The Seed Keeper
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- Create Date：2021-04-28 11:52:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Diane Wilson
- ISBN：1571311378
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Summary
A haunting novel spanning several generations， The Seed Keeper follows a Dakota family's struggle to preserve their way of life， and their sacrifices to protect what matters most。
Rosalie Iron Wing has grown up in the woods with her father， Ray， a former science teacher who tells her stories of plants， of the stars， of the origins of the Dakota people。 Until， one morning， Ray doesn't return from checking his traps。 Told she has no family， Rosalie is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato--where the reserved， bookish teenager meets rebellious Gaby Makespeace， in a friendship that transcends the damaged legacies they've inherited。
On a winter's day many years later， Rosalie returns to her childhood home。 A widow and mother， she has spent the previous two decades on her white husband's farm， finding solace in her garden even as the farm is threatened first by drought and then by a predatory chemical company。 Now， grieving， Rosalie begins to confront the past， on a search for family， identity， and a community where she can finally belong。 In the process， she learns what it means to be descended from women with souls of iron--women who have protected their families， their traditions， and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss， through war and the insidious trauma of boarding schools。
Weaving together the voices of four indelible women， The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening， of remembering our original relationship to the seeds and， through them， to our ancestors。
Rosalie Iron Wing has grown up in the woods with her father， Ray， a former science teacher who tells her stories of plants， of the stars， of the origins of the Dakota people。 Until， one morning， Ray doesn't return from checking his traps。 Told she has no family， Rosalie is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato--where the reserved， bookish teenager meets rebellious Gaby Makespeace， in a friendship that transcends the damaged legacies they've inherited。
On a winter's day many years later， Rosalie returns to her childhood home。 A widow and mother， she has spent the previous two decades on her white husband's farm， finding solace in her garden even as the farm is threatened first by drought and then by a predatory chemical company。 Now， grieving， Rosalie begins to confront the past， on a search for family， identity， and a community where she can finally belong。 In the process， she learns what it means to be descended from women with souls of iron--women who have protected their families， their traditions， and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss， through war and the insidious trauma of boarding schools。
Weaving together the voices of four indelible women， The Seed Keeper is a beautifully told story of reawakening， of remembering our original relationship to the seeds and， through them， to our ancestors。
Reviews
Daniel Shindler
，
The Seed Keeper presents a multigenerational story of cultural and ecological depredations interwoven with themes of family and spiritual regeneration。 Combining the voices of four women narrators， the plot spans one hundred forty years and gradually unfolds the generational and cultural trauma that resulted from displacing Native Americans from their land and family bonds。The primary narrator that carries this story forward is Rosalie Red Wing。 When we first meet Rosalie， she is emotionally unt The Seed Keeper presents a multigenerational story of cultural and ecological depredations interwoven with themes of family and spiritual regeneration。 Combining the voices of four women narrators， the plot spans one hundred forty years and gradually unfolds the generational and cultural trauma that resulted from displacing Native Americans from their land and family bonds。The primary narrator that carries this story forward is Rosalie Red Wing。 When we first meet Rosalie， she is emotionally untethered。Orphaned as an early teen，Rosalie was separated from her extended family and placed in foster care。She married an alcoholic White farmer as a teenager in order to escape her foster home。 Now forty years old and living in Mankato，she is coping with her husband’s recent death and has no sense of connection to the town or its culture。 Mankato was the site of of the largest mass execution in United States history。 Thirty eight Native Americans were hanged in the aftermath of the Dakhota War in 1862。。 Without the emotional bond of her marriage， she feels no link to her community。Additionally， she is an avid gardener with a love of the soil。 The quality of the land and soil is transforming because big business is using chemicals that despoil the natural resources that are central to the Dakhota vision and tradition。