The #SiouxChef is Reclaiming North America’s #Indigenous Cuisine

Sean Sherman, co-author of a new cookbook and co-founder of The Sioux Chef, explains why original North American foods and #NativeFoodways are vital to creating a healthy and #SustainableFuture

Sean Sherman
October 18, 2017

Excerpt: "Although hamburgers, pizza, and Coca-Cola are among the foods most often identified as 'American' cuisine, the truth is that over-sugared, over-salted, and fat-laden processed fare does not represent the true American diet. The original American cuisine arose from the vibrant and diverse indigenous cultures that thrived across the North American continent for thousands of years before #colonization.

"My grandparents were among the first generation to be systematically assimilated to 'American”' culture—I heard stories of children kidnapped and sent to boarding schools, their hair cut, their language forbidden. How I wish I had been taught more than the handful of recipes I learned as a child — #wasna (dried meat and berries), #taniga (tripe soup), #bapa ( #bison jerky), and #wojape ( #chokecherry sauce).

"When I was 13 years old, I began my working in professional kitchens, and by my early 20s, I had become an executive chef. I mastered the art of Italian, French, and Spanish cuisines until, at the height of my career, I knew I wanted to understand why there were so few #NativeAmerican restaurants across the U.S.

"As part of The Sioux Chef, I work with my partner #DanaThompson and a team of 10 chefs, plus a number of indigenous culinary partners across Indian country. Our vision is to create more than a restaurant—it will be a place where we can share our skills, knowledge, and passion, with the goal of spreading our work across the whole of North America. To help us achieve these ends, our new #NāTIFS non-profit will focus primarily on indigenous food education and access. Through NāTIFS, we have created a research-and-development team called the ' #IndigenousFoodLab' to further our own research, document our work, and help us become better educators.

"We are also building a replicable model that will place an #IndigenousFoodHub in larger urban areas. The hubs will house a regionally unique indigenous restaurant that will not only make the indigenous foods available to the public, but also serve as a training center to educate students in the preparation, cooking, and preservation of #IndigenousFoods. They will also house education centers that offer classes based on the many curriculums we have been developing to help people identify, understand, and apply the knowledge of indigenous food systems."

Original story:
https://civileats.com/2017/10/18/the-sioux-chef-is-reclaiming-north-americas-indigenous-cuisine/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/jFFbO

#DecolonizeYourDiet #SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalFoods #TribalFoodSovereignty #NativeAmericanMonth #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
#NativeAmericanFoodSovereignty #DecolonizeYourDiet #AnimalProducts #BuffaloHarvest #IndigenousFoodSystems

#Arizona - Skoden Coffee & Tea combines traditional #NativeAmericanCuisine with #activism

by Anna Ehrick, April 22, 2025

PHOENIX – "For Indigenous small business owner Natasha John, the road to owning a coffee shop has been long. About 300 miles, in fact.

"John first opened Skoden Coffee & Tea as a pop-up in Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, traveling to areas throughout the vast community in northeast Arizona.

"When people suggested she should move the business 300 miles south to Phoenix, John recalled she doubted the idea.

" 'I was really against it because I thought I wanted to be like a food hub on the reservation because it’s such a food desert,' John said. 'But I had the reassurance from my partner and colleagues that were helping me with pop-ups.'

"When an opportunity came in December 2023 to move the enterprise to a vacant spot inside For The People, an uptown #PhoenixAZ furniture store on Central Avenue, she jumped at the chance.

" 'Fortunately, we had a lot of success with that first location,' she said. 'When business owners say location means everything, it really does.'

"Skoden Coffee & Tea has now settled in its most recent home inside #CentralRecords, a record store on Central Avenue south of Roosevelt Street. It’s inspired by Japanese-style coffee shops referred to as 'kissa.'

"That’s a shortened version of 'kissaten,' roughly translated to 'tea drinking shop.' In Japan, a kissa is a spot where people can listen to music, usually jazz, while enjoying their tea.

