Among the Cornstalks
Among the Cornstalks
Guided by ancestral knowledge and shared responsibility, we braid together Indigenous agriculture, cultural revitalization, and community organizing to heal land, body, and spirit.
Origin Story
It was a rough corn-shortage year that first brought our families together. As we gathered and shared what little knowledge we carried, we realized something simple but profound: growing corn alone is hard. We didn’t have much seed, we didn’t have much land, and most of us were still new to growing.
What we did know was that we are Ukwehú:w̲e̲—original people, people of the longhouse, corn people—and that our ways of knowing and being live in our bones and in the seeds our ancestors carried. Corn is our relative. She has her own personality, her own rationality, her own way of speaking, teaching, and dancing.
Ohe·láku was formed out of a cultural dormancy—many voices, many hands—coming together to learn under the husk. And to this day, we are being shaped by her generosity.
Ohe·láku
Ohe·láku
Ohe·láku (Among the Cornstalks) is a nonprofit agricultural organization made up of Haudenosaunee families relearning how to collectively grow traditional Tuscarora White Corn on the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin. Founded in 2016 with the intent to feed our families and transfer cultural knowledge to the next generation, Ohe·láku has grown from two acres of communal corn into a regionally recognized force for food sovereignty. We braid together indigenous agriculture, cultural revitalization, and community organizing to heal land, body, and spirit—guided by ancestral knowledge and shared responsibility.
We operate as an independent and autonomous organization, distinct from the Oneida Nation. We are proud to be fiscally sponsored by Ukwakhwa (Our Foods) and The MICA Group, which support our mission to strengthen Indigenous community food systems.
Reestablishing Indigenous Agriculture Responsibilities
Our work honors responsibilities—to our Mother the Earth, to the corn we grow, to our communities, and to the corn stories that came before us. Through this care and connection, we strengthen our minds and heal relationships through deep learning.
Intergenerational Family Model as Community Organizing
Where learning is inclusive community knowledge and corn traditions are shared across generations. A community of active and resourceful families, being what our relatives dreamed we would be—corn growers feeding the people.
Practicing Traditional Governance to Revitalize Culture
Following Haudenosaunee principles—peacekeeping, consensus-building, the Clan System, and strength-based roles guide how we work together. Cultural protocols shape how we respect time, show up in community, and make decisions.
Community of Corn Growers
Ohe·láku membership includes Haudenosaunee families. The cooperative is primarily made up of members and under-the-wingers from Oneida families and is supported by friends and allies.
10 Years
Years Growing Together
60+ Members
Members Learning to Grow Corn
“We are going to grow this corn together, harvest it together, and eat this corn together the way our ancestors did!”
—Don Charnon
