- Boozhoo, I'm Rita Karppinen, your host for "Native Report."

Chi miigwech for joining us for the premier episode of "Native Report's" 19th season.

(bright gentle music) - We grow seeds and we grow leaders, you know, and we wanna continue to do that, so.

- For years, our team has highlighted Indigenous voices across the nation, and this season we kick things off by takin' a deeper look at how the next generation is exercising food sovereignty.

Plus, we learn what we can do to lead healthier lives and hear from our elders.

- [Announcer] Production for "Native Report" is made possible by grants from the Blandin Foundation, the generous support from viewers like Jack and Sharon Kemp, and viewers like you.

(bright rhythmic music continues) (bright rhythmic music continues) (bright rhythmic music continues) - Indigenous food sovereignty has been a heated debate throughout Indian country for decades.

It is the inherent right of Indigenous people to define our own food systems.

Through a myriad of efforts to reclaim that sovereignty, our people have strengthened Indigenous culture and reinforced Indigenous values.

You might wonder what an example of exercising food sovereignty looks like.

We begin by taking you just off the Wisconsin shore of Lake Superior to Madeline Island, where one chef is sharing his heritage to visitors, one taste at a time.

(gentle acoustic music) - We have all these small plates, all these flavors that you wanna order a bunch of and share 'em with each other.

Because there's gonna be things that you've never tried or perhaps you may never get another chance to try, and you shouldn't be intimidated by only ordering that.

I'm Bryce Stevenson, I'm the Chef/Owner at Miijim, on Madeline Island.

We are one of the Apostle Islands, in Lake Superior, Northern Wisconsin.

Getting to us is...

It's an adventure.

And you know, your first stop is finding Bayfield, Wisconsin.

And once you get there, you have to get on a ferry and take the ferry over to us.

As soon as you pull up and get off the ferry, you're gonna drive up next to the museum and a beautiful inn.

We're a shared plate experience meant to open your taste buds.

Miijim, for everyone who asks, and everyone does ask, it means "food."

In Ojibwe, it just means food, and it's just that simple.

You know, we're taking these ingredients, we're taking the Indigenous frame of mind of food from where we live, and we're putting ourselves into it.

I started how most juniors do is at McDonald's, just learning, just learning a work ethic really is what it was all about.

When I got outta high school, I quit McDonald's like immediately.

(laughing) They wanted me to become an assistant manager, and in my mind, that was not something I wanted to do.

I went through my path of tryna figure out what I wanted to do.

You know, I worked in warehouses, I worked (sighing) just store retail.

I was a graphic designer, I was a pressman, I was a carpenter.

I was a tree and shrub specialist for a summer, for a landscaping company.

And every single thing I found, I got bored with easily.

"I wanna something with food," I didn't know what it was.

You know, it could be a ramen place, it could be, you know, just anything.

And so I just kept getting into kitchens, just, you know, working three jobs at a time, working countless hours for free through (indistinct).

and just like, you know, learning as much as I can.

And in that sort of discovery, I made a decision that, you know, if I wanted to do something like this, maybe I should learn how to run a full kitchen first, you know?

And so that was that my first step into getting back into the food industry.

And it really... (laughing) It was really wonderful in the sense that I learned a lot very quickly, but also I put myself through a lot very quickly, you know, mentally, emotionally, physically even.

And so all that experience happening so quickly put me in a place where I felt sorta pigeonholed, sorta trapped.

I started going through a lot of anxiety, a lotta depression, and it was just a very... You know, it became very dark, the industry looked very dark for me.

But then I realized like, this is my time to kinda refocus and recenter a little bit.

I can slowly get up and start putting things back together.

And as I'm going through all this discovery, I've been playing with Indigenous food, I've been researching it.

I've been, on the side, you know, influencing my menus with foraged goods and wild game.

But there was never anything that I could just express myself and my background with 100%.

And so I knew I had to, I didn't just want to, but I had to, for myself, open my own place and be able to steer the wheel completely.

I mean, as soon as I realized that, I realized that that's the point of doing this is because I won't break, because it's mine.

It's my vision, it's my passion, it's literally me that I'm tryna put out there.

But every day, I'm learning from my team, like unbelievable things that, you know, you just... (laughing) You're never gonna get these things until you take the time to work closely with your staff, and ask them like, "What do you know?"

The mission, open a restaurant, you know, open something, open something that's just Indigenous.

In Indigenous territory on Indigenous island, you know, right there, just putting a mark somewhere where a mark needs to be.

Yes, we have a very Indigenous staff, but we also have a non-Indigenous staff.

And yes, I am Ojibwe, but this restaurant is a representation of the island and the area.

And it focuses on my Ojibwe culture, but it also ties in with the French influence, you know, and you're gonna see a lotta that through technique and certain ingredients that we carry.

You might just taste something you wouldn't normally try and just realize, "Oh wow, (laughing) I love rabbit," you know?

And I just want people to realize that it's for everybody.

And yes, it's overtones are are Native, and that's because it's an expression of who I am.

But I'm also someone who wants everyone to be able to have a chance to learn and understand better.

Because that's the only way that, I mean, the big problems in the world are gonna be resolved is by people just asking questions, and sitting down for a meal and trying something new, and having the courage to ask about it.