"At Skoden, a variety of beverages and pastries are inspired by Indigenous cuisine, with ingredients like blue corn and oat milk alongside coffees and espressos. Among the most popular offerings are the Diné Matcha Latte, Honey Lavender Lez Love, Peach and Pecan Latte as well as blue corn donuts and croissants.

"For John and co-owner Jo Manuelito, it’s important to include elements of nostalgia from growing up on the reservation.

"This includes beverages that use Navajo tea, an ancient herbal tea using the dried leaves of Greenthread, also known as Thelesperma. The herb, with its thread-like leaves, contains anti-inflammatory elements, which is why the tea has been used for hundreds of years as tribal medicine.

" 'We do research into trying to restore a lot of things that were lost during #colonization in our diets,' John said.
'One thing that a lot of Navajo people are trying to revive is the use of #sumac. It’s used in a lot of #MiddleEastern communities, but our ancestors used to harvest it as well.'

"The use of ancestral ingredients is what John believes will help the #Navajo community not only nourish themselves but stay connected to their culture.

"Being #Indigenous and #LGBTQ+, John said she recognizes some of the difficulties she has faced as a business owner.

" 'I feel like there’s a lot of judgment and high expectations,' she said. 'People are constantly projecting onto us, always watching us and judging. This whole experience has taught me that we really need to grow thicker skin.'

"John said they want all customers to feel safe and welcomed, and said it helps that the shop is surrounded by other supportive small businesses like Greater Good and Last Laugh Tattoo.

"Skoden has a growing Instagram presence, with more than 15,000 followers. It hosts fundraising events for diverse communities and music festivals featuring small bands.

" 'Everybody does a good job of uplifting each other, and we get a lot of people in the area that come in and support local business owners,' John said. 'The shop can take credit for being a #SafeSpace where people can share the same values and ideas on social issues.'

"Charlie Amáyá Scott, a Native American scholar and transgender advocate, has visited Skoden and said her favorite drink is the Navajo lavender-infused honey tea.

" 'I adore Skoden Coffee,' said Scott, who also works as a social media influencer.

"She has taken to Instagram to support the shop, encouraging others who live near the area to check it out. She also has spoken out about the shop’s role in #activism and support of certain movements like #BearsEars, which involves a coalition of five Indigenous communities who want to protect the #BearsEarsNationalMonument.

"John said she wants customers to leave Skoden feeling supported and renewed.

" 'We have to remind each other what we’re doing this for and go back to those values of why we started this business,' she said. 'For us, it’s not about making money but trying to create change through serving coffee and providing a space where people can just heal.' "

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2025/04/22/indigenous-coffee-shop-offers-safe-space/

#IndigenousOwnedBusinesses #IndigenousFood #Decolonize #SupportLocalBusinesses #Arizona #NativeAmericanFood #CommunitySpaces #Healing

I don’t mind using the terms "Global North" and "Global South" to distinguish between nations that accumulated power, historically, kingdoms and empires, and those that were exploited by them.

These terms capture the arrogance with which powerful societies have judged others as "barbaric," even though their wealth was built on the exploitation of peoples across the world.

This small corner of the planet has exterminated civilizations, erased cultures, enslaved entire continents, started two world wars, and left behind some of the most shameful chapters in human history. Its institutions still claim cultural superiority, and museums display artifacts stolen from the societies they oppressed.

The artificial borders drawn by imperial powers continue to cause suffering today.

Is there a better term to describe the self-appointed lords of the world?

#GlobalNorth #GlobalSouth #Europe #USA #History #Colonization #Slavery #Inequality

My wife opened my eyes to a better future where we recognize the #CultureWar is a weapon of the #ClassWar and we come together in #solidarity to tear down the old foundations of #colonization and corporate exploitation.

- wisdom from my excellent friends (this one: a White guy with a White Nationalist father & Black American wife)

The #SiouxChef is Reclaiming North America’s #Indigenous Cuisine

Sean Sherman, co-author of a new cookbook and co-founder of The Sioux Chef, explains why original North American foods and #NativeFoodways are vital to creating a healthy and #SustainableFuture

Sean Sherman
October 18, 2017

Excerpt: "Although hamburgers, pizza, and Coca-Cola are among the foods most often identified as 'American' cuisine, the truth is that over-sugared, over-salted, and fat-laden processed fare does not represent the true American diet. The original American cuisine arose from the vibrant and diverse indigenous cultures that thrived across the North American continent for thousands of years before #colonization.

