Native Food and Knowledge Systems Overview

Lonny Casey is the board chair of the Nikana Native Program, a Seattle-based 501c3 organization.
Valerie Siegrist is a member of the Muckle Chute Tribe located south of Seattle and has worked with tribal communities for over a decade.
Siegrist holds a degree in nutrition and is also a naturopathic doctor.
She had a transformative experience with nettle tea during her studies and became passionate about making traditional foods and medicines accessible to communities.
Siegrist believes in the teaching power of plants and aims to help people remember and apply their traditional practices in modern life.
She recently began working for the Native American Agriculture Fund as the regional director of Native Food and Knowledge Systems.
The goal of the Native American Agriculture Fund is to help Native farmers, ranchers, fishermen, harvesters, and food producers become more successful in the food system.
Siegrist advocates for tribal food sovereignty as a means of ensuring access to healthy and culturally appropriate foods.
Food sovereignty includes having access to healthy and culturally appropriate foods, growing, gathering, hunting, and fishing in sustainable ways, distributing foods effectively, and utilizing tribal treaty rights.
Siegrist emphasizes the importance of honoring traditional practices and history as well as social fabric and respecting the environment and land.
Cedar trees, which are considered long life givers or grandmothers in the northwest, provide various benefits to people, including food, medicine, basketry materials, and transportation.
Cultural ecosystems, which are physical manifestations of landscapes and processes required for human involvement, have been misunderstood in modern environmental movements and conservation efforts.
Coast Salish gardens, which are often overlooked, include forest gardens, shellfish gardens, kelp forests, huckleberry meadows, and camas prairies, and require careful maintenance and cultivation.- McGregor speaks about the importance of maintaining local gardens and berry patches, as many have been paved over for corporate expansion and urban sprawl
Discusses the food supply chain disruption due to long-distance shipping and the benefits of strengthening local economies and food processing centers
Alder trees help prepare soil for future growth by using oxygen and working with fungus Frankia to push carbon and nitrogen back into the soil
Prairies, such as those with camas flowers, are important cultural ecosystems that have been heavily populated and now only make up less than 3% of their traditional size
These prairies were maintained by Native Americans through harvesting, burning, and ensuring edges were maintained
Eating seasonally and locally reduces environmental impact and increases nutritional density
Cattails act as natural toxin up-takers and provide adaptations for survival, but must be harvested from clean areas
The Center for World Indigenous Studies table shows a lack of nutrients in the standard American diet compared to ancestral diets and traditional foods
Vitamin C intake in the US is significantly lower than that of many ancestral diets, with an estimated 604mg/day compared to the standard American guideline of 65-90mg/day
Magnesium deficiency symptoms are the same as those for pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, and chronic nutrition-related diseases are preventable by meeting nutritional guidelines.- The speaker is emphasizing the importance of vitamin C for boosting immune systems, carrying out toxins, and reversing aging process.
Only 12% of Americans get enough vitamin C from their diet based on ancestral eating patterns.
Nettle is an example of a wild food that is highly nutrient-dense, providing 2900 mg of calcium in just one cup.
Eating local foods supports local economies, reduces fossil fuel usage, and keeps food fresher due to shorter transportation distances.
The beverage industry spent $2 billion on advertising targeting ages 2 to 17 in 2004.
Soda companies produce 10.4 billion gallons of soda per year, which is enough to serve every American a 12 oz can every day for a year.
Soda production practices lower water tables and create pollution, reducing access to clean water.
The Native Infusion curriculum, available for download, promotes drinking water and plant infusions as alternatives to sugary beverages.
Water is an essential spiritual medicine, making up 60-70% of our body weight.
Mint has numerous health benefits, including nutrient transport, waste removal, and joint cushioning.
Socializing is important for children's development, and activities like collecting water from a spring can be meaningful bonding experiences.
Evergreen tree tips are edible and provide vitamin C and electrolytes when infused in water.
Soda is not a healthy alternative to water and lacks the health benefits of herbal infusions.