Reviving Relationships with Our Foodways

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Reviving Relationships with Our Foodways

A History of Indigenous Food Sovereignty in California and Beyond.

by Cutcha Risling Baldy, Ph.D. & Kaitlin Reed, Ph.D., Co-Directors of the Native American Studies Food Sovereignty Lab at Humboldt State University

Fisherman gather at the mouth of the Klamath river on the north bank where it meets the Pacific Ocean. The Yurok traditionally use small nets trawled by hand along the shores. Photo credit: Joel Redman / If Not Us Then Who www.ifnotusthenwho.me

At the heart of food sovereignty is the self-determination of individuals, communities and groups over their food systems. The Declaration of Nyéléni (Ni-ye-leni) defines food sovereignty as “the right of peoples to healthy and culturally-appropriate food, produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.”

There are six principles of food sovereignty:

  • Focusing on food for people
  • Valuing food providers
  • Localizing food systems
  • Making decisions locally
  • Building knowledge and skill
  • Working with nature.

Food sovereignty is also about centering Indigenous voices in how we collectively move forward in building sustainable food systems. Indigenous scholars Devon Mihesuah and Elizabeth Hoover write that “The concept of Indigenous food sovereignty is not focused on only rights to land, food, and the ability to control a production system, but also responsibilities to and culturally, ecologically, and spiritually appropriate relationships with elements of those systems.” Therefore, the revitalization of traditional food sources through Indigenous food sovereignty is critical to how we build food sovereignty in our region and beyond.

FOOD IN RIGHT RELATIONSHIP

Throughout California, but especially in Northern California, Native peoples maintain strong relationships with their traditional food sources. Traditional Native food systems, ecological practices, and Indigenous scientific knowledges included very sophisticated, well thought-out and complex food systems that required ongoing ecological management.

In California there are several clear examples of how California Indian people practiced a complex system of food management that not only considered ongoing sustainability but also created an ecological abundance. For example, cultural burning was a practice that prevented catastrophic wildfires while also dramatically increasing food production systems, and supported cultural practices like basket weaving.4 There are several documented examples of explorers writing about California as looking like a “well-tended garden” and also noting how the landscape was shaped significantly by California Indian ecological practices.

In this region, there have always been movements and efforts to maintain food sovereignty by tribal nations. Our region is vibrant with Native programs, organizations, and leaders who have built leading Food Sovereignty movements around salmon, acorns, traditional gardens, and “Cooking Healthy in Indian Country.”

Photo credit: Dr. Cutcha Risling-Baldy

BALANCE DISRUPTED

When colonialism invaded California, settlers attempted to not only kill and remove Native peoples, they also supplanted ecological management which dramatically reduced food production that Indigenous peoples were dependent upon.

During the Spanish Mission system, Padres outlawed Native people from eating their traditional foods. The separation of Indigenous peoples from their foods was thought to be a way of civilizing and controlling Native peoples. They also forced Native peoples to labor in agricultural fields, removing native plants and replacing them with crops like grapes (for wine) and corn. Refusing to labor for the mission often resulted in being whipped or put into stocks or other violent punishments. There are even stories of some missions facing starvation because of the overreliance on growing nonnative foods and the refusal of the Padres to allow Native peoples to provide for all people in the missions by utilizing acorns. Padres said that they would rather people starve than eat these Indigenous foods.

The Gold Rush was one of the most violent times in California history and resulted in a 90% reduction in the California Indian population. The state of California supported an attempted genocide of Indian people by legalizing the enslavement of Indian people and also authorizing a California volunteer militia to kill Native peoples. Each region of California was allowed to set their own price to pay for the scalps and heads of Native Americans, with several regions setting prices at numbers like $5 per head or 25 cents per scalp.

The Act for the Government and Protection of Indians (1850) allowed for the enslavement of Native peoples as “apprentices.” Humboldt County records reflect that most people enslaved under this law were girls aged 7-12. This system of slavery made it dangerous for Native people to practice their foodways. At a point, it was too dangerous to go out and gather or to try and pass on this knowledge intergenerationally because our women and children were being targeted for kidnapping and enslavement.

When we think about the adaptations and sacrifices that Native people had to make to navigate these periods of time we must remind ourselves that our disconnection from traditional foods was not because we “lost” our culture or our knowledge, this disconnection was because of violence. These knowledges were violently wrested away from us by colonization.

