By now the economic recession has somehow affected nearly every family in America, one way or another. Amid concerns about a major shift in government control, the fairness of corporate rescue plans, and the average family’s financial burdens, a new zeitgeist is emerging that is a nod to indigenous knowledge and a reconnection to the natural world. A new frugality, as it is being called, may produce an ideal environment for educating others about indigenous concepts of sustainability.

Last week, first lady Michelle Obama made news when she, along with some local elementary students, planted the first garden on White House grounds since World War II. While many can relate to a mother’s instinct to feed her children, very few are as influential as Mrs. Obama at this moment. Planting a garden might seem like a small gesture, but it signals a basic consciousness on the part of America’s first family that is encouraging.

Mrs. Obama intends to promote healthy eating and locally grown food as a way to address soaring rates of obesity and diabetes in the United States. It’s an admirable endeavor, one that must have many Native people thinking of their own small farms or gardens. Not only do their high-quality crops sustain families and communities, they are often sown with gratitude and respect for each plant’s medicinal value. Several tribal prevention programs have been successful at re-introducing small gardens to diabetics. Their experiences are worth sharing with the first family, and with the nomination of Dr. Yvette Roubideaux to lead IHS, it seems likely that a significant connection can be made.