Bereft of emotional and societal touchstones，Rosalie undertakes a journey to her family reservation。 She hopes to rediscover her roots and tradition。 Her journey of discovery gradually takes shape。 She meets a great aunt who fills in the gaps in her family history and reacquaints her with the importance of seeds as a means to connect to the past， provide current sustenance and serve as a spiritual guidepost to the future。The novel contains a wealth of ideas and metaphors。 A primary symbol is that of the seed， which serves as an elegiac paean to a culture and way of life that has been violently disrupted。 A concurrent consideration is the ecological damage that is a consequence of this rapacious history。 The narrative is at times poetic， at times didactic and at times horrifying。 The juxtaposition of generational trauma with foundational cultural beliefs raises questions about our path forward to achieve a more harmonious and equitable society。 。。。more
Marge
，
This is a stunningly beautiful but sad story of a Dakota family based on the author's family。 The story will stay with you for days。 This is a stunningly beautiful but sad story of a Dakota family based on the author's family。 The story will stay with you for days。 。。。more
Mary Yram
，
This book was beautifully written。 I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。
Michelle
，
This was just exquisitely beautiful， heartbreaking， hopeful at the end--I loved it。 Yet another fantastic book from Milkweed Press--have not had a bad book from them yet。 Or even a mediocre book。
Linda Bond
，
Drawing on her own extensive knowledge of the Dakota people， Diane Wilson draws us back toward our past， to a time when people understood the value of the land and its bounty; when the seed keepers were allowed to practice their mystery。 I loved this lilting， lovely， reminiscence of a time gone by and a time captured anew。 I think you will love it， too。I met this book at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane， WA Drawing on her own extensive knowledge of the Dakota people， Diane Wilson draws us back toward our past， to a time when people understood the value of the land and its bounty; when the seed keepers were allowed to practice their mystery。 I loved this lilting， lovely， reminiscence of a time gone by and a time captured anew。 I think you will love it， too。I met this book at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane， WA 。。。more
Katrina
，
A worthwhile read
Susan
，
My favorite book so far this year。 Heartbreaking in many ways but so powerful and inspiring。 The power and wisdom of the Dakhota people， women in particular。 and the power of seeds， saved through generations。
Jamie
，
Rosalie is lost。 She is an Indian who is scorned， taken from her family and left to figure her life out at a tender age。 She does， in her fashion， create a family， but is always searching for her lineage。 In telling Rosalie’s story， Diane Wilson tells the story of the land and all the sad things humans have done to it in the name of improvement。 All of this is true and I respect the way that the Native Americans respect the universe and I do believe their way is the right way。
Lhenry
，
This is the story of several indigenous women， seed keepers for their families food and survival。 I was interested in their stories， and also learned a little more about the Dakotah war circa 1862。
Bonnie
，
This novel is based on a story about the 150 mile walk by the Dahkotas after the 1863 US-Dahkota War At gunpoint， 1700 women， children and elders were marched from their home in Minnesota to a concentration camp at Fort Snelling。 The people had little time to prepare for their move， no way to take their belongings on the long walk and feared about how they would feed their families wherever they ended up。 Women sewed seeds into the hems of their skirts so that they could plant in their new home This novel is based on a story about the 150 mile walk by the Dahkotas after the 1863 US-Dahkota War At gunpoint， 1700 women， children and elders were marched from their home in Minnesota to a concentration camp at Fort Snelling。 The people had little time to prepare for their move， no way to take their belongings on the long walk and feared about how they would feed their families wherever they ended up。 Women sewed seeds into the hems of their skirts so that they could plant in their new home。Rosalie Iron Wing was taken as a child from her Dahkota home as an orphan。 She was raised in white foster homes - losing her Dahkota identity。 In order to survive， when she reached age 18 she agreed to marry a farmer - and for decades she lived among the the German farming community。 Never accepted there， she her companions were the woods， the flowers， the rivers。 She concentrated on her garden - using the planting methods taught by her father， the seeds gathered and carried forward by the Dahkota families。 Widowed， Rosalie lost the farm to her son- who preferred the modern way of GMO farming。 It was more profitable， required less labor and could qualify for bank support。 It destroyed the land and the water。 Rosalie leaves to rejoin the Dahkota reservation - where she can continue her beliefs， her tradition and her bond with the land。From the book: "We heard a song that was our own， sung by humans who were born of the prairie。 Love the seeds as you love your children， and the people will survive。" 。。。more
