Indigenous Peoples' Day: A Playlist Honoring Vibrant Foodways and Knowledge
On this Indigenous Peoples' Day, we honor the vibrant foodways and knowledge of Indigenous people.
Explore the critical significance of seeds and seed saving, the importance of representation in the beverage world, the initiatives to restore the loss of Indigenous knowledge, and the history behind apples and bison.
Heritage Radio Network On Tour Episode 416: 2022 Slow Seed Summit: Seed Rematriation - Bringing Seeds Home: HRN was proud to work with Slow Food USA as a media partner for the Slow Seed Summit. Returning seed to their communities of origin is important for maintaining biodiversity, ownership, and security. Hear from Dr. Rebecca Webster, Shelley Buffalo, Kirsten Kirby-Shoote, and Rosebud Bear Schneider. Dr. Rebecca Webster is an enrolled citizen of the Oneida Nation and a founding member of Ohe∙láku (among the cornstalks), a co-op of 10 Oneida families that grow 6 acres of traditional, heirloom corn together. She and her husband also own a 10-acre farmstead where they primarily grow Haudenosaunee varieties of corn, beans, and squash. Shelley Buffalo is an enrolled member of the Meskwaki Tribe, also known as the Sac & Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa. Shelley served her community as Meskwaki Food Sovereignty Coordinator and now offers consultancy for food sovereignty and local foods initiatives. She is an advocate for indigenous foodways, food justice, and rematriation. The Meskwaki are unique in that their land-based community is a settlement, not a reservation.
Meat and Three Episode 161: Saving Indigenous Seeds: Delve into the wider worlds of seed preservation, Indigenous seed rights, and farmer-managed seed systems. Whether you’re a professional farmer, avid gardener, or your relationship with seeds simply involves snacking on them, we’ll introduce you to chefs, activists, and plant scientists who are changing the ways seeds are saved and shared.
Hard Core Episode 8: America’s First Apple(s): North America was home to apples long before Europeans - or cider - reached its shores. Malus fusca, or the Pacific crabapple, is native to the continent and there’s a rich history and contemporary culture surrounding the variety to explore. We’ll look at how the apple has been and is still used by Indigenous nations and poke holes in the narratives about cider we’re all too familiar with. We follow apple seeds and stocks across the continent and through time, visiting a vault, getting to know Midwestern cideries, and embracing the eclectic flavors (and stories) behind American cider.
Tech Bites Episode 245: Forge Project: Inaugural Fellowship Program: Host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Heather Bruegl (Oneida/Stockbridge-Munsee), a historian, lecturer, and director of the Forge Project Fellowship, and Forge Project Fellow Jasmine Neosh (Menominee), who is working on a field guide to restore knowledge loss surrounding food systems and native plants. Located in Upstate New York, on unceded, traditional, and ancestral lands of the Muh- he-con-ne-ok, Forge Project operates out of a building designed by artist and activist Ai Weiwei. The resources of Forge support organizations in the Hudson Valley, and Indigenous peoples who were displaced by settler colonialism.
Meat and Three Episode 146: Maple: Harvesting, Pageantry, and Indigenous Food Sovereignty: Find out about a Northeastern staple as we take a deep dive into the delicious syrup we all know and love. We’ll visit a maple festival and pageant in Upstate New York, discover the challenges harvesters face as our climate changes, and learn about a recent conflict between Indigenous farmers and the Detroit police that had maple at its crux.
The Speakeasy Episode 456: Doomtown: Indigenous visibility advocate and Doom Tiki co-founder Chockie Tom sits down with the band to talk about the troubled past of tropical drinks, what can be done about it, and how we can enjoy the fun drinks that everybody loves.
The Grape Nation Episode 207: Elaine Chukan Brown: Elaine Chukan Brown is recognized as one of the world’s top wine communicators and educators. Elaine Chukan Brown is Inupiaq, and Unangan-Sugpiaq, that is Indigenous, from what is now known as Alaska. Elaine has been cited as “One of the Most Inspiring People in Wine.” Much of Elaine’s work and writing in wine has shed light on the lack of diversity and inclusion that’s long plagued the industry.
Eating Matters Episode 170: Gather: Ever wonder why we don’t eat bison meat in this country? This is a little-known but extremely important part of history that perfectly demonstrates one way the U.S. government worked to systematically steal land from and decimate Indigenous people. Director Sanjay Rawal (Food Chains) joins host Jenna Liut to discuss his critically-acclaimed, newly-released documentary, Gather. The film demonstrates how Indigenous Americans are reclaiming their sovereignty over their annihilated ancestral food systems while battling against the historical trauma brought on by colonialism and centuries of genocide.