U.S. Government practices of attacking food sovereignty as a way to forcibly remove Native peoples from their land continued across the nation. George Washington, referred to by the Haudenosaunee as “town destroyer,” was known for his “scorched earth” policy where he ordered agricultural fields of the Haudenosaunee destroyed and the earth burned so that crops would not be able to thrive in the region. The U.S. Government ordered the mass killing of buffalo in an attempt to weaken and starve Native peoples in the Great Plains. In California, the Bureau of Indian Affairs commissioned a report to discuss how they could eradicate oak trees in the hopes of destroying California Indian connections to acorns because it continued to be an important staple food.

Native peoples, as a result of being forced onto reservations, were put onto government rations, and in some cases those rations would be withheld from tribes who resisted the continuing encroachment of the U.S. Government.

The state then imposed educational systems, like boarding schools, which forcibly took Indian children away from their families and tried to assimilate them by separating them from their cultural practices and cultural foods.

The passage of the Dawes Act in 1887 tried to force Native peoples to give up communally owned land for individual property ownership. It also attempted to force Native peoples to practice western style farming and agriculture. The destruction of food sovereignty continued through environmental changes like the damming of rivers and flooding of Native lands, and polices like removal, allotment and relocation.

Indigenous land dispossession was how the State of California was able to become one of the leading economies in the world. This land dispossession prevents Native people from accessing their food sources to this day. Native lands were taken via policies like the creation of national and state parks which continues to prevent Native people from accessing foods, cultural materials, and sacred sites. When we talk about reclaiming our foods it is not just about the food, it is also about reclaiming stories, languages, cultural practices, and our connection to our lands.

Photo credit: Dr. Cutcha Risling-Baldy

INDIGENOUS-LED RESTORATION

Our food sources are currently under attack – like our salmon relatives who are threatened by water seizures and proposed water infrastructure projects. The COVID-19 pandemic also illustrated how precarious the food system within our local Native land regions continues to be.

The Klamath Basin Tribal Food Security Project found that 92% of Native American households in the Humboldt/Del Norte regions are food insecure and 70% never or rarely have access to Native foods. 64% of Native households rely on food assistance and 84% worry about their next meal.

As we work for the ongoing food sovereignty of our tribal peoples it is because our communities have been targeted for exploitation both historically and through contemporary practices. Rural and poor communities, like tribal groups, have less access to healthy foods and often face some of the highest rates of diabetes and other health issues in the nation. Food sovereignty is not only about reconnecting to our knowledges and practices; it is also an issue of environmental and social justice. Our traditional food knowledges can help us to build stronger futures.

What you see today in our region is a reconnection. We’ve been fighting this fight for food sovereignty for over 150 years by continuing to carry our knowledges forward despite the many attempts to destroy us and our connections to our lands and foods.

Learning about food sovereignty teaches us how and why relationships to our food sources and systems are fundamental to the existence of people and nature. Internationally renowned Native American scholar and activist Winona LaDuke states “Food sovereignty is an affirmation of who we are as indigenous peoples and…one of the most surefooted ways to restore our relationship with the world around us.”

We believe that reviving our relationship with food and food sovereignty will enable us to rebuild that relationship and look forward to the many ways we can continue to support this work in our local communities.

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Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy (she/her) is the Department Chair and Associate Professor of Native American Studies at HSU and a Co-Director of the NAS Food Sovereignty Lab & Cultural Workshop Space. She is Hupa, Karuk and Yurok and enrolled in the Hoopa Valley Tribe.
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Dr. Kaitlin Reed (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Native American Studies at HSU and a Co-Director of the NAS Food Sovereignty Lab & Cultural Workshop Space. She is Yurok, Hupa, and Oneida and enrolled in the Yurok Tribe.
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Food is Good Medicine
by Jude Marshall (Hupa, Karuk, Yurok)

We pray for it, we work for it, we dance for it.
Laughter and tears all bundled up.
Bringing it all back in a good way.
Fasting with love, eating with joy.
Sowing good feelings in all that we do,
Feeding the people.
Weaving knowledge, belonging, and hope,
One strand at a time.

The Potawot Community Food Garden is located at United Indian Health Services in Arcata, CA. The community educational garden is a 3-acre plot that provides organically grown vegetables, fruits and native herbs. The Potawot Garden distributes food to the UIHS community via Kay-woi Garden Membership and a bi-weekly Farmers Market. Believing that “food is good medicine,” the Potawot Community Food Garden welcomes volunteers to help work in their garden to lift up and inspire the health of its community. Call 707-826-8476 for more information about volunteering.
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Welcome!

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Apples at the Farmer's Market

Photo credit: North Coast Growers’ Association

Welcome!

