Free First Session Kicks Off Sunday July 7th; and Lasts All Month!
Come join the Alameda Native History Project, as we build granaries for the First Annual Acorn Harvest!
The Acorn Granary Challenge is a month-long series of free events which takes place on every Sunday at 10AM.
Snacks and water will be provided.
Reserve your space for free on our eventbrite page.
What is an Acorn Granary?
Acorn Granaries are traditional
California Native food storage systems.
- Granaries were made all over California. – The acorn was one of the single most important food items in California.
- “Hanging Basket” stores acorns off the ground. – Some tribes built platforms to perch granaries atop of. But not all granaries were suspended.
- Material defines shape. – Some granaries are made with twisted stems, blades, and vines to form a Coil Basket (or “Birdnest” design. ) Others are made with small bushells of wild grass and thatched into an “Inverted Basket” (or, Thatched-Cone Design.)
- Holds acorns overwinter. – An Acorn Granary must be resilient enough to hold Acorns over the winter. Repaired and reused over many seasons.
- Basket-in-shell design. – Every granary is created with an outer shell made from strong, natural material resistant to animals and insects.
Hands-On Learning Experience and Cultural Exchange
Learn about the different plants used to make Acorn Granaries; and how pests were managed before GMO and RoundUp.
Learn how to split willow to make reeds, experiment with creating the different kinds of Acorn Granaries. Strategize how to keep out squirrels, crows, and other hungry critters!
Each week will have a different focus, as we move through the steps of Acorn Granary Construction, and preparing for the harvest.
From splitting willow to making various cordage, and thatching wild grass: We will work with a mix of materials old and new. And also address the non-native plant and their uses in construction and pest management.
Most of the material gathering will take place at the Indigenous Land Lab, and the processing of cordage, thatching of wild grasses, and splitting willows will happen in town, during the Granary Construction.
This is meant to be a very mellow and open-ended process that frankly invites a little bit of creativity, and welcomes a contemporary breath of fresh air.
And we’re also open to this process taking longer than a month.
Here’s a ballpark timeframe for construction and harvest preparation.
- June-July: Gather Materials and Build Acorn Granaries
- August-September: Continue to prepare for Harvest, Monitor Oak Trees
- October-November: Harvest Acorns! Fill, Complete & Install Granaries
Why Are We Making The Granaries Now?
The main goal here is to be totally ready by the time the acorns start to fall!
This is why we’re creating the granaries now: So we can harvest, sort, and pack our acorns into these granaries as efficiently as possible.
But, we also want to give ourselves the greatest chance of success by using multiple granaries of varying construction materials and methods. This will also give us some data to analyze and use to plan for next year!
Please join us for some or all of these events!
Everyone is welcome!
Reserve Your Space at the Acorn Granary Challenge Here.
To learn more about the Indigenous Land Lab, and how you can volunteer to gather more materials for granary construction:
Visit the Indigenous Land Lab Page, or email collab@nativehistoryproject.org!