Amelia
，
Diane Wilson writes history and future together in a novel filled with heartbreak， hope， and a humble understanding of our need to be in right relationship with the world around us。
Maren Cooper
，
Wilson conjures up a compelling story of the trauma that lasts generations when families are torn apart for wide-ranging reasons。 The initial insult of losing one's land， the mis-guided experiment of boarding schools to acculturate our native peoples， unfortunate illnesses that often follow and the anxiety and social dislocation that remain today。 The importance of seeds at the center of the story links well with Robin Wall Kimmerer's memoir "Braiding Sweetgrass。" This rendering， in fiction， is Wilson conjures up a compelling story of the trauma that lasts generations when families are torn apart for wide-ranging reasons。 The initial insult of losing one's land， the mis-guided experiment of boarding schools to acculturate our native peoples， unfortunate illnesses that often follow and the anxiety and social dislocation that remain today。 The importance of seeds at the center of the story links well with Robin Wall Kimmerer's memoir "Braiding Sweetgrass。" This rendering， in fiction， is a good complement。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
I put in a request for our library to get this book， and I am very glad I did。 This is a heartbreaking story about the family of a Dakota woman， but also a book about the hope that seeds and growing things can bring a people。 Diane Wilson does not shy away from the ways that trauma begets trauma and how hurting people hurt others， but she also provides a glimmer of hope for the future。 This a moving story about a Dakota woman by a Dakota woman。 Two quibbles: 1） I was yanked out of the story earl I put in a request for our library to get this book， and I am very glad I did。 This is a heartbreaking story about the family of a Dakota woman， but also a book about the hope that seeds and growing things can bring a people。 Diane Wilson does not shy away from the ways that trauma begets trauma and how hurting people hurt others， but she also provides a glimmer of hope for the future。 This a moving story about a Dakota woman by a Dakota woman。 Two quibbles: 1） I was yanked out of the story early on by an inconsistency that should have been caught by an editor。 A character's "almost bald tires" spin out on a snow covered driveway， and then two pages later she makes it through a foot of unplowed snow which is difficult "despite her snow tires。" This is tiny but I felt the book deserved better so it was disappointing。2） At times， Wilson got downright preachy， specifically regarding big agricultural corporations。 I 150% *agree* with her preaching， but there were times I felt it detracted from the story and removed the immersive feeling so important to good fiction。 。。。more
Vanessa
，
One of the best books I’ve ever read。 Exceptional up to the end。
Barb Bankard
，
An excellent book， and timely as Earth Day approaches。
Annie
，
This isn't bad。。。but it does promise more than it delivers。 Certainly， the premise left me with high expectations。 Love the idea of someone finding a connection with family through saved seeds， bravo！ Loved all of the gardening lessons and trials。 In a fluky parallel， a recently discovered cousin just mailed 'seeds from the old country'， inspiring a powerful sense of family history， and with that， I could relate even more to the joy of having family seeds in hand along with the hope that they mi This isn't bad。。。but it does promise more than it delivers。 Certainly， the premise left me with high expectations。 Love the idea of someone finding a connection with family through saved seeds， bravo！ Loved all of the gardening lessons and trials。 In a fluky parallel， a recently discovered cousin just mailed 'seeds from the old country'， inspiring a powerful sense of family history， and with that， I could relate even more to the joy of having family seeds in hand along with the hope that they might grow。 While the overall plot is appealing， the execution feels unfinished， maybe a little rushed to market， feels like it needs a little more time， more polish， and consideration。 The characters are all interesting， yet there was a strong feeling for me that that the author doesn't expect the reader to understand much and resorts to explaining， with more telling over showing。 。。。more
Meg K。
，