The work to create this publication was conducted on unceded Wiyot territory. We are grateful to live, work, play, and grow in this place, surrounded by beauty and abundance. We are grateful to the original inhabitants of this land for their stewardship, tenacity and generosity.

Dear Reader,

On behalf of the dozens of local individuals who collaborated to bring this edition to life, welcome to the 2021 Community Food Guide!

The magazine you hold in your hands has recently undergone some changes. After four years of existence as the Local Food Guide by Locally Delicious, Cooperation Humboldt has enthusiastically taken on publication of the Guide.

It’s a natural fit, because at Cooperation Humboldt we believe that nutritious, culturally appropriate food is a fundamental human right that should never be dependent on wealth or income.

We’ve worked to create a magazine that promotes access, equity, education, and empowerment in our local food system through the following priorities:

  • Honoring the history, cultural knowledge, and experiences of local Indigenous people and centering their voices.
  • Creating an appealing, accessible, and useful tool that specifically supports those most in need.
  • Supporting local food businesses, especially those that have historically faced challenges accessing resources.
  • Promoting justice and localization in our food system.

We’ve learned a lot through this first year of the publication process, and we’re grateful for all the patience and support we received.

We hope you will enjoy the Guide, share it, and let us know how you’ve put it to use to help create a community where no one goes hungry.

Hou’ (Thank you),

Tamara McFarland
Editor; Food Team Anchor
Cooperation Humboldt

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Setting the Table for Conversation, March 4, 2021

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Watch this lively panel conversation and Q&A with Cooperation Humboldt, Food Rescue US, The Gleaning Project, and The Works Inc. on taking action on food waste, food insecurity, and food injustice. This event was organized by the Food group in the Uniting for Action America program.

 

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Public Banking Forum 02/23/2021

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A public bank is owned by a state, municipality, or Joint Powers Authority. Current examples of successful public banks include the following:

Public banks come in many forms. They can be capitalized through initial investment by cities/states, invest tax revenues, create money in the form of bank credit, and lend at very low interest rates. The specific operations of each public banking entity is determined by the bank’s charter, which is the document that creates each bank. Public banks empower local residents to design financial solutions that best serve their communities.

Cooperation Humboldt is partnering with the City of Eureka and local leaders from the sectors of finance and organized labor on a citizens’ task force to investigate the feasibility of participating in a regional public bank.

Check out our forum on Public Banking from 2/21/2021, where  David Cobb (Cooperation Humboldt), Jake Varghese (Public Bank East Bay) and Paul Pryde describe the groundbreaking new CA law that allows for the creation of 10 local regional public banks. They also discuss the growing momentum for AB310, which would create a statewide Public Bank for California.

 

 

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When Solidarity Economics Is Our DNA: A story from the Cooperation Humboldt study group experience

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By Tobin McKee, Cooperation Humboldt Core Team member and staff member

Because I am one of the facilitators for the hugely popular Cooperation Humboldt solidarity economy study groups, I was asked by another organization to run a similar study group for them. It did not go as planned.

The story of why it didn’t work well taught me something inspiring.

In a nutshell, the curriculum of the Cooperation Humboldt study group can be summarized this way:

Capitalist enclosure of wealth is built upon white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, and colonialism. Sharing, caring solidarity economics are built upon anti-racism, inclusive equity, and decolonization. 

To become a Core Team member at Cooperation Humboldt, the one and only requirement is that you participate in a study group, to learn about these things and the parts we play in them. The foundation of the organization is built upon antiracism, inclusive equity, and decolonization. Not as mere ideas, but as principles that each of us practices and strives to embody. 

What I didn’t understand when I took the job running a study group somewhere else was that when an organization is built upon the principles of solidarity economics, that shapes everything the organization does. It is the DNA of the organization. And when an organization is built another way, it behaves differently. In hindsight, it seems obvious.

I’m a design thinker. Kind of like an architect or an engineer, I plan things out before I do them. When I’m facilitating a study group, for example, I plan it out again, each time, even though I’ve done it before. I imagine, “How can I make this better? How will this experience affect people?”

So there I was, working for another organization, tasked with making the same magic that has made Cooperation Humboldt so effective. Working with my co-facilitator – an amazing person who is leaps and bounds ahead of me in their social justice work – we created a curriculum for our new study group, based on what I’d done at Cooperation Humboldt. I was optimistic. I thought our study group was going to make waves of positivity. Instead, we made something unexpectedly lackluster. 