"My grandparents were among the first generation to be systematically assimilated to 'American”' culture—I heard stories of children kidnapped and sent to boarding schools, their hair cut, their language forbidden. How I wish I had been taught more than the handful of recipes I learned as a child — #wasna (dried meat and berries), #taniga (tripe soup), #bapa ( #bison jerky), and #wojape ( #chokecherry sauce).

"When I was 13 years old, I began my working in professional kitchens, and by my early 20s, I had become an executive chef. I mastered the art of Italian, French, and Spanish cuisines until, at the height of my career, I knew I wanted to understand why there were so few #NativeAmerican restaurants across the U.S.

"As part of The Sioux Chef, I work with my partner #DanaThompson and a team of 10 chefs, plus a number of indigenous culinary partners across Indian country. Our vision is to create more than a restaurant—it will be a place where we can share our skills, knowledge, and passion, with the goal of spreading our work across the whole of North America. To help us achieve these ends, our new #NāTIFS non-profit will focus primarily on indigenous food education and access. Through NāTIFS, we have created a research-and-development team called the ' #IndigenousFoodLab' to further our own research, document our work, and help us become better educators.

"We are also building a replicable model that will place an #IndigenousFoodHub in larger urban areas. The hubs will house a regionally unique indigenous restaurant that will not only make the indigenous foods available to the public, but also serve as a training center to educate students in the preparation, cooking, and preservation of #IndigenousFoods. They will also house education centers that offer classes based on the many curriculums we have been developing to help people identify, understand, and apply the knowledge of indigenous food systems."

Original story:
https://civileats.com/2017/10/18/the-sioux-chef-is-reclaiming-north-americas-indigenous-cuisine/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/jFFbO

#DecolonizeYourDiet #SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalFoods #TribalFoodSovereignty #NativeAmericanMonth #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth
#NativeAmericanFoodSovereignty #DecolonizeYourDiet #AnimalProducts #BuffaloHarvest #IndigenousFoodSystems

Battle of Cut Knife – Cree Resistance (May 2, 1885)

On May 2, 1885, Cree and Assiniboine fighters led by Chief Poundmaker repelled government forces at Cut Knife Hill (Saskatchewan). Despite superior numbers, the militia retreated after six hours of fighting — one of the rebellion’s few Indigenous tactical successes. 🇨🇦 #NorthWestRebellion #CutKnife #Poundmaker #Canada #Colonization

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cut_Knife

Battle of Cut Knife – Cree Resistance (May 2, 1885)

On May 2, 1885, Cree and Assiniboine fighters led by Chief Poundmaker repelled government forces at Cut Knife Hill (Saskatchewan). Despite superior numbers, the militia retreated after six hours of fighting — one of the rebellion’s few Indigenous tactical successes. 🇨🇦 #NorthWestRebellion #CutKnife #Poundmaker #Canada #Colonization

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cut_Knife

@matt Petty criminals are the sort of US immigrants showing up in ports in Europe in #Colonization ❤️ #SidMeier

I was thinking: the US AI industry (aka USAI-Inc) is like a new Empire colonisation. Like the East India Company. Or Belt & Road. Or others. Now its USAI. Many territories and sectors are being extorted and occupied (esp UK & UKHE). Then yesterday I saw that Berkman Klein had the same thought. They even called it a Raj. I felt vindicated, that I am not alone in what I think.

#ai #AIEmpire #colonization #academia #academicchatter

https://cyber.harvard.edu/story/2025-09/ai-raj

I was thinking: the US AI industry (aka USAI-Inc) is like a new Empire colonisation. Like the East India Company. Or Belt & Road. Or others. Now its USAI. Many territories and sectors are being extorted and occupied (esp UK & UKHE). Then yesterday I saw that Berkman Klein had the same thought. They even called it a Raj. I felt vindicated, that I am not alone in what I think.

