Unprecedented in its focus and scope, this collection addresses nearly every aspect of indigenous food sovereignty, from revitalizing ancestral gardens and traditional ways of hunting, gathering, and seed saving to the difficult realities of racism, treaty abrogation, tribal sociopolitical factionalism, and the entrenched beliefs that processed foods are superior to traditional tribal fare. The contributors include scholar-activists in the fields of ethnobotany, history, anthropology, nutrition, insect ecology, biology, marine environmentalism, and federal Indian law, as well as indigenous seed savers and keepers, cooks, farmers, spearfishers, and community activists. After identifying the challenges involved in revitalizing and maintaining traditional food systems, these writers offer advice and encouragement to those concerned about tribal health, environmental destruction, loss of species habitat, and governmental food control.

Edited by Devon A. Mihesuah and Elizabeth Hoover, with a foreword by Winona LaDuke. Devon Mihesuah joins us on the podcast to talk about Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States as well as the newly published revision of her award-winning book, Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness.

The post Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States: Restoring Cultural Knowledge, Protecting Environments, and Regaining Health appeared first on Real Food Media.

The leaves are changing, we’re swapping out summer clothes for layers upon layers, and you can get pumpkin-spiced everything (from dog food to lattes, capitalism’s got you covered, whether you want it or not). Thanksgiving, or Thankstaking, is a painful reminder to many of what was stolen from them. It is also an opportunity for non-Natives to decolonize holiday traditions and stand in solidarity.

“No matter where you are in North America, you are on indigenous land. And so on this holiday, and any day really, I urge people to explore a deeper connection to what are called “American” foods by understanding true Native-American histories, and begin using what grows naturally around us, and to support Native-American growers. There is no need to make Thanksgiving about a false past. It is so much better when it celebrates the beauty of the present.” – Sean Sherman, founder of The Sioux Chef 

Here are some resources to get you started, from the stories we tell to the foods we eat:

• The Real Thanksgiving Story by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and our November Real Food Reads author Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Bill Moyers)
• The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell Is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I’ve Found a Better Way to Celebrate the Holiday by Sean Sherman, author of The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen (Time)
• Decolonizing Thanksgiving: A Toolkit for Combatting Racism in Schools (Medium)
• Don’t Trash Thanksgiving. Decolonize It (Yes! Magazine)
• Eight Ways to Decolonize and Honor Native Peoples on Thanksgiving (Cultural Survival)
• Sean Sherman’s 10 Essential Native American Recipes (New York Times)

Psst…Want more on Indigenous foodways, knowledge, and movements? Make sure to check out these Real Food Reads books!

Header image by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

The post Resources to Decolonize Thanksgiving appeared first on Real Food Media.

As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock by Dina GIlio-Whitaker 

The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman 

Decolonize Your Diet: Mexican-American Plant-Based Recipes for Health and Healing by Luz Calvo and Catriona Rueda Esquibel

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Join the Real Food Reads book club for monthly book selections, related news & events, and author interviews on the Real Food Reads podcast. Listen on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, GooglePlay, or Stitcher.  

The post Decolonize! Four Real Food Reads Books for Indigenous Peoples Day appeared first on Real Food Media.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day has us thinking about all the ways indigenous communities, knowledge(s), cultures, seeds, and foodways are central to building the world we need. This isn’t just about preserving traditions, it’s about recognizing indigenous people as leaders, change-makers, and innovators of food and climate justice movements.

This great article by Nick Estes—which we shared in our latest issue of the Real Food Scoop— argues that the green jobs envisioned in the Green New Deal have been pioneered and are already being modeled by indigenous peoples, whose stewardship of nature is rarely viewed as “productive work”: 

Rarely is Indigenous caretaking defined as work. Yet, like unwaged caregiving work, land defense and water protection are undervalued but necessary for the continuation of life on a planet teetering on collapse.

Demonstrators reach out for food donated by supporters in Quito on Oct. 9. (Photo by Jonatan Rosas/Washington Post)

Indigenous people in Ecuador are leading one of the most powerful protests in the world right now against the extractive industries that are wrecking the climate—with the first and most severe impacts felt by indigenous farmers. The protests are led by the indigenous confederation CONAIE, with strong leadership from women. 

In many ways, indigenous worldviews are better equipped to understand the climate crisis and organize collective responses to it that are rooted in centuries of sustainable land and water management and adaptation to changing weather patterns. Critical to applying this invaluable knowledge to the current climate emergency is protecting, and restoring, indigenous community control over land and territory—especially considering these territories are home to upwards of 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity.     

Modern agroecology—the science, movement, and practice of sustainable agriculture—is based in large part on the many techniques, insights, and principles developed by indigenous peoples around the world. 

Alliances across multiple sectors of society are necessary if we are to address the most urgent ecological and humanitarian crises of our time. But in this new global movement we are building— against environmental destruction and (neo-)colonialism, and for relationships that protect and care for the earth and each other—we would do well to center indigenous peoples and leadership.

Check out our four Real Food Reads book picks in celebration of Indigenous People’s Day, and for more reflection, discussion, and action on the climate crisis, see our Climate Toolkit.

Header image: People demonstrate in Quito on Oct. 9. The march is made up of a union of all ethnic groups originating in the Ecuadoran Andes. In the coming days the Amazon communities will also join the rallies. (Jonatan Rosas/Washington Post)

The post Indigenous Peoples are the Global Leaders We Need appeared first on Real Food Media.

Throughout 2016, the Standing Rock protest put a national spotlight on Indigenous activists, but it also underscored how little Americans know about the longtime historical tensions between Native peoples and the mainstream environmental movement. Ultimately, she argues, modern environmentalists must look to the history of Indigenous resistance for wisdom and inspiration in our common fight for a just and sustainable future.

The post As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock appeared first on Real Food Media.