Ohe·láku is a Haudenosaunee agricultural cooperative reclaiming and revitalizing Indigenous foodways, language, and lifeways. We are carrying out our responsibilities and sharing the lessons we learn.
Through community-based planting, harvesting, teaching, and celebration, we produce over 10,000 pounds of traditional corn annually—supporting Oneida Nation, the Tribal Elder Food Box Program, and families across Wisconsin. Our members contribute 3,000–4,000 volunteer hours each year, maintaining every aspect of the cooperative from farming and events to grant writing and advocacy. We host field days, green corn gatherings, and our annual Harvest Moon celebration, welcoming over 800 students and hundreds of visitors to experience corn’s deep cultural and ecological role in our lives.
Ohe·láku is currently developing Kwà tsiʔnikanahsto:tʌ (“All Kinds of Corn”), a 5,000 sq. ft. cooperative processing and teaching facility designed by and for Indigenous farmers. The facility will dramatically reduce harvest labor, enable the production of value-added foods, and serve as a year-round space for teaching, gathering, and movement building. As one of five Tribal infrastructure projects in Wisconsin led by the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition, this space will strengthen regional trade, cultural exchange, and the emergence of a just, regenerative economy.
We are proud to be part of a growing ecosystem of Indigenous-led change. Our work is rooted in traditional consensus and community care, while actively engaging with national and global networks. From seed rematriation with Braiding the Sacred, to barter markets with neighboring Tribal Nations, to cultural exchange with Māori and Zapotec relatives, we are reviving the relationships that once flourished along Indigenous trade routes. Our cooperative model is inspiring other Tribal communities to build their own culturally grounded, cooperative economies.
At Ohe·láku, we believe every seed planted heals a piece of the damage caused by colonialism. Our commitment is to grow more than food—we grow confidence, belonging, cultural knowledge, and collective power. We are honored to share our story and join hands with others committed to ecological stewardship, cultural resurgence, and just transition.