which I found out is open to all majors.
Growing plants makes me feel closer to the people I love because it reminds me of my childhood. When I was a little girl, I would help my mother transplant flowers and at my paternal grandparents’ ranch in Utah, my late análí asdzáníígíí (paternal grandmother) used to grow corn, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, wheat and alfalfa hay for the cows. When I moved out of my childhood home, I craved the botanical life.
There is a cultural significance in growing the things I do. In February 2018, I began volunteering at Native Health Agave Farms where we learn about our ancestors and how important agriculture was to them for food and medicinal purposes. Agriculture is just as important then as it is today.
My life journey has brought me to the Caribbean Islands, specifically to an island country called St. Kitts and Nevis, which located in the West Indies and is where my husband attends medical school. Nevis is a tad smaller than the City of Tempe and is filled with luscious plants, monkeys in trees, roaming cattle and sheep, a stratovolcano, endless ocean, starry nights, tropical fruits and delicious food. Here I continue to propagate plants, care for succulents, and grow herbs that I share with my friends.
I love how plants and gardening bring people together. I am determined to teach Native youth that gardening is overall enjoyable. It’s a great past time where friends and family can create something that involves hard work with amazing results. To me, it’s important to have a relationship with Nahasdzáán (Mother Earth) and appreciate the biological process our food goes through to simply nourish our souls.
When I reflect on my schooling, the satisfaction of college achievements can be similar to planting — both include seeing the fruition of hard work. With college, I see the amazing friendships that I’ve gained, the opportunity to travel, meeting my husband and incredible professors, being involved in clubs and organizations, and designing my life as I want it to be. The fruition of gardening is being able to smell highly fragranced plants like roses, basil, thyme, mint or cilantro, and using the plants you have grown in your cooking.
With the highs come with lows, and in both gardening and college, the lows can include failure. Sometimes things happen: your plant hardiness zone could not be supported by your chosen plant; the soil could be unhealthy; you have to worry about aphids, weeds and pests. With school, you make errors along the way and might receive a failing grade, but remember: seeds need to break dormancy and are much like humans. Humans need love, courage and strength.
You learn many life lessons along the way when planting. I’ve had to overcome obstacles to feel blissful and at peace within myself. Try not to focus on the lows and start witnessing the beautiful flourishing flowers, fruits and vegetables in your life.
