CULTIVATORS CORNER
When It Comes to Women and Minorities in the Cannabis Business
Saydee Tschanen Shines
by Clayton Stallings , The EVOLUTION Magazine
According to a 2021 Women & Minorities in the Cannabis Industry report by MJBizDaily , “ Female executive representation is down to 22 percent — lower than 36.8 percent in 2019 , and well below the national average for mainstream businesses , which stands at roughly 30 percent .” 1 Imagine my surprise when I met Saydee Tschanen , an indigenous Native American female running the cultivation facility at Missouri Made Marijuana , while staging a photo shoot at the facility for the front cover of our May issue . I knew I had to learn more about her and how she broke through this disturbing trend .
Saydee ’ s official title with Missouri Made Marijuana is the Director of Agricultural Sciences and Cultivation Facility . She has been growing commercial cannabis for seven years in two states . She is affiliated with a Native American tribe called the “ Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa .” Saydee said , “ My tribe is located in Minnesota , and they are known as the Ojibwe people in political circles . But we term that as Anishinaabe . The Anishinaabe value the environment and everything it encompasses . We believe the environment is interconnected and has important relationships with the things around it .”
To better understand Saydee ’ s journey from Native American life on a reservation to a Missouri cannabis industry Director of Agricultural Sciences and Cultivation Facility position , we asked her a few questions . Here is a glimpse at her fascinating journey .
You spent some time in Nevada before coming to Missouri . What was the “ Brevity ” bird ’ s eye view of your childhood years before leaving for Nevada ?
Growing up on a reservation , I have seen a lot of suffering and struggle . My people are still trying to grow and heal from the past . Seeing this , I wanted to help . Because my people are so beautiful , their culture and views on life itself are something to be cherished and held sacred for years . It is difficult to do this entirely when you are holding onto painful memories . My desire for wanting to help actually called me to explore the states . Just in my gut and heart , I felt Nevada somehow had possibilities . So , I went there to see exactly what it had to offer .
How did your tribal background prepare you for the cannabis industry , and what gardening / agriculture were you involved with at a younger age ?
Saydee as a child with her Grandpa , Thomas Whitebird , who was a wellknown and respected person on her reservation .
The “ Original Plant People ” is another definition many think of when they hear Ojibwe people . We use plants in every way we can and see them as having great worth and importance . You will see this in our beadwork and all artworks . Because most of my life was on the reservation , my mother and family ensured that my upbringing was greatly influenced by the culture and traditions of it . I believe this is what has made me successful in my understanding of plants because almost my entire family either grows food for themselves and their community or their home is full of plants . ( Ojibwe is pronounced — ow · jeeb · way )
Can you describe the meaning behind your Ojibwe tribe ’ s emblem ?
My tribe ’ s emblem has the word “ Nah-Gah-Chi-Wa-Nong ” in Ojibwe language , which means “ Where the water stops .” And it has four colors — white , red , black , and yellow . These colors represent the four directions . White = North , Black = West , Red = East , Yellow = South . The four directions are sacred and have different meanings in the teachings of the Anishinaabe .
Can you go into more detail about your tribes ’ tobacco use in your beliefs and spirituality ?
We call tobacco “ Asema ,” it is a spiritual medicine for healing of the mind , body , and spirit . We use it as an offering to the Creator or other spiritual beings .