A Native Community Preserves its Food Traditions

Members of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation are keeping #TraditionalFoodways alive in the face of #ClimateChange and human impact.

By Allie Hostler
November 21, 2017

Excerpt: "Changes in tribal food systems and lifeways began in 1853 as the #CaliforniaGoldRush brought a mass incursion of #WhiteSettlers. Making way for the newcomers and addressing the ' #IndianProblem,' California paid a bounty for Indian scalps, which proved to be more lucrative than panning gold. The first session of the California State Legislature passed the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians in 1850, which legalized removing Natives from their land and separating Native families.

"Ceremonies were ambushed and villages were burned. In 1856, the U.S. government forcibly removed 1,834 #Tolowa to coastal concentration camps. By 1910, like many California tribes, the Tolowa population had dwindled—from more than 10,000 to just 504. Despite the 14th Amendment, the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians was not fully repealed until 1937.

"Relying on the knowledge held by the few families refusing to give up their traditional ways, the Tolowa persevered.

" 'My family managed to hold tight to our food, language, ceremony, songs, beliefs, and protocols,' says Jones. 'We fought to keep connected. We purposefully protected and passed along this way of being so it didn’t die.' "

Read more:
https://civileats.com/2017/11/21/a-native-community-preserves-its-food-traditions/

#SolarPunkSunday
#IndigenousFoodSovereignty
#TraditionalFoods #FoodSovereignty #Foodsecurity #IndigenousAgriculture #TolowaDeeni’ #AnimalProducts #IndigenousFoodSecurity #IndigenousFoodSystems #LandBack
#Reclaiming #Decolonize #CulturalErasure #Genocide #CulturalSurvival

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

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

Seeds of #Sovereignty: #Indigenous leaders affirm food as a right, a relationship, and a responsibility

Mon, November 10, 2025

#Toronto #Canada - " #RightToFood and four Indigenous-led Community #FoodCentres have released Seeds of Sovereignty, a new living brief that shares stories, truths, and policy recommendations from Indigenous food leaders across the country.

"The document is both a reflection and a call to action. It outlines six key recommendations aimed at strengthening and celebrating Indigenous food sovereignty including the enactment of an #IndigenousFoodSovereigntyAct, reform of food safety and licensing regulations, recognition of Indigenous law as legitimate governance over food systems, and sustained, unrestricted funding aligned with #Seasonal cycles and community leadership.

" 'The Western system limited our imagination,' says Raymond Jordan Johnson-Brown, Indigenous Network Manager at Right To Food. 'Seeds of Sovereignty invites policymakers and partners to step into the imaginary — to reimagine what #equitable food systems look like when led by #IndigenousPeoples.'

"Jolene Andrew, Director of Community Development at #Líl̓wat Community Food Centre, adds: 'We don't need permission — we just need to do it. This brief is a reminder that sovereignty is already being lived in our communities every day.'

"Developed through gatherings in #Iqaluit, #Nunavut (2024) and #Líl̓watNation, #BritishColumbia (2025), Seeds of Sovereignty amplifies the collective voice of Right To Food's Indigenous Community Food Centres and Indigenous Network. It highlights what is already thriving in communities — hunters harvesting country food, youth learning traditional skills, Elders teaching, and families gathering — affirming that food sovereignty is alive.

" 'Our communities are not waiting. We are organizing, harvesting, teaching land-based skills, and pushing policy,' the brief states. 'Food is not a service — it's a right, a relationship, a responsibility.' "

Source:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/seeds-sovereignty-indigenous-leaders-affirm-174000530.html

Full document and stories from participating communities are available at:
https://righttofood.ca/good-food-organizations/indigenous-network/seeds-of-sovereignty/

#SolarPunkSunday #IndigenousNews #FirstNations #IndigenousFoodSecurity
#IndigenousFoodSovereignty
#IndigenousFoodSystems #Reclaiming

Seeds of #Sovereignty: #Indigenous leaders affirm food as a right, a relationship, and a responsibility

Mon, November 10, 2025

#Toronto #Canada - " #RightToFood and four Indigenous-led Community #FoodCentres have released Seeds of Sovereignty, a new living brief that shares stories, truths, and policy recommendations from Indigenous food leaders across the country.

