We have been working with our relatives in Anishinaabe territory to support the hemp economy, as a part of an integrated and replicable economic model, including crafts and green energy. 

In partnership and collaboration with the Indigenous Hemp and Cannabis Farmers Cooperative, we are building a set of value-added industries with industrial hemp. After a history of massive fossil fuels extraction and of mining operations poisoning our lands, hemp is an incredible tool to sequester carbon, capturing up to 10.5 tonnes of CO2/acre/year, or −1.73 kg of CO2 per kg of hemp. We are working with researchers to grow test plots of various hemp varieties, as we are continuing to learn which are best-suited for fiber and soil bioremediation in our area.  We have begun research with the University of Minnesota on bioremediation, and will enlist more assistance for this work in 2023. We are finding uses for all parts of the hemp plant- the bast fibers go to paper and textiles, and the hurd goes to construction materials. We are even mixing the sawdust created during hemp processing with biochar for soil remediation. 

The hemp pairs excellently with the wool from our Churro sheep, the lifeblood of our food system and economy. Despite a large pressure to move away from a farming lifestyle, most of the people in our area remain farmers or ranchers. That means that we have access to Churro sheep wool, a high quality product which is unique to this region. During COVID, much of our wool did not sell, leaving us with an abundance of wool and a need for new economic outlets. 

Three years ago, we saw this opportunity and began developing hemp-wool blends for textile applications. We have been collaborating with the larger Indigenous Hemp and Cannabis Growers Cooperative, where we have been working in partnership with the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute (See above hemp insulation from Hempitecture, and hemp and wool textile). We have found that hemp and wool are an ideal match for warmth and durability, and allow us to weave textiles of a higher tensile value. These are premium Diné textiles and we believe that this will enhance the artisan work in our community. One of our recent textiles works, woven here by Shay Vandever from fiber grown by Winona’s Hemp and Anishinaabe Agriculture, was on the runway at the New York Fashion Week. We also are interested in scaling this work, and indeed, our sister farm Winona’s Hemp has been working with Patagonia, and will soon see their hemp in a Patagonia work bag.

In addition, we are developing products for a fiber materials economy, which includes 3D printing, insulation, and paper; all of which are best with a combination of wool and hemp. We intend to build partnerships with other hemp producers to create hemp-wool insulation, papers and 3D filament all as value-added industries, which would enhance the local ecosystem and economy, and encourage trade with other hemp farmers. We also intend to work on hempcrete and hemp adobe as a building model for the thousands of houses required in our growing Diné community. Hempcrete is an incredible tool for carbon drawdown - a wall made with hempcrete sequesters up to 15-16 kg CO2 per square meter. This is all from the inner hurd part of the hemp, which other fiber growers often consider as waste.

Alongside our fiber economy world, we see the opportunity to build renewable energy projects into the contaminated superfund sites that are leftover from uranium and coal mining. We will take the tremendous energy infrastructure, left as a scar on our land, and transform it into a source of solar and wind power that serves our community. Our partners at Akiing in northern Minnesota produce solar thermal panels, which do well on our homes here in Eastern Navajo agency.

Our demonstration projects in hemp cultivation, churro sheep, artisanal textiles, hemp-wool materials, and renewable energy created a replicable model for an indigenous ecological economy which we hope to grow across the 17 million acre Navajo reservation, where the issues of our specific land base are mirrored. 

Last year, we established the Pueblo Diné Latino (PDL) Living Heritage Hub to share what we have learned with our neighbors of all three cultures. At the Living Heritage Hub, we will spread this knowledge widely via university partnerships, events, and capacity support. We will provide funding and training for others who wish to learn these crafts, and capacity support for traditional artisans. We are working to support the development of a hemp cooperative locally to assist Indigenous people in securing adequate support to participate and benefit from the fiber hemp and the cannabis economy. We will also train our neighbors in solar thermal panel construction and insulation, working with our partners at 8th Fire Solar who have experience in this education. We envision the Living Heritage Hub as a source of support for sub cooperatives and small businesses in indigenous communities from north to south.