While the Cooperation Humboldt study groups are full of rich, challenging conversations, where everyone, myself included, learns something new about the world, and about ourselves, this new group was slow to get to the root of the matter and genuinely start to look at how the programs we create are always going to be shaped around our deeply ingrained worldviews, which are often different than our well-meaning belief systems.

Why? What happened?

It comes back to that idea of the foundation, the DNA, the design of the thing. Entering into an existing space and attempting to remodel it is very different than creating something entirely new. To remodel an organization based on the principles of solidarity economics is a completely different task than to build an organization that way from the ground up. So I’m going back to the drawing board on that one, and I’ll do better next time.

But now that I more fully understand what it means to work for an organization that has solidarity,  antiracism, inclusive equity, and decolonization in its very DNA, my enthusiasm for the Cooperation Humboldt study groups is doubled. 

Our solidarity economy and social justice study groups are creating a healthy family of sharing, caring pro-activists who are equipped with the most valuable tools that a society has available: equity, cooperation, mutualism, pluralism, participatory democracy, and regenerative resource management. With these things as our building blocks, what we create is truly revolutionary.

 

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WE SUPPORT OUR ELECTED AUDITOR-CONTROLLER

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Public Statement from Cooperation Humboldt Board of Directors & Staff
 
Cooperation Humboldt exists to create a solidarity economy in our community. We know it is possible to meet our collective needs without exploitation or oppression and that it is possible to do so in a manner that heals and regenerates our natural ecosystems.
 
We also understand the importance of public engagement in civic leadership, and we believe that our elected officials should be held to the highest standards of public service. Humboldt County Auditor-Controller Karen Paz-Dominguez is an outstanding public servant and we are appalled at the attacks she has faced for the past two years, which have intensified of late. The recent actions by the Board of Supervisors taken against our elected Auditor-Controller are baseless, border on malicious harassment, and are a waste of public funds that are badly needed for other purposes. It is particularly disappointing to see a strong young Latina leader being singled out for such baseless mistreatment and blatant abuse.
 
For two years Paz-Dominguez has stated that she was not receiving accurate information in a timely manner and that her office was understaffed to do the work required under California law — work she was elected to do by the voters of Humboldt County. She has a legal responsibility to certify financial records and can’t do so without proper documentation. No one should want or expect her to do otherwise. Now that she either hasn’t gotten the records or has received them late, the Board of Supervisors and the County Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) are attempting to blame her for the adverse consequences of her principled choice to follow both the law and generally accepted accounting principles.
 
Several times the CAO has hired outside consultants to undo work already completed accurately by Paz-Dominguez. Where did the money come from to hire consultants for this purpose, while the Board refuses to hire the two additional staffers that Paz-Dominguez has said she needed for the past two years?
 
Now the Board and CAO want to hire an outside firm to audit — not the county — but the Auditor’s office itself, at a cost of $250,000. This during an unprecedented pandemic, when funds are desperately needed to keep county residents housed, fed, and healthy. Furthermore, the CAO is now advocating to hire a Finance Director, in direct opposition to the decision made by voters in 2016.
 
It is also worth noting that the county’s outside auditor has previously praised Paz-Dominguez’ work when she reduced an $8 million “miscellaneous” trust fund down to $480,000. Paz-Dominguez also kept the county from making a gross error on its projected income when $7 million in revenue was being counted twice. And she has diligently worked to reduce the fraud potential in payroll that was taken out of the Auditor’s office just before she was sworn in as the newly elected Auditor.
 
Frequently, the County states it can’t do critically important community projects due to a lack of funds. So where is this money coming from to attack the Auditor? It is money that would be much better spent serving the community rather than trying to disparage one of our most respected and effective elected officials.
 
– Cooperation Humboldt Board of Directors & Staff
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LOCALS HONOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY

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EUREKA, CA (October 8, 2020) – Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a holiday that honors Native peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, which falls on Monday, October 12 this year. Cooperation Humboldt encourages residents to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year by participating in a voluntary tax called the Honor Tax. Detailed information is available at https://cooperationhumboldt.com/wiyot-honor-tax/.

An Honor Tax is a tangible way of honoring the sovereignty of Native Nations. It is called a tax because it’s not a gift or donation. The tax is voluntary, and the amount is decided by the individual/organization, and is paid directly to the historical inhabitants of the place where one currently lives and/or works. For those of us who live in the greater Wigi (Humboldt Bay) area, those historical inhabitants are the Wiyot Tribe. Those who live outside the greater Humboldt Bay area can look up their appropriate Tribal entity at https://native-land.ca/.