Rosalie Iron Wing has left the home she's known for 20 years， looking for answers to her past and hope for her future。 Her journey recounts the story of the seeds that were handed down through the generations。 As times change and seeds are becoming genetically modified， Rosalie struggles to keep her traditions alive。The Seed Keeper is not only an amazing story， it is a story for our times。 Rosalie's struggles are many， but she holds to her own sense of truth and tradition。 Rosalie Iron Wing has left the home she's known for 20 years， looking for answers to her past and hope for her future。 Her journey recounts the story of the seeds that were handed down through the generations。 As times change and seeds are becoming genetically modified， Rosalie struggles to keep her traditions alive。The Seed Keeper is not only an amazing story， it is a story for our times。 Rosalie's struggles are many， but she holds to her own sense of truth and tradition。 。。。more
Kara
，
This book has blown open my heart to the horrendous suffering inflicted upon the Native American people by colonial land grabbers and religious indoctrination。 A piece of this cultural history is told through the story of the generations of Dahkota women who protected， nurtured and saved the seed that would grow into the food that kept families and a culture alive。 I have glimpsed the beauty of the natural rhythms， of the seasons， the river， the soil， the trees the birds and animals and the gent This book has blown open my heart to the horrendous suffering inflicted upon the Native American people by colonial land grabbers and religious indoctrination。 A piece of this cultural history is told through the story of the generations of Dahkota women who protected， nurtured and saved the seed that would grow into the food that kept families and a culture alive。 I have glimpsed the beauty of the natural rhythms， of the seasons， the river， the soil， the trees the birds and animals and the gentleness of gardeners who respect all of those natural rhythms。 Such a thought provoking book and a call to action to respect and nurture the natural world and the ancient cultural traditions。 A stunning book。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Compassionately and beautifully written。 Immersive story with rich characters。
Deb
，
A powerful story！
Pamoliverio
，
If you have an interest and appreciation for the history of plants， Native American culture and history and personal journeys， then this is a must read。If not， read this anyway。 You will enhance your understanding of the perils of native peoples， the determination of spirit， and the corruption of Big Farming。
Julie
，
Absolutely no doubt of the 5-star rating。。。 incredible novel。 Beautiful storytellingThis is the story of the strength of women， of families in general but specifically of the Native Peoples in North America whose families， homes， lives were torn apart by the whites - their lands and way of life stolen， trashed， but worse， their children taken from them and raised away from traditions and family。The story weaves together the lives of 4 Dakhota women over the years， giving us a glimpse of each but Absolutely no doubt of the 5-star rating。。。 incredible novel。 Beautiful storytellingThis is the story of the strength of women， of families in general but specifically of the Native Peoples in North America whose families， homes， lives were torn apart by the whites - their lands and way of life stolen， trashed， but worse， their children taken from them and raised away from traditions and family。The story weaves together the lives of 4 Dakhota women over the years， giving us a glimpse of each but framed by the contemporary story of Rosalie。Part of this story also addresses the damage done by the major pesticide/seed companies （think Monsanto） done to our farmland and waterways， and the awareness and work done by Dakhota people who understood。。。 pertinent。 Great novel， read it！ 。。。more
Amy
，
Such a good book。
Madeline
，
Wilson has created a truly beautiful and evocative story。 She has written Rosalie's story with such care that makes it easy to connect and understand Rosalie and all that she goes through。 It is a story of family， love， history's ever-present touch on reality。 Wilson elevates Indigenous culture and ways of living and explores assimilation—its failures and joys。 What struck me as most powerful was how memory is infused in nature， and how generational trauma can be passed through the land as well Wilson has created a truly beautiful and evocative story。 She has written Rosalie's story with such care that makes it easy to connect and understand Rosalie and all that she goes through。 It is a story of family， love， history's ever-present touch on reality。 Wilson elevates Indigenous culture and ways of living and explores assimilation—its failures and joys。 What struck me as most powerful was how memory is infused in nature， and how generational trauma can be passed through the land as well as through the body。 Yet even though all of this， healing can be found in nature。Wilson's writing about the natural world is absolutely beautiful and quite inspiring。 And that is what has stayed with me the most from this story—how spirituality can be found in nature。 This idea， in it's most basic sense， is one that I could see myself finding a home in。 I appreciated learning about this idea through the specific context and history of the Dakota people。I encourage everyone to read this beautiful， literary novel of one woman and her people—both past and present。 It's gorgeous。Thank you to Milkweed Editions for providing me with an advanced copy。 :） 。。。more