#ai #AIEmpire #colonization #academia #academicchatter

https://cyber.harvard.edu/story/2025-09/ai-raj

This was an extraordinarily #violent process, involving #colonization, #dispossession, mass #enslavement, & #genocide.

#Politics#Democrats#Republicans#Liberals#Conservatives#Vote#Election#DemocraticParty#DNC#RepublicanParty#RNC#GOP#DonaldTrump#Trump #JDVance#Vance#JoeBiden#Biden#KamalaHarris#Harris#TimWalz#Walz#Democracy#US#USA#ElonMusk#Musk#Fascism#Fascist#BernieSanders#Sanders#AOC#FraudSquad#Progressive#Progressives

This is huge. It's a guideline for all who stand against #genocide and #colonization.

"Israeli embassy staff in #Greece have been evacuated from their homes in Athens. The decision follows protests and rising anger over Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

A senior Israeli security official confirmed the evacuation to Israel Hayom. The official cited “the situation in Greece” as the reason.

Public outrage is growing. Greek citizens are calling for an end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.

A major protest movement, March to #Gaza, declared August 10 a national day of action. Demonstrations will take place across Greek islands and tourist hotspots.

In a statement, March to Gaza said:

“The Greek people will not remain silent in the face of genocide committed by #Israel with the support of the West and the Greek government.”

The movement urged citizens to turn islands, beaches, mountain peaks, and shelters into spaces of #solidarity."

https://qudsnen.co/israeli-embassy-staff-evacuated-from-greece-as-protests-intensify-over-gaza-genocide/
#IsraelApartheid #gazagenocide #palestine #PalestineSolidarity
@israel @palestine

This is huge. It's a guideline for all who stand against #genocide and #colonization.

"Israeli embassy staff in #Greece have been evacuated from their homes in Athens. The decision follows protests and rising anger over Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

A senior Israeli security official confirmed the evacuation to Israel Hayom. The official cited “the situation in Greece” as the reason.

Public outrage is growing. Greek citizens are calling for an end to Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.

A major protest movement, March to #Gaza, declared August 10 a national day of action. Demonstrations will take place across Greek islands and tourist hotspots.

In a statement, March to Gaza said:

“The Greek people will not remain silent in the face of genocide committed by #Israel with the support of the West and the Greek government.”

The movement urged citizens to turn islands, beaches, mountain peaks, and shelters into spaces of #solidarity."

https://qudsnen.co/israeli-embassy-staff-evacuated-from-greece-as-protests-intensify-over-gaza-genocide/
#IsraelApartheid #gazagenocide #palestine #PalestineSolidarity
@israel @palestine

1/
#FourthOfJuly
I don't talk much about the damage the #Colonization of North America and the subsequent #Independence of the #UnitedStates has done to my personal family. And I probably never will, but it has been substantial, even to this very day.

Certainly I confront what the land and resources theft, what the genocide and enslavement of millions of people has done to my people more than my mother or grandmother, who were much more shell shocked than I am.
#Native#Indigenous

1/
#FourthOfJuly
I don't talk much about the damage the #Colonization of North America and the subsequent #Independence of the #UnitedStates has done to my personal family. And I probably never will, but it has been substantial, even to this very day.

Certainly I confront what the land and resources theft, what the genocide and enslavement of millions of people has done to my people more than my mother or grandmother, who were much more shell shocked than I am.
#Native#Indigenous

#Arizona - Skoden Coffee & Tea combines traditional #NativeAmericanCuisine with #activism

by Anna Ehrick, April 22, 2025

PHOENIX – "For Indigenous small business owner Natasha John, the road to owning a coffee shop has been long. About 300 miles, in fact.

"John first opened Skoden Coffee & Tea as a pop-up in Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, traveling to areas throughout the vast community in northeast Arizona.

"When people suggested she should move the business 300 miles south to Phoenix, John recalled she doubted the idea.

" 'I was really against it because I thought I wanted to be like a food hub on the reservation because it’s such a food desert,' John said. 'But I had the reassurance from my partner and colleagues that were helping me with pop-ups.'