According to Wiyot Tribal Administrator Michelle Vassel, “Tribal governments provide essential service to their citizens. Other governments tax property, land, and income in order to provide these services. Tribal Governments cannot do this as their ancestral territory is occupied. We cannot tax our own people because they are already paying local, state, and federal taxes and tribal lands are held in trust by the federal government, or being taxed by other governments. The Wiyot Tribe operates primarily on grant funding. That places Tribes in a position of being subject to the whims of the federal government and nonprofit foundations which often dictate how funds must be spent. For me, the Honor tax is a really important tool to develop economic sovereignty because it allows us to choose how we spend funds with no strings attached.”

A growing number of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits locally have recognized the importance of the Honor Tax and have committed to paying it on a regular basis. Some pay monthly, and others annually. The amounts vary.

Earlier this year, College of the Redwoods began paying the Wiyot Honor Tax. Marty Coelho, Executive Director of College Advancement and the CR Foundation shares, “Our college believes that it is important to commit to an Honor Tax in recognition of the history and legacy of the Wiyot Tribe and acknowledge that the CR Eureka campus occupies former Wiyot tribal land. Being able to provide funds which in turn will help support services for Wiyot elders and youth, is not only a good thing to do, it’s the right thing to do.”

In 2019 Cooperation Humboldt resolved to pay 1% of its gross annual income to the Wiyot Tribe as an Honor Tax in perpetuity. “In addition to working in all of our program areas to center the needs and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, and developing authentic relationships and partnerships with local Tribal entities, we believe that payment of this voluntary tax is an essential piece of moving toward reconciliation and repair of relationships that have been deeply damaged by hundreds of years of inequality and genocide,” explains Tamara McFarland, a board member of Cooperation Humboldt.

The Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, also participates in the Honor Tax. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to take up a special collection every year to pay our Honor Tax to the Wiyot Tribe. It reminds us of the historical injustice visited upon the Wiyot people by colonist predecessors and gives us a chance to align in a small way with what we hope will become meaningful reparations,” says Richard Kossow of HUUF’s Social Action Committee.

Some of the people who pay this tax prefer to do so anonymously because they do not wish to use the Honor Tax as a way to promote themselves as businesses or individuals, but prefer to keep the focus on Indigenous peoples. One Arcata business owner who pays the Honor Tax and wishes to remain anonymous shares, “It’s important to me to pay the tax because it recognizes the sovereignty of Indigenous Nations. It also represents a recognition that most of us are living on stolen land, and that’s generally not something that we are forced to recognize in any formal way in our daily lives. It’s also a way to acknowledge that Indigenous People are still here as active and vibrant members of our communities, and to honor the fact that we have so much to learn and gain from their continued presence.”

Another meaningful way to honor Indigenous People’s Day this year is by participating in Humboldt State University’s Native American Center for Academic Excellence’s Indigenous People’s Week celebration, which kicks off on Monday, October 12th at noon, and includes educational Zoom sessions focused on Indigenous experiences and perspectives all week long. More information is available at https://itepp.humboldt.edu/indigenous-peoples-week.

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9/24/2020 Email Blast – Invitation to Food Team Introduction!

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2020 just keeps coming at us. Just remember, we are all in this together, and that is exactly how we will get through this– TOGETHER!

We invite you to join us this Saturday, September 26th from 1:00-2:30 pm for an introduction to Cooperation Humboldt’s Food Team and to find out how you can get involved!

We believe that access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food is a fundamental human right and should never be dependent on wealth or income. So all of our projects are grounded in that belief.

Our past accomplishments include:

– Establishing 12 Little Free Pantries, with 11 more about to be installed.

– Completing 15 front lawn conversions (turning unused grass into productive organic gardens).

– Setting up over 240 mini gardens for low-income residents since the pandemic hit.

– Planting 80+ free community fruit trees.

– Numerous other educational events/offerings…

***Our newest project (and one where we need lots of help!) is taking over production of the Local Food Guide.***

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82932886084

Meeting ID: 829 3288 6084

One tap mobile

+16699006833,,82932886084# US (San Jose)

 

Meeting ID: 829 3288 6084

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/keGCofOI3x

 

We hope to see you soon,

Your friends at Cooperation Humboldt

www.cooperationhumboldt.com

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If you aren’t already, would you consider joining Cooperation Humboldt as a sustaining monthly donor? You can chose an amount that works for your budget from $10, $25, or more! Your contribution goes a long way to support the diverse community-centered work we do together!

DONATE HERE

As always, please reach out to us with your own dreams, ideas, and plans. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on how Cooperation Humboldt empowers our community to build a brighter future!

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