HOW PLANTS CONNECT TO OUR CULTURAL IDENTITY
The American dream of individualistic opportunity and monetary gain has left us disconnected. Social isolation, loneliness, depression and anxiety are rising to the top of our national concerns for public health. How far have we gotten from the foundational roots that allow us to feel healthy, loved and happy?
Culture can be defined as customary beliefs by a group of people, in a place, including a shared set of values and practices handed down through generations. Furthermore, “in a place” binds us to a place-based identity, a feeling of connection, and responsibility to the humane and natural world around us. Have you ever felt comforted by the sight of fruit trees blossoming as winter turns to spring, the feeling of release as the autumn leaves fall in brilliant cascades along the roadside, or the smell of clean ocean air and the way it can intoxicate you, even briefly, before the chaos of commerce and stress crashes in? In these moments, you can feel the biophilic tug nature has over you.
I encourage planting foods to which you have cultural connections. You can use them as you explore the dishes that speak to your ancestry.
Biophilia is the idea that we are genetically predisposed to want a connection with the natural world. People’s overall time spent in nature can increase their level of nature relatedness, which fosters acts of stewardship within natural landscapes. Therefore, biophilia is a way to explain the phenomena we experience as the calm that settles in when engaging with natural elements. Gardening can help foster this relationship. So what does this have to do with culture? Having compassion for another’s culture is easier when your own cultural identity is understood. We are a diverse group of people living in America, and our cultural backgrounds all have historically binding elements to the lands from which we came. The challenge is finding them amid the lands we now call home. Maybe it is rural or urban, maybe it doesn’t even have a backyard, but the foods nourishing us are easily found in everyday life.
We learn about our cultural backgrounds through the stories told to us and the foods shared. It is long understood by our ancestors that our survival depends on the health of the environment. One way to reconnect with your culture is by asking family members or researching the influences that have shaped your everyday social norms, through thoughts, actions and beliefs about the world around you. People have been shown to identify more with how their culture and foods are connected. Planting a garden, even an indoor garden, can help you start nourishing your connections to the land and culture. I encourage planting foods to which you have cultural connections. You can use them as you explore the dishes that speak to your ancestry.
Finding plants that grow well in your area will provide you with greater enjoyment. If you feel culturally connected to this direct area, consider planting native plants like pineapple weed. If it has calming and anti-inflammatory effects and does not need processing, add it to your salad or infuse it in tea. Feeling a pull from Spain or Portugal in your genes? Consider growing rosemary for aromatherapy, or to season your ovenroasted potatoes. Perhaps your roots take you to Africa — did you know aloe plants originated there and were used regularly for ailments? Yes, you can eat the inside, but it also makes a wonderful sunburn gel applied directly to the skin.
Maybe a small row of corn takes you back to the simpler American way of life. If you have the space, consider planting trees. Apple trees have a strong connection to American culture, and oak trees have been a staple for local Indigenous people. If you live with multiple people, then have everyone choose one plant or garden box and take ownership of it. Then enjoy the fruits of your labor in shared meals that connect you to the people you feel bonded with.
It’s been proven that nature helps calm us and releases endorphins. Caring for yourself and nature by planting something allows you to feel the cyclical relationship between you and nature. Fight back against the wheel of disconnect driven by sociocultural detachment, political or institutional processes. We are meant to be connected to the people and the land on which we reside, and we can find that even in a diverse American society.