Deb M。
，
Take a bit of history， a bit of science， and add some human nature。 Braid these three elements together and you get one heck of a story！ Diane Wilson proves herself to be a gifted storyteller with "The Seed Keeper。 Take a bit of history， a bit of science， and add some human nature。 Braid these three elements together and you get one heck of a story！ Diane Wilson proves herself to be a gifted storyteller with "The Seed Keeper。 。。。more
Anna
，
Oh my。 Moving and powerful。 One of the best books I've read in a long time。 Oh my。 Moving and powerful。 One of the best books I've read in a long time。 。。。more
Cat
，
I am preoccupied by seeds and gardening right now， particularly in Black and indigenous fiction， so I knew when I saw that this novel was being released by Milkweed Press， which published Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom， Scientific Knowledge， and the Teachings of Plants， that I would want to read it immediately。 Surprisingly， I was less compelled by the material actually about plants and seeds and the difficulty in keeping them and preserving them and making sure that the seed stock will I am preoccupied by seeds and gardening right now， particularly in Black and indigenous fiction， so I knew when I saw that this novel was being released by Milkweed Press， which published Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom， Scientific Knowledge， and the Teachings of Plants， that I would want to read it immediately。 Surprisingly， I was less compelled by the material actually about plants and seeds and the difficulty in keeping them and preserving them and making sure that the seed stock will survive （growing them out is necessary， and yet if you don't reserve enough， you can lose your bounty in a poorly timed storm） than I was in the familial corollary to the seed story。 It is striking how many Black and indigenous writers focus on the reconstitution of lost family history then they think about plants and foodways （see also Michael Twitty）。 Wilson reflects on the challenges to preserve a family line and inherited knowledge， given the violences of settler colonialism， from exile， war， and genocide to the "Indian schools，" broken families， and addiction。 This multi-generational story insists （rightly） that trauma radiates through time。 There is also a muckraker element of the novel reminiscent of Ruth Ozeki's My Year of Meats， discussing a fictionalized Monsanto， the use of pesticides， and the pollution of Minnesota riverways。 The novel means to be didactic， and its positions on GMOs and industrial farming are clear。 But I think that many white readers would be unfamiliar with the forms of racism faced by Rosie， who was put into foster care with white families when her father died in spite of her family's desire to care for her， and also with the relationship between alcoholism， addiction， domestic abuse， and historical trauma。 I found the central marriage plot compelling （Rosie meets alcoholic white farmer， John， while working as a farm hand， and he invites her to marry him to get out of her foster home）， particularly as John's blind spots as a landowner who has been taught a particular narrative of the frontier and of the nation become clear。 Also， in spite of thinking of myself as a well-informed person， I was shocked and disturbed that it wasn't until 1979 that an act was passed that determined that the custody of Native American children should go to members of their families rather than be immediately turned over to the foster system in the case of parental death or incapacity。 Overall， the novel was a little bit preachy and on the nose for my tastes， but these are important histories and ecologies to preach about （hence the four stars rather than three）。 。。。more
Karin
，
a beautiful story of generations of Dakhota women which includes visceral descriptions of how boarding schools decimated families。
Susan
，
Loved the narrative style and the historical significance of the story it told。 We need to remind ourselves of the truth and be grateful always，
Kristin Boldon
，
A compulsive yet unsentimental page turner told from multiple POVs， with generational trauma through several families， focusing on farming in Minnesota。 It is unflinching in its look at the costs of survival， both emotionally in humans， and to the earth。 The humans may screw up， but the seeds， the treasure， endure。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Seed Keeper
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Seed Keeper&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Seed Keeper&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0