On May 16, Otoe-Missouria tribal members and Lincoln-area volunteers joined together to plant the second year of the Sarah Grace (Hudson) and George Kihega Garden at Prairie Pines Nature Preserve in Lincoln, Neb. as part of the Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors Project.
The project named the garden for two renowned Otoe-Missouria gardeners and is growing heirloom varieties of bean, squash, sunflowers, watermelon, and other Indigenous crops and medicines that are similar to what the tribe would have grown in southeast Nebraska in the 19th Century. The garden is a tangible means of enacting the project’s goals to reconnect the Otoe-Missouria with their ancestral lands and to engage current southeast Nebraska residents with the tribe’s long history and return to the region.
Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors is a joint initiative that aims to promote healing and reconciliation in southeast Nebraska by reconnecting the Otoe-Missouria to their homelands and educating non-Native people about the history and ongoing presence of the Tribe and other Indigenous peoples in our region.
The day started with a meal from Isaac Kolb, Indigenous chef with Chepa Kitchen, which was hosted by the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, a long-time partner with the Walking in the Footsteps Project.
The project hopes to have several crops ready to harvest by the Otoe-Missouria Day gathering on Sept. 25-27, 2026.
Volunteers in the Lincoln area are needed to help with all aspects of the garden throughout the growing season. Please reach out to Tom Lynch at tplynch2@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.
