Archaeologists successfully grew pumpkins from 850-year-old seeds discovered in a clay pot on Menominee Nation land in Wisconsin.

In 2008, archaeologists discovered a clay vessel roughly the size of a tennis ball on the Menominee Reservation near Green Bay, Wisconsin, during an archaeological excavation. Carbon dating of the pot and surrounding organic material confirmed the seeds were approximately 850 years old. The vessel contained a cache of preserved seeds belonging to a squash variety now known as Gete-Okosomin, which translates to "Big Old Squash" in the Menominee language.When students at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg planted these ancient seeds years later, they successfully germinated—a surprising outcome that demonstrated the remarkable longevity of properly stored seeds. The airtight seal of the clay pot had protected the seed embryos from environmental degradation, moisture, and oxygen exposure.Botanically, seeds enter a dormant state where metabolic activity slows to nearly zero. When stored in stable, cool, and dry conditions, the genetic material remains intact for centuries. The Gete-Okosomin squash itself is notable for its size, growing up to 3 feet (roughly 1 meter) long and weighing over 30 pounds (approximately 14 kilograms), representing a vital link to pre-colonial indigenous agriculture.Since its successful revival, the Gete-Okosomin squash has been reintroduced to indigenous communities to preserve their agricultural heritage and biodiversity. This discovery exemplifies the power of traditional seed-saving methods and demonstrates how indigenous knowledge systems sustained plant diversity across nearly a millennium.