INDIGENOUS FOOD SYSTEMS & PERMACULTURE RETREAT
Sage Oasis Garden Retreat Center, Hot Springs, MT
June 14-16, 2024
A weekend intensive exploring the intersection of the indigenous, feminine and practical in food production.
This weekend retreat will be packed with exposure to multiple perspectives on ethical approaches to Indigenous land relations, food production, and permaculture.
Learn how to design a property that captures water, improves soil, and produces healthy organic food, all while regenerating the land and life around you. Participate in an intensive weekend of class sessions, tours and a design practicum to get all the tools you need to build more self-reliance for you and your family!
Topics covered will include:
- How to work in harmony with nature using a regenerative, ethical approach to food production
- Permaculture Design Principles and how to apply them to your community, your own backyard, and life in general
- Indigenous approaches to permaculture
- How to create food forests, build soil, capture water and design efficient and productive yards and gardens
- Ecological design frameworks and choosing one to suit your situation
- Reading the landscape and letting the land and plants teach you
- An opportunity to create a design for your own situation
- Resources and next steps to further your education and experiences
live a life more aligned with
your values.
Permaculture stands for permanent agriculture or permanent culture and is a design approach for sustainable living and land use, rooted in the observation of natural systems. If you want to be more self-reliant, grow your own food, and create a sustainable future for yourself and your family, all while learning about indigenous food systems then join us for this retreat!
The course takes place at Sage Oasis, a garden retreat and workshop center on 100 acres, just outside of Hot Springs, Montana. Sage Oasis features permaculture gardens, energy-efficient alternative building methods, and a place of healing, learning, rest and relaxation. Owned by Anita Dupuis, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the place honors Native ancestral roots in caring for the land.
Since Sage Oasis is in the Hot Springs Valley, it is also within range of several all-natural hot mineral springs. There will be time during the retreat to go for a soak and take in the beauty of the valley.
Enjoy delicious and nutritious meals (2 lunches and 2 dinners) throughout the retreat. Those who stay at Sage Oasis (for an additional cost) will have a variety of different rooms and structures to choose from. Go here to learn more.
INSTRUCTORS
Kareen Erbe
Kareen Erbe owns Broken Ground, a permaculture education and design business in Bozeman, Montana that teaches people how to grow their own food and become more self-reliant.
She has taught thousands of people through her workshops, both live and online, and offers consultations and permaculture design services. She and her family live on a ¾ acre suburban homestead with large kitchen gardens, a food forest, a greenhouse, a pond, and chickens. Kareen has written articles for Rocky Mountain Gardening Magazine, Montana Parent Magazine, Distinctly Montana, and Edible Bozeman.
Anita Dupuis, PhD, MPH, MBA
Dr. Anita Dupuis followed her own instincts when she inherited a dream property from her late husband Sam. Twelve years ago, she landed on 100+ acres in the Hot Springs Valley of the Flathead Reservation, Western Montana and hasn’t stopped since.
Her PhD dissertation, titled “Decolonization and Political Engagement for the Selish, Ksanka and Qlispe People” identified and described a whole systems cultural (permacultural) model for perpetuation of the health and wellbeing of the Selish, Ksanka and Qlispe People today and into the future. Anita’s Native ancestry includes both Ksanka and Qlispe (Kootenai and Pend d’Oreille), as well as Ojibway and Mohawk, along with French, Scottish and English.
George and Barb Price
Dr. George Price (unenrolled lineal descendant of the Wampanoag tribal nation of Massachusetts) taught Native American Studies at the University of Montana for 20 years and at Salish Kootenai College for three years before that. George and his wife Barb founded LifeGiving Farm in 1985, a five-acre non- commercial subsistence, polyculture farm on the Flathead Indian Reservation in the northern Rocky Mountains of western Montana.
George is also co-founder of the Montana Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative (MIFSI) and, along with Barb, an informal advisor and teacher to numerous young Indigenous and non-Indigenous food sovereignty advocates and aspiring regenerative farmers. Barb is also a great cook, using the yields from their garden to create delicious meals.
Makia and Mark Cometti
Mark and Makia are the owners of Tatopani Farm and Homestead, diverse small acreage operation focusing on dairy goats, laying hens, homestead and market garden, orchards, tree and plant nursery, plant breeding and seed saving, cultivar research and testing.
Off the farm Mark works as Flathead Permaculture, consulting and helping to develop regenerative sites across the Inland Northwest. Makia is a yoga instructor, blending uplifting breath-work with physical movement through postures. Both are active members of the Nyah Grange, Hot Springs Farmers Market, and the Inland Northwest Permaculture Guild.
Plus these bonuses:
This session will be held via Zoom a few weeks after the in-person class.
YOUR INVESTMENT?
there is a sliding scale:
$450 or $575 or $700
This fee includes 3 meals and camping at Sage Oasis. Please choose the option that best reflects your economic situation: $450 (those who are a little short on funds), $575 (those with sufficient resources) and $700 (those who have more than enough). Work trade options are available for the right, highly motivated people.
Discounted Lodging (private cabins, rooms, or glamping) is available for those who do not want to camp. Go here to look at the lodging options available.
This workshop is for you if:
- You want to learn to live in balance with the land and are interested in learning more from land-based cultures.
- You've been curious about permaculture and want a better understanding of what it's all about.
- You want to learn how to go about designing a landscape that helps you become more self-reliant.
- You're looking for solutions to some of our most pressing ecological crises.
- You're excited to grow more of your own food this spring.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
We will meet on Friday, June 14 at 3pm and end on Sunday, June 16 at 4pm.
There is a lot of information out there about permaculture and gardening, but that’s part of the problem. It’s hard to sift through what’s relevant for your yard, your climate and your lifestyle. This workshop is not only specific to cold climates, it’s a chance to interact with instructors from a variety of different backgrounds and to get your specific questions answered. It’s also a chance to spend the weekend with a group of like-minded people.
Absolutely! It is always the right time to set yourself up for a little more self-reliance. Learning how to grow our own food, capture water, build soil and produce our own energy are some of the most positive steps forward at this time.
Click above to buy at the level that makes most sense for your economic situation. You will be taken to a secure site where you can enter your credit card information.
