Native American Identity by Perry G. Horse

After reading the essay, ¨Native American Identity¨ by Perry G. Horse, I found that this article is more or so based on the Native American perspective. As it talks about how the color of your skin or the amount of Indian blood you have, does not define you. Instead it is more or so on how a person wants to identify themselves based on their own preconceptions about themselves. The implementation of blood quantum by the government into Native Tribes in the United States has changed the way of life and society as we know it. Meaning you are only enrolled into a tribe if you have a sufficient amount of Indian blood to be considered a tribal member. If people listen to what society tells them, the cycle will continue according to the summary in my own words. Privilege among the white societies is well known around the world, you don't have to dig deep into history to know this. It is taught in school education and the first thing we talk about is the history of America from a white man perspective.

Perry G. Horse. ¨Native American Identity¨ New Directions For Student Services. No 109.

Wiley Periodicals. Inc. 2005. Print. Pp 61-68.

Personal Photo

Sharing One Skin

¨Sharing One Skin¨ shares a message about the Okanagan people and their philosophies, they define themselves in many ways. The Okanagan people talk about the four beings. The physical self, to connect with the Earth & the people around you. The spiritual self, is being able to talk & pray in your native tongue essentially. The emotional self is being able to show & care for the people around you, people living in your community. The fourth, thinking-intellectual self, meaning that we all have insight and consciousness. That we all have our ways of learning & thinking. The Okanagan people have remained resilient overtime, it is because of these teachings and their way of life that has helped them flourish as a community. They identify themselves as one being, one skin.

Armstrong, Jeanette. ¨Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community.¨ in Jerry

Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds). The Case Against The Global

Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.

Personal Photo

Indigenous Food Sovereignty in The United States, Restoring Cultural Knowledge, Protecting Environments and Regaining Health by Devon A. Mihesuah & Elizabeth Hoover

After reading, “Indigenous Food Sovereignty in The United States, Restoring Cultural Knowledge, Protecting Environments, and Regaining Health” by Devon A. Mihesuah & Elizabeth Hoover, they dissect the significance of food sovereignty. The reading places much focus on the overall status of sovereignty among tribes and nations. The decline of traditional food practices & the overall lack of movements regarding healthy eating have long been in decline in communities. After reading the article it shed much light on the negative effects modern day colonial food practices have on our bodies. Leading to diabetes & obesity, along with other chronic health issues, substance abuse can also be linked to these poor health choices. The article also encourages indigenous activists, political, economical & for social justice, to put an end to these colonial food practices by refusing to reject what companies tell them to live & above all, what to eat. The article emphasises the possible positive outcomes that will happen if these issues are addressed & prioritized.

Devon A. Mihesuah and Elizabeth Hoover, eds. Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States: Restoring Cultural Knowledge, Protecting Environments, and Regaining Health. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2019. 390 pp. Kathie L. Beebe, Odessa, New York

Personal Photo

Protecting and Restoring Indigenous Peoples’ Food Sovereignty

The article, “Protecting and Restoring Indigenous Peoples’ Food Sovereignty” emphasises the roots from which our traditional people come from. Plants, animals, traditional knowledge & above all, seeds. Another important topic the article touches on is the modern day use of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) into seeds & plants. That the natural seed world is being attacked and at risk of being chemically contaminated & ultimately damaging the natural reserve of traditional seeds from prehistoric times. After reading this article it widened my perspective on the legal battles going on in America, from the exploitation & extraction of natural resources. The article sheds light on the businesses and governments using these resources to further their profit agenda. Environmental contamination, loss of traditional knowledge & also another occurring issue is lack of access to ancestral lands. According to the article these issues play a key role in food sovereignty.

Carmen, Andrea. “Protecting and Restoring Indigenous Peoples’ Food Sovereignty.” Climate Change, vol. 40, no. 4, Dec 2016, pp 8-9. Proquest Ethnic Newswatch. Accessed 13 Oct 2021.

Personal Photo

Food sovereignty: Valerie Segrest at TEDxRainier

After watching the TED talk, ”Food sovereignty: Valerie Segrest at TEDxRainier” the emphasis on food sovereignty & traditional knowledge. She emphasises on the importance of farming and traditional foods. She demonstrates & gives an example of the Coast Salish people having annual salmon runs that archaeologically date back thousands of years ago. Giving a good example of traditional knowledge of how to manage fisheries for thousands of years. She talks about the biodiversity of traditional foods pre-contact, giving examples of the diet that ancestral people used to eat. Consisting of over a variety of 300 food choices, opposed to under 100 food choices we see today.

“Food Sovereignty: Valerie Segrest at TEDxRainier.” Youtube, uploaded by Tedx Talks, 22 Jan 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGkWI7c74oo.

