The fourth quarter of 2018 had multiple grant recipients and I’m pleased to announce that loveren collections, an organization started by Nina Lawrin, is the third and final one. (You can read about the first recipient, Donna J. Weathers, here, and the second grant recipient, the Knox County Genealogical Society of Galesburg, Illinois, here.)

In Nina’s own words, “loveren collections serves to reconnect folks to the land and everyday perennial plants. Throughout the years, I have been learning from various lineages and communities including the San in Namibia, the Oglala Lakota in SD, and have been yearning to retrace my own ancestral steps back to the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine. I would like to explore and share this deep intimacy with the land and trace back ancestral plant knowledge from the Hutsuls (where 3 of my grandparents came from). I plan to continue teaching about female hormonal health, ceremonial healing, herbalism, and sustainable growing practices in Chicago through the Permaculture Chicago Teaching Institute, but would like a deeper understanding and sensitivity to my lineage to Eastern Europe. I believe by understanding my own ancestral practices, I can help bring awareness and sensitivity toward other communities (Native American + African) that are often appropriated without reference.”

Grant funds will assist with the purchase of books for research in European ancestral herbalism and ceremony (specifically from the Carpathian Mountains and Eastern Europe), which could be accessed as a free library source through the Permaculture Teaching Institute in Chicago. Nina speaks Ukrainian and would like to translate various texts into English as a way to help keep these traditions alive and well in Chicago, where a large Ukrainian and Polish community resides. Nina shares, “I think this knowledge will serve as a tool to reconnect after immigration while healing urban soils in the city.”

As a reminder, you can apply for a Seton Shields grant here. Don’t miss checking out the cool projects I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to over the years, plus an article that will give you a behind-the-scenes peek into my grants program (and might help you increase your odds of being selected when you apply)!