"When an opportunity came in December 2023 to move the enterprise to a vacant spot inside For The People, an uptown #PhoenixAZ furniture store on Central Avenue, she jumped at the chance.

" 'Fortunately, we had a lot of success with that first location,' she said. 'When business owners say location means everything, it really does.'

"Skoden Coffee & Tea has now settled in its most recent home inside #CentralRecords, a record store on Central Avenue south of Roosevelt Street. It’s inspired by Japanese-style coffee shops referred to as 'kissa.'

"That’s a shortened version of 'kissaten,' roughly translated to 'tea drinking shop.' In Japan, a kissa is a spot where people can listen to music, usually jazz, while enjoying their tea.

"At Skoden, a variety of beverages and pastries are inspired by Indigenous cuisine, with ingredients like blue corn and oat milk alongside coffees and espressos. Among the most popular offerings are the Diné Matcha Latte, Honey Lavender Lez Love, Peach and Pecan Latte as well as blue corn donuts and croissants.

"For John and co-owner Jo Manuelito, it’s important to include elements of nostalgia from growing up on the reservation.

"This includes beverages that use Navajo tea, an ancient herbal tea using the dried leaves of Greenthread, also known as Thelesperma. The herb, with its thread-like leaves, contains anti-inflammatory elements, which is why the tea has been used for hundreds of years as tribal medicine.

" 'We do research into trying to restore a lot of things that were lost during #colonization in our diets,' John said.
'One thing that a lot of Navajo people are trying to revive is the use of #sumac. It’s used in a lot of #MiddleEastern communities, but our ancestors used to harvest it as well.'

"The use of ancestral ingredients is what John believes will help the #Navajo community not only nourish themselves but stay connected to their culture.

"Being #Indigenous and #LGBTQ+, John said she recognizes some of the difficulties she has faced as a business owner.

" 'I feel like there’s a lot of judgment and high expectations,' she said. 'People are constantly projecting onto us, always watching us and judging. This whole experience has taught me that we really need to grow thicker skin.'

"John said they want all customers to feel safe and welcomed, and said it helps that the shop is surrounded by other supportive small businesses like Greater Good and Last Laugh Tattoo.

"Skoden has a growing Instagram presence, with more than 15,000 followers. It hosts fundraising events for diverse communities and music festivals featuring small bands.

" 'Everybody does a good job of uplifting each other, and we get a lot of people in the area that come in and support local business owners,' John said. 'The shop can take credit for being a #SafeSpace where people can share the same values and ideas on social issues.'

"Charlie Amáyá Scott, a Native American scholar and transgender advocate, has visited Skoden and said her favorite drink is the Navajo lavender-infused honey tea.

" 'I adore Skoden Coffee,' said Scott, who also works as a social media influencer.

"She has taken to Instagram to support the shop, encouraging others who live near the area to check it out. She also has spoken out about the shop’s role in #activism and support of certain movements like #BearsEars, which involves a coalition of five Indigenous communities who want to protect the #BearsEarsNationalMonument.

"John said she wants customers to leave Skoden feeling supported and renewed.

" 'We have to remind each other what we’re doing this for and go back to those values of why we started this business,' she said. 'For us, it’s not about making money but trying to create change through serving coffee and providing a space where people can just heal.' "

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2025/04/22/indigenous-coffee-shop-offers-safe-space/

#IndigenousOwnedBusinesses #IndigenousFood #Decolonize #SupportLocalBusinesses #Arizona #NativeAmericanFood #CommunitySpaces #Healing

This is what colonisation look like;

"Rafah has also been the site of several documented massacres, including the first responders massacre in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in late March, when the Israeli army opened fire on and executed 15 paramedics and rescue workers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and the Gaza Civil Defense."

#TareqSHajjaj, 2025

https://mondoweiss.net/2025/04/rafah-no-longer-exists-this-is-part-of-israels-plan-to-permanently-occupy-gaza/

(1/2)

#Gaza#Rafah #genocide #colonization