Hi everyone I’m Aihs. Ive been in Fairbanks for about a decade or more on and off due to moving back and forth and my family lifestyle. I have been foraging for a couple of years, super involved in the sustainable community and gardening wherever I can. It’s my dream to have my own homestead. I really value sustainable practices and the wealth of knowledge that you can gain from the plants around you. I am also very interested in Ethnomycology and I love to forage fungi. I have a lot of favorite plants, one of my most recent faves is Rhodiola rosea. The extract that I’ve made and experienced from the root is truly wonderful and empowering. My herbal journey is very led by my yearning for wellness and communal restoration. I try to use plant medicine often, I deeply believe that becoming a botanist is the right path for me so i’m super grateful for this course and everything that comes with it. I don’t think I would enjoy hunting although I’ve never did have the opportunity to experience a homestead and I couldn’t bring myself to the slaughtering part. I respect hunting as an indigenous and sustenance practice however. Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!
The photo i’ve included is my little one, gardening, or rather building “dirt castles”.
Welcome Aihs,
it is great having you in class. Yes, there is a lot to be said about owning your own homestead and working the land, it is peaceful and rewarding. I often have wondered how our ancestors made it all work. I have down some spinning and weaving and making my own clothes, but did not do it full circle from having our own sheep and shearing them and preparing the rovings. But it seems like it would be great fun. Love the picture of your little one. I have a similar one from our kids when they were this age. Kids love gardening, or just being around you and copying what you are doing. But they learn how to appreciate nature and what we can gain from working the land. A picture from 2006 when I first started my job in Alaska with two of our three kids collecting plants.