ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss an understanding of re-indigenizing agricultural communities through a fusion of analysis and practice. The method of presentation is largely based on an experimental discussion between student and instructor that took place during some experimentation with soil communities. We began the experiment asking the question: can soil communities provide a starting point for a larger analysis of human communities striving for self-sufficiency and balance with natural ecosystems? Soil has a life completely independent of humanity, yet it is the sustainer of all human life. As such, soil and humans have forged complex relationships that range from Indigenous to colonial. Within these paradigms, the meaning of human sustainability is experienced, and the codes for diverse codependencies are written. As technological advancements and social/cultural amalgamation continue to take place incrementally in the twenty-first century, understanding how this coding can be translated into emerging indigenous cultural systems will be essential for marginalized and displaced populations. In the end, we didn't find a definitive answer to our question. What we did discover was that the conversation evolved as the kind of indigenous science in which knowledge begins to take root. We have decided simply to present a discussion, hoping to invite others to get involved.