"The document is both a reflection and a call to action. It outlines six key recommendations aimed at strengthening and celebrating Indigenous food sovereignty including the enactment of an #IndigenousFoodSovereigntyAct, reform of food safety and licensing regulations, recognition of Indigenous law as legitimate governance over food systems, and sustained, unrestricted funding aligned with #Seasonal cycles and community leadership.

" 'The Western system limited our imagination,' says Raymond Jordan Johnson-Brown, Indigenous Network Manager at Right To Food. 'Seeds of Sovereignty invites policymakers and partners to step into the imaginary — to reimagine what #equitable food systems look like when led by #IndigenousPeoples.'

"Jolene Andrew, Director of Community Development at #Líl̓wat Community Food Centre, adds: 'We don't need permission — we just need to do it. This brief is a reminder that sovereignty is already being lived in our communities every day.'

"Developed through gatherings in #Iqaluit, #Nunavut (2024) and #Líl̓watNation, #BritishColumbia (2025), Seeds of Sovereignty amplifies the collective voice of Right To Food's Indigenous Community Food Centres and Indigenous Network. It highlights what is already thriving in communities — hunters harvesting country food, youth learning traditional skills, Elders teaching, and families gathering — affirming that food sovereignty is alive.

" 'Our communities are not waiting. We are organizing, harvesting, teaching land-based skills, and pushing policy,' the brief states. 'Food is not a service — it's a right, a relationship, a responsibility.' "

Source:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/seeds-sovereignty-indigenous-leaders-affirm-174000530.html

Full document and stories from participating communities are available at:
https://righttofood.ca/good-food-organizations/indigenous-network/seeds-of-sovereignty/

#SolarPunkSunday #IndigenousNews #FirstNations #IndigenousFoodSecurity
#IndigenousFoodSovereignty
#IndigenousFoodSystems #Reclaiming

A Native Community Preserves its Food Traditions

Members of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation are keeping #TraditionalFoodways alive in the face of #ClimateChange and human impact.

By Allie Hostler
November 21, 2017

Excerpt: "Changes in tribal food systems and lifeways began in 1853 as the #CaliforniaGoldRush brought a mass incursion of #WhiteSettlers. Making way for the newcomers and addressing the ' #IndianProblem,' California paid a bounty for Indian scalps, which proved to be more lucrative than panning gold. The first session of the California State Legislature passed the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians in 1850, which legalized removing Natives from their land and separating Native families.

"Ceremonies were ambushed and villages were burned. In 1856, the U.S. government forcibly removed 1,834 #Tolowa to coastal concentration camps. By 1910, like many California tribes, the Tolowa population had dwindled—from more than 10,000 to just 504. Despite the 14th Amendment, the Act for the Government and Protection of Indians was not fully repealed until 1937.

"Relying on the knowledge held by the few families refusing to give up their traditional ways, the Tolowa persevered.

" 'My family managed to hold tight to our food, language, ceremony, songs, beliefs, and protocols,' says Jones. 'We fought to keep connected. We purposefully protected and passed along this way of being so it didn’t die.' "

Read more:
https://civileats.com/2017/11/21/a-native-community-preserves-its-food-traditions/

#SolarPunkSunday
#IndigenousFoodSovereignty
#TraditionalFoods #FoodSovereignty #Foodsecurity #IndigenousAgriculture #TolowaDeeni’ #AnimalProducts #IndigenousFoodSecurity #IndigenousFoodSystems #LandBack
#Reclaiming #Decolonize #CulturalErasure #Genocide #CulturalSurvival