Indigenous Food Movement Takes Route; Tribes Embrace Gardens & Traditional Foods to Combat Health Crisis

After reading the newspaper article, ¨Indigenous Food Movements Take Root - Tribes Embrace Gardens & Traditional Foods to Combat Health Crisis¨ I gained insight as to what tribes and communities are doing to combat the trend of poor health. By taking the initiatives of reviving old eating habits and daily activities that date back to the grandma and grandpas era. By implementing these new habits, it is evident that a positive change has occurred. The article emphasizes on living off the land & rejecting modern eating habits, even the small things like replacing snacks in the vending machines, to switching fried chicken and mashed potatoes for elk & wild rice. After reading this article I found out the many different ways this issue is being tackled, from daily food habits to reconnecting with culture & tradition.

Kelly Smith; Staff Writer. “Indigenous Food Movement Takes Route;

Tribes Embrace Gardens and Traditional Foods to Combat Health Crisis.” Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN), 23 July 2018.

Personal Photo

Food Sovereignty: a new rights framework for food and nature?

In this article, “Food Sovereignty: a new rights framework for food and nature” it discusses the current situation of not only indigenous communities, but also small isolated neighborhoods around the world. A huge paradigm shift from modern day foods to living off the land has brought about some significant change within some small communities. Including a change in health and daily habits, even implementing a trading network consisting of seeds, crops, water & land, and can even be a source of income. After reading this article I realized that it all starts with education & collaboration, then once that shift has been made, others will follow. Food sovereignty according to this article means to maintain flexibility when it comes to solving unique issues in their community, and also to remain ambitious for change and growth.

Wittman, Hannah. "Food sovereignty: a new rights framework for food and nature?" Environment and Society, vol. 2, no. 1, 2011, pp. 87+. Gale OneFile: High School Edition, Accessed 5 Nov. 2021.

Personal Photo

The (R)Evolution of Indigenous Foods | Sean Sherman | TEDxSiouxFalls

After watch the Ted Talk, “The (R)Evolution of Indigenous Foods | Sean Sherman | TEDxSiouxFalls” I gained much insight as to why things are the way they are. What was discussed in the presentation was the history of many different tribes and how they were able to sustain themselves for thousands of years before contact. Salmon fisheries, millions of buffalo herds and domesticated cattle were the prime examples of traditional knowledge. He goes on to mention the dangers of processed foods, and the quality of life before these foods became a part of everyday life.

The (R)Evolution of Indigenous Foods | Sean Sherman | TEDxSiouxFalls.¨ Youtube, uploaded by Tedx Talks, 18 Sept 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhkJ-tSLUKk.

Personal Photo

Worldwide, many communities face the issue of unhealthy eating habits. The residents of Winnipeg, Canada have made that first move on achieving food security. In the small town of Winnipeg, like-minded residents conducted surveys regarding healthy food choices and food security to 15 people around their hometown. With the results from the questionnaire, a community based group called West Broadway Community Organization (WBCO) responded to the lack of access many of the residents faced. It brought about healthy opportunities for the people of Winnipeg, it changed the reputation of the town along with the economy.

Globally there are many issues concerning food security. In Pakistan the indigenous communities of the Thakht-e Sulamian Hills face an issue with the lack of agricultural land and food security. The people of these communities are trying to restore their land and soil by means of traditional methods for survival. With the lack of food, the community came together and exchanged seeds and crops. Efforts to cultivate and restore the top soil that has been constantly been blown away. Much of the efforts made by the residents showed progress within the community, their once poor economy was now flourishing from the restoration work.

In the Ted Talk by Elisa Dudley, a sustainability major, she emphasizes on food justice issues. Issues brought forth from the general public of Denmark such as an issue with access to healthy food choices. Their goal was to introduce a wide variety of healthy foods, along with the distribution to households in need of food. Much of the food issues were brought forth during the pandemic, much of which were emphasized during the lockdowns. Much like other communities they used a similar method of surveying the community, with the survey they began to plant community gardens along with healthy food movements. The community members took a similar approach to those in Winnipeg, using surveys to address the key issues as the first step in food security.

Bibliography

Tursunova, Zulfiya. "Pathways towards food sovereignty: Reconnecting individuals, food, nature and community in the inner city in Winnipeg, Manitoba." Canadian Journal of Urban Research, vol. 29, no. 2, pp.102. Gale Academic OneFile, Accessed 28 Feb. 2022. link.gale.com/apps/doc/A653624554/AONE?u=nm_s_santafeis&sid=ebsco&xid=c871c578.

Ahmad, Khalid, and Andrea Pieroni. "Folk knowledge of wild food plants among the tribal communities of Thakht-e-Sulaiman Hills, North-West Pakistan." Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 8 Apr. 2016. Accessed 4 Mar. 2022. link.gale.com/apps/doc/A449253108/AONE?u=nm_s_santafeis&sid=ebsco&xid=4e6e34ca.

TEDxTalks. “Planting Seeds of Food Sovereignty through Gardening | Elise Dudley | Tedx Furman.” YouTube, YouTube, 4 Mar. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF7RcG0Zkxg.

Page updated

Report abuse