#morugahill

It seems every saved seed of our Moruga Hill Rice is springing to life! A similar (if not the same) West African variety of bearded upland rice was grown widely by enslaved Africans on the coast of the Carolinas and as far west as Mississippi as a familiar taste of home in an unchosen land, and as a variety that needed no irrigation or “swamps”, meaning fewer mosquitos and disease. In exchange for fighting with the British against those who enslaved them during the War of 1812, many Gullah Geechee people were relocated to Trinidad where they continue to call themselves Merikins. Trinidadian ethnobotanist Francis Morean (@francismorean) grew up planting this rice with his mother and grandmother, and is working to expand stewardship of this grain beyond the 40 families who still grow it on the island. He added: “As a descendant of that long-forgotten hardy band of African and African-American men and women who were almost literally abandoned in the forests of Moruga by the British colonial powers after the War of 1812, I feel a special sense of what one may call group identity and pride - for want of a better expression - regarding our hill rice narrative.” He says: “The Merikins were NOT the first persons to introduce rice to Trinidad and Tobago, notwithstanding the fact that they have most definitely played a major role in the evolution and persistence of the tradition and the survival of the genetic resources.” He has found historical documentation of upland rice culture in Trinidad at least 9 years before the war, likely thanks to African communities predating the Merikins. The New York Times and NPR pieces featuring this rice story got a lot of the facts wrong (as many of us do with seed stories) and I appreciate Morean’s commitment to integrity by correcting the story and his assertion that research is a continual process. Aleya Fraser (@naturaleya) of Black Dirt Farm Collective went back home to Trinidad and met with Morean and hill rice growers, and sent some seed to my partner Chris, who asked me to also grow them as a backup. #morugahillrice #morugahill #uplandrice #rice #oryzaglaberrima https://www.instagram.com/seedkeeping/p/Bw24pkpFCUK/?igshid=1dr2qxdwyfnih

The Moruga Hill Rice is flowering and sending it’s pollen into the breeze of my hoop house! A similar (if not the same) West African variety of bearded upland rice was grown widely by enslaved Africans on the coast of the Carolinas and as far west as Mississippi as a familiar taste of home in an unchosen land, and as a variety that needed no irrigation or “swamps”, meaning fewer mosquitos and disease. In exchange for fighting with the British against those who enslaved them during the War of 1812, many Gullah Geechee people were relocated to Trinidad where they continue to call themselves Merikins. Trinidadian ethnobotanist Francis Morean (@francismorean) grew up planting this rice with his mother and grandmother, and is working to expand stewardship of this grain beyond the 40 families who grow it on the island. He added to this story yesterday: “As a descendant of that long-forgotten hardy band of African and African-American men and women who were almost literally abandoned in the forests of Moruga by the British colonial powers after the War of 1812, I feel a special sense of what one may call group identity and pride - for want of a better expression - regarding our hill rice narrative.” He says: “The Merikins were NOT the first persons to introduce rice to Trinidad and Tobago, notwithstanding the fact that they have most definitely played a major role in the evolution and persistence of the tradition and the survival of the genetic resources.” He has found historical documentation of upland rice culture in Trinidad at least 9 years before the war, likely thanks to African communities predating the Merikins. The New York Times and NPR pieces featuring this rice story got a lot of the facts wrong (as many of us do with seed stories) and I appreciate Morean’s commitment to integrity by correcting the story and his assertion that research is a continual process. Aleya Fraser (@naturaleya) of Black Dirt Farm Collective went back home to Trinidad and met with Morean and hill rice growers, and sent some seed to my partner Chris, who asked me to also grow them as a backup. #morugahillrice #morugahill #uplandrice #rice #oryzaglaberrima https://www.instagram.com/p/BnSEz9PFy7z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1vo7e0e68231c

I’ve been waiting for this moment all year: the Moruga Hill Rice is going to seed! This West African variety of bearded upland rice was grown widely by enslaved Africans on the coast of the Carolinas and as far west as Mississippi as a familiar taste of home in an unchosen land, and as a variety that needed no irrigation or 'swamps', meaning fewer mosquitos and disease. In exchange for fighting with the British against those who enslaved them during the War of 1812, many Gullah Geechee people on the sea islands of the Carolinas were relocated (with their seeds and their freedom) to Trinidad where they continue to call themselves Merikins and grow this rice today. Trinidadian ethnobotanist Francis Morean (@francismorean) grew up planting this rice with his mother and grandmother, and is working to expand interest in and stewardship of this grain beyond the 40 families who continue to grow it on the island. Fellow seed keeper Aleya Fraser (@naturaleya) of Black Dirt Farm on the eastern shore of Maryland went back home to Trinidad and met with Francis Morean and hill rice growers! Aleya sent some seed to my partner Chris, who asked me to also grow them as a backup. Aleya's and Chris's started going to seed before those in my field did - I hope we all get some ripe seed to begin the process of re-acclimating this sacred and storied rice to this continent. #morugahillrice #morugahill #uplandrice #rice #oryzaglaberrima #gullahgeechee #gullahgeecheecuisine #westafricanrice #seedkeeping #seedsaving (at Delaware County, Pennsylvania)