North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems

TO PROMOTE INDIGENOUS FOODWAYS EDUCATION AND FACILITATE INDIGENOUS FOOD ACCESS.

OUR WORK OF CREATING ACCESS TO INDIGENOUS FOODS AND INDIGENOUS EDUCATION IS CENTERED ON ISSUES OF FOOD SECURITY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AROUND HEALTHY FOOD PROGRAMS. IN 2021, NATIFS MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS WITH THE EDUCATIONAL ASPECT OF THEIR MISSION BY HIRING INDIVIDUALS WITH BACKGROUNDS IN INDIGENOUS STUDIES TO REACH OUT TO MORE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO CREATE DIFFERENT CURRICULUM AND SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS. IN OUR PIVOT TO DISTANCE AND E-LEARNING, WE HIRED AN INDIGENOUS FILMMAKER TO HELP WITH CAPTURING AND EDITING TRAINING VIDEOS. OUR ATTENTION WAS DRAWN TO HUNGER RELIEF EFFORTS DURING MUCH OF THIS PERIOD, BUT OUR EDUCATION TEAM CONTINUED PLANNING AND LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR INCREASING OUR EXPERTISE TO BETTER ASSIST NATIVE FARMERS, RANCHERS AND FOOD ENTREPRENEURS.THE PANDEMIC SLOWED OUR LAUNCH OF TRAINING, AND PULLED OUR ATTENTION TO DOING HUNGER RELIEF FOR TRIBAL ELDERS AND FAMILIES. THIS EFFORT ALLOWED US TO HIRE A MAJORITY INDIGENOUS KITCHEN STAFF AND TRAIN THEM ON WORKING WITH INDIGENOUS INGREDIENTS, AND SUPPORT NATIVE PRODUCERS, MANY OF WHOM LOST OTHER CONTRACTS BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. BECAUSE OUR REACH WAS SO WIDESPREAD, A LOT OF NATIVE MINNESOTANS GOT TO EAT INDIGENOUS, CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE FOODS, AND REPORTED BEING REALLY HAPPY WITH THOSE OPTIONS AND FEELING GOOD AFTER EATING THEM. THIS HAS INCREASED THE DEMAND FOR CONTINUED ACCESS TO THOSE FOODS, AND WE'RE ALREADY WORKING WITH TRIBES ON "INDIGENIZING" THEIR CULINARY PROGRAMS, SO THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THESE FOODS FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES ON AN ONGOING BASIS. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE DEMAND FOR INDIGENOUS PRODUCTS, SUPPORTING NATIVE FARMERS, RANCHERS, FISHERS AND OTHER HARVESTERS.WE'RE EXPERIMENTING WITH OTHER FORMS OF HUNGER RELIEF/CREATING MARKETS FOR NATIVE PRODUCTS VIA A PILOT INDIGENOUS MEAL KIT PROGRAM. WE'RE CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS AND STARTING PARTNERSHIPS TO INCREASE OUR ABILITY TO ASSIST NATIVE FARMERS, RANCHERS AND OTHER FOOD ENTREPRENEURS WITH ACCESS TO CREDIT, EXPLORING DIFFERENT NON-TRADITIONAL SOURCES OF CAPITAL, AND BUILDING A TOOLKIT INCLUDING PIECES NEEDED -- FROM BUSINESS PLAN TEMPLATES TO BUDGET TEMPLATES -- TO ACCESS CAPITAL.IN 2020, NORTH AMERICAN TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS FOOD SYSTEMS (NATIFS) LAUNCHED THE INDIGENOUS FOOD LAB TO HELP PROVIDE HUNGER RELIEF MEALS FOR TRIBAL ELDERS AND OTHERS IN THE TRIBAL COMMUNITIES. FROM NOVEMBER 2020 TO FEBRUARY 2021, NATIFS PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED NEARLY 83,000 INDIGENOUS FROZEN MEALS, PACKED BY 134 VOLUNTEERS TO TRIBAL ELDERS AND NATIVE FAMILIES THROUGHOUT MINNESOTA AS PART OF A COVID-RELATED HUNGER RELIEF EFFORT. THOSE SUPPLIED WITH FOOD ARE 9 OF THE 11 TRIBES IN THE STATE WITH AN ADDITIONAL SEVEN NATIVE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.