Tompkins Weekly    8-14-24

By Cathleen and Eric Banford

OJI:SDA’ is an Indigenous women-led, non-profit organization based in the Finger Lakes. They recently hosted a volunteer day at their gardens at The Soil Factory where locals came together to harvest tulsi, mint and lemon balm for tea making. A general sense of community connection was infused with the heady aroma of the harvest, making for an afternoon of joyous work and conversation.

“The plant program here in Ithaca is the result of figuring out that people wanted to know more about how to reconnect with their own plants,” shared Tahila Moss, OJI:SDA’s founder and executive director. “We wanted to reconnect in sustainable ways, including the education programs for Indigenous circles. We share with individuals who gather their own circles, and they share with their circle and we provide everyone with teas. It means that community can come and learn about plants and engage with plants together, supporting us sending out plant medicine to Indigenous folks. At the basis of the organization is nurturing support, awareness, learning and sharing in community, with the Earth as an equal part of the community, as opposed to people above Earth.”

Tahila Moss harvesting tulsi for making tea blends. Photo by Riley Ferriss

Collaboration with The Soil Factory has provided OJI:SDA’ with a more public space; they also care for beautiful land in Spencer. “Today we are harvesting tulsi which is a beautiful, fragrant plant and an adaptogen which helps with our elasticity,” said Moss. “We all sat around taking the leaves off the tulsi to dry them. These are then packed up as part of the blend that goes out to the Indigenous circles that we support. We also have some community volunteer days at the Spencer farm because it’s special to be out there.”

One of OJI:SDA’s main focuses is on youth. “I grew up in this community as one of the few natives around,” said Moss. “We didn’t have the community, so growing up seeing how isolating it is, and seeing how can we do things differently for kids who are growing up off the reservations. What ways can they see themselves in a classroom or in community? That shows up in different ways.”

According to Moss, OJI:SDA’ has a contract with Ithaca City School District to provide coaching, share teachings, and offer support to those wanting to find good resources that could help embed more Indigenous values within their classes. This support has been applied to math,  art, and to all sorts of learning experiences.

Connecting with the Earth is an important part of Moss’s day. “As an organizer, I take time at the beginning of each day to connect with water. Water before I drink it, water that’s inside of me, water of the Earth. I am barefoot all the time, even in cities. I problem solve, love working with volunteers and with plants, and teaching the online classes with the Indigenous folks about medicine and visioning. We want everyone to be happy and healthy, so it’s a balance as an admin to make sure that everyone is.”

As far as other community focuses, OJI:SDA’ has a program supporting missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives, and a program for a garden in a prison, providing medicinal plants. “Working in prisons is really important because these horrible systems need sustainable humanity. These collaborations allow us to get into new spaces,” noted Moss. “Cross pollination with other organizations is so important because we all have so much heart in the work we are doing, and we’re all reaching out and being available to community in different ways. We’ve been collaborating with Southside Community Center for a while. Civic Ensemble gave us boxes from a play which we can set up in town to teach people about plants.”

Volunteering is a critical part of OJI:SDA’s outreach, and as volunteers at the event, we experienced connecting with plants, learning from each other, and enjoying being in a garden as community. Moss noted that, “We provide Greenstar members with volunteer opportunities for a store discount, through their Cooperators in the Community program. Tech skills, social media skills or anything else that might be helpful are also welcome. People can become teammates and be involved in a particular way. We’re always looking for that locally.”

“We all get to work together in what we care about, be in different spaces, and then new things come that we wouldn’t have thought we could do,” shared Moss. “It takes a lot less effort because we’re doing it together. Our vision is a world where Indigenous people are seen, heard, healthy and thriving, and the Earth is cared for and respected.”

To sign up to volunteer or to find out more about OJI:SDA’, visit ojisda.org

Signs of Sustainability is organized by Sustainable Finger Lakes.