Promising Practice: Traditional Food Culture in Tribal Communities Today

By: Mary Ann OMeara, MPH and Breana Dorame (Gabrielino-Tongva), International Association for Indigenous Aging

For many American Indian tribal members, rural locations create a barrier to food access. According to a food access map from the Arizona Department of Health Services, there are only two grocery stores on the roughly 2,500 square mile reservation, where more than 9,000 Hopi people live. On the Navajo reservation, which surrounds Hopi lands, there are a few stores within a 100-mile radius, and for many, the high prices drive residents to travel long distances for their groceries. In addition, many of the locations that carry grocery food items either carry limited fresh produce and dairy products or it is high-priced. Many Indigenous people and researchers refer to the ways American Indian food culture was changed as “food colonization.” Many of the ingredients central to a western diet, such as refined sugar, milk, and wheat, pose a health threat to American Indians and have led to widespread health issues such as diabetes and obesity.

According to a recent study published in Neurology, people who eat high amounts of ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, chips, and cookies, may have a higher risk of developing dementia than those who eat low amounts. Replacing ultra-processed foods in a person’s diet with unprocessed or minimally processed foods was found to be associated with a lower risk.

“Ultra-processed foods are meant to be convenient and tasty, but they diminish the quality of a person’s diet,” said Huiping Li, Ph.D., of Tianjin Medical University in China. “These foods may also contain food additives or molecules from packaging or produced during heating or cooking.”

Not coincidentally, a movement to support more cultivation, preparing, and enjoying traditional foods is gaining momentum in Indian Country. J. Neil Henderson, Ph.D., points out, “All the research agrees that eating whole, unprocessed food is best. So, no processed food, no seed oils, and no sugar are not just protective against diabetes but dementia.”

According to nutrition and public health consultant Heidi Robertson “Traditional foods are a connection to memories, community, and culture and full of vitamins and minerals, making it a powerful tool for preserving brain health. There are Tribes that do currently incorporate traditional foods into their programming, such as the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Inc., The Hopi Tribe, and The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.”

Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council 

The Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Inc. works with several Tribes in Wisconsin to produce and use traditional foods in their senior centers. Through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-ED), which is the former Food Stamp program, there are multiple key focus objectives. These key objectives include:

1. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables, at least half your grains, and switch to fat-free low-fat milk

2. Increase physical activity and reduce time spent in sedentary behaviors as part of a healthy lifestyle; and,

3. Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life—childhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy and breastfeeding, and older age.

SNAP-Ed is implemented through both group and individual interactive learning opportunities as well as through print and video materials. The program strives to include cultural components into teaching with an emphasis on using traditional foods and maintaining an active lifestyle through gardening.

SNAP-Ed is currently offered at the tribal sites of: Bad River, Lac du Flambeau, Red Cliff, St. Croix, and Stockbridge-Munsee. GLITC also provides an online Facebook Community – GLITC Fit Families, including education and events in the area.

The Hopi Tribe 

The Natwani Coalition is encouraging a return to traditional Hopi foods like corn. They bring together farmers, host a radio show, facilitate heirloom seed exchanges, and involve their youth. As a project under The Hopi Foundation, The Natwani Coalition (Natwanit Tusawyungqam), formed in January of 2004, represents an affiliation of Hopi organizations and individuals dedicated to preserving Hopi farming traditions, strengthening local Hopi food systems, and developing innovative sustainable strategies to promote wellness. The Natwani Coalition is currently instrumental in initiating and supporting a variety of projects, including Hopi Heirloom Seed Initiative, Hopi Farm Talk Podcast, Hopi Agricultural and Food Symposium, Hopi Natwani for Youth Project, and the Community Grant Program, which last offered grants in 2021. The Natwani Coalition continues to offer events and opportunities.

The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe 

The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Senior Services Program works with its tribal fisheries program on annual fish distribution. https://plpt.nsn.us/food-distribution/

The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s reservation is a rural desert area located in Washoe, Lyon, and Storey Counties in Northern Nevada. Pyramid Lake, itself, is very valuable to their Tribal culture due to fishing. It consists of approximately 112,000 acres that cover the surface of the terminal desert lake. Pyramid Lake comprises 5 different fish species that provide abundant sustenance for the community. This allows them to connect to their traditional foodways.

Autumn Harry is the first Paiute woman licensed to offer guided fly fishing, Kooyooe Pa’a Guides hoping to blaze a trail for other Paiute women on Pyramid Lake, also known as Kooyooe Pa’a Panunadu. “Our people here are fisher people. We’re known as the cui-ui tucutta, which is ‘cui-ui eater.’ Those fish are really why our people are still here today.”  (Be sure to watch the video below)