November is Native American Heritage Month! Bring a Bit of Native America to Your Table to Celebrate

LONGMONT, Colorado (Nov. 2, 2015) – November is National Native American Heritage Month 2015 in the United States – and the period of Nov. 8-14 is the worldwide "Rock Your Mocs Week" in which Native peoples stand together and show their Native pride by wearing their moccasins. This year, in recognition of Native American Heritage Month, First Nations Development Institute (First Nations [ http://www.firstnations.org ]) has pulled together some Native American food recipes that we think you'll enjoy. It's a way to bring a bit of Native America to your table.

In previous years we have provided a reading list of Native American books at http://www.firstnations.org/books [ http://www.firstnations.org/books ], and a collection of our favorite Native American movies and quotations, both at http://www.firstnations.org/HeritageMonth [ http://www.firstnations.org/HeritageMonth ]. But this year, instead of appealing to your mind, ears or eyes, we're going for your taste buds.

The recipes we're sharing this year come courtesy of two of our grantees – Dream of Wild Health [ http://www.dreamofwildhealth.org/ ] and the Intertribal Agriculture Council [ http://www.indianaglink.com/ ] – and our own staff member Jona Charette [ http://www.firstnations.org/about/staff/jona-charette ] ("Northern Cheyenne/Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa") and her aunts Maria Charette and Patricia Rowland (both" Northern Cheyenne").

The recipes can be found online at http://www.firstnations.org/recipes [ http://www.firstnations.org/recipes ]. They are for the following comestibles:

*Wild Gitigan Salad and Dressing*

*Wojapi (Dakota Berry Sauce)*

*Three Sisters Soup*

*Double Cornbread Muffins*

*Corn, Blueberry and Wild Rice Salad*

*Blueberry and Peach Salsa*

*Wild Rice Hamburgers*

*Berry Pudding*

*Dried Berries*

*Dry Meat Soup*

*Pemmican*

"First Nations' own longtime food effort – the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative – and our new partnership in the "Seeds of Native Health" campaign created by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, led us to think that sharing a few recipes that use traditional Native ingredients or processes would be a wonderful way to observe Native American Heritage Month," said Michael Roberts ("Tlingit"), president of First Nations. "There is a major shift occurring in Indian Country as Native people are producing" their own" traditional foods on" their own" lands to sustain themselves, their families and their communities. This movement to improve health on our own terms is an act of sovereignty and will contribute to having sustainable sources of healthy foods that are safe and nutritious, which should lead to healthier Native communities in the coming years. We sincerely thank our community partners for providing these recipes this year."

Dream of Wild Health (www.dreamofwildhealth.org [ http://www.dreamofwildhealth.org ]) is centered at a 10-acre organic farm in Hugo, Minnesota. The farm is a place to gather and work as a resource for the Native community. It is a place of learning, a place of celebration, a place of being, becoming and belonging. The farm is a model put into practice. It is a place of safety for kids. It is a place to regenerate and repropagate the seed. It is a place to keep alive the vision of our values. It is committed to sharing Native knowledge, resources and skills with others in an effort to reduce poverty, improve health and nutrition, and reconnect people and plants in a reciprocal relationship. It partners with dozens of urban and tribal organizations on programs that work to restore the mental, physical and emotional health of the community.

The Intertribal Agriculture Council (www.indianaglink.com/ [ http://www.indianaglink.com/ ] and http://nativefoodnetwork.com/ [ http://nativefoodnetwork.com/ ]) provides a unified effort to promote change in Indian agriculture for the benefit of Indian people. It was founded in 1987 to pursue and promote the conservation, development and use of our agricultural resources for the betterment of our people. Land-based agricultural resources are vital to the economic and social welfare of many Native American and Alaskan tribes. The harmonies of man, soil, water, air, vegetation and wildlife that collectively make up the American Indian agriculture community influence our emotional and spiritual well-being. Prior to 1987, American Indian agriculture was basically unheard of outside reservation boundaries. Since that time, the council has grown to prominence in Indian Country and among federal government agencies and the agricultural field.