- Graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Ecology and Conservation Biology
- From the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Idaho and Nevada
- In 2017, Pete discovered that chokecherry pudding, also known as toishabui, can inhibit uterine cancer cell growth
- Her research linked her tribe's health issues to the loss of traditional foods
- Her work has opened up new doors for both traditional food revitalization and cancer research
- Her research underscores the intersection of cultural practices and scientific inquiry
- Her groundbreaking research highlights the powerful connection between cultural wisdom and modern science
- Her science project affirmed what elders have been saying for generations: Traditional diets are medicine
The indigenously treasured chokecherry tree spans the North American continent, from British Columbia to Newfoundland, and down into the northern half of the United States. The vitamin and mineral-rich fruit of the tree has been a staple among many Native American tribes for millennia, and according to one Native American student’s recent science project, chokecherries wield medicinal properties that extend beyond prior knowledge—in fact, cancer-fighting properties.
WHile in high school, Destany “Sky” Pete, of the Shoshone and Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Idaho and Nevada, developed interest in the medicinal properties of the chokecherry, which is still harvested and consumed in her community today. Traditionally, the Shoshone and Paiute prepared chokecherry pudding, known as toishabui, in the Paiute language.
“The traditional (Shoshone and Paiute) method of preparing chokecherry pudding includes the seed of the chokecherry, crushed up,” Pete, a junior at Owyhee High School in Nevada, told ICMN. “Nowadays, some people just kind of juice the berry and take out the seed completely. But maybe the seed has medicine that can help us to stay well.”
To conduct this experiment, Pete’s high school science teacher, Dietlinde Dann, connected her with a biochemistry professor at Boise State University, Dr. Ken Cornell, who works with uterine sarcoma cancer cells.
At the university, Pete tested four different specimens of chokecherries by combining them with uterine sarcoma cancer cells, then, allowed a 24-hour incubation period.
Pete found that out of the four different specimens tested, the traditionally-prepared chokecherry pudding specimen had cancer inhibiting properties, while the specimens without the seed, or, with the chokecherry juice, alone, did not succeed at killing the uterine sarcoma cancer cells.
“It was the traditional preparation of toishabui with the crushed seeds that had the results,” Pete said.
During the 24-hour incubation period, the mixture of toishabui and the uterine sarcoma cancer cells resulted in a small amount of cancer cell killing; however, Pete said that a longer incubation period or a stronger dilution could yield stronger results.
“We can also try the experiment on different types of cancer cells in the future,” she said. “I really want to do the same test on breast cancer cells.”
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