"Why do you eat these foods, where do they come from?"

You know, and that's what we want, that's what we encourage, that's what our staff is prepared for and has been made ready for it.

So that (laughing) they can share not just about me, you know, not just about Chef Bryce and his culture, but it's their culture as well.

And they can share about themselves, and their experiences, and their knowledge.

And so anyone who is not Native wants to join us, they absolutely should join us, you know?

We want everyone to come in here and just learn and teach, you know?

If they wanna come in here (laughing) and they have something that, you know, they've been holding on a little bit of knowledge and they wanna share with us, we want that.

That is literally (laughing) the only thing I want is to be an example for other people, and just prove that, you know, "You can do this."

- You can keep tabs on what the Miijim team is up to by following them on Facebook or Instagram.

Or you can meet Chef Bryce and his wonderful team next summer, as they reopen their doors for another season.

(bright rhythmic music) - Lateral epicondylitis, also known as tennis elbow, is swelling or tearing of the tendons that bend your wrist backward.

It's caused by repetitive motion of the wrist and arm.

The forearm muscles that straighten your wrist are attached to the outside of your elbow.

Those muscles and tendons become sore from excessive strain, and this is such a common motion that it's hard for it to get better.

Carpenters, plumbers, painters, and anyone who flexes and extends their wrists over and over can get lateral epicondylitis.

A computer mouse can cause problems.

Often, it has no clear cause.

Symptoms include pain, burning, or aching along the outside of the elbow.

It can get worse and spread farther down to the wrist if the activity that caused it is continued.

Simple things like shaking hands with someone, turning a doorknob, or holding a cup of coffee can be painful.

Lateral epicondylitis is diagnosed mostly by exam.

Tenderness in the outside of the elbow.

and pain there with resisted finger extension are usually diagnostic.

Sometimes, an X-ray or MRI is helpful if it isn't clear.

An electromyogram can be done if this looks like a nerve problem.

Lateral epicondylitis can be treated with rest and anti-inflammatory medicines, along with ice or cold packs for 15 minutes three times a day.

Physical therapy is often helpful.

If those measures aren't sufficient, a steroid injection is an option.

There are needling procedures to start a new healing process in the tendon.

Surgery is rarely needed.

You can prevent lateral epicondylitis by warming up before exercise or sports, increasing activity slowly, using the right equipment for activities, and strengthening your arm muscles.

Your healthcare provider can help you get past this common and fixable problem.

And remember to call an elder, they've been waiting for your call.

I'm Dr. Arne Vainio, and this is "Health Matters."

(bright rhythmic music) - Of those who identify as American Indian in Minnesota, 31.3% live in the Twin Cities metro area.

With that number in mind, we must consider the youth who grow up in urban areas who may not be brought up with traditional Indigenous practices or food.

Dream of Wild Health is an intertribal non-profit who serves the Minneapolis and St. Paul's Native American communities.

Every year, they teach Indigenous youth about gardening, cooking, and culture, through their youth programs and Indigenous Food Network.

The "Native Report" team got to see the farm firsthand to learn a little more about how they're promoting food sovereignty in urban areas.

(gentle acoustic music) (upbeat rhythmic music) - I trust that they come out here and they really love working with our youth, and they create really, really great mentorship relationships.

And we work very closely to kinda create whatever it is we need to to take care of our community, and our youth, and our Indigenous programs.

(Kateri speaking in Indigenous language) Kateri Sunshine Tuttle... (Kateri continues speaking in Indigenous language) So, hello my relatives.

It's really great to be here with you all.

I greet you all with a warm heart and a handshake.

My name is Kateri Sunshine Tuttle, and I am from St. Paul, Minnesota, and I am Dakota.

My title at Dream of Wild Health is Indigenous Food Network Program Coordinator.

And I've been at Dream of Wild Health for coming up on four years now.

The Indigenous Food Network is housed within Dream of Wild Health, it is a partnership and a collaborative program.

Our main goal is to work together to build food sovereignty activities and opportunities for Indigenous community and families, and programs to connect with Indigenous life ways.

And so, Dream of Wild Health is also a really important part of the Indigenous Food Network because of our connection to our 30-acre farm.

The Indigenous Food Network connects with the farm quite a bit, and the farm helps provide Indigenous Food Shares which is our version of a CSA share.

Our IFS program has 90 shares going out to IFN and Dream of Wild Health community partners.

100% of our IFS shares this year are going out to Indigenous people.

So the Dream of Wild Health farm is a very big asset and a big connection as to why the Indigenous Food Network is housed within Dream of Wild Health, and works so well to help support our community partners in learning and having connections to healthy Indigenous foods and produce.

(playful rhythmic music) - I am the Farm Production Team Lead at Dream of Wild Health.

Here at Dream of Wild Health, we actually are a multifaceted organization.

We do like a lot of work in community as well as work with Native Indigenous youth in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

And we have a greenhouse there, that's kinda where we start all of our seeds.

We keep all of our small plants outside right there.

And then our processing facility right there.

We call that the pack shed 'cause we pack all of our CSA...

They call 'em a CSA, but we call it an IFS box, which stands for Indigenous Food Share because all of our IFS members are actually Indigenous peoples.

And we have a few different parts of the farm.

The main field is there, and our other smaller field's over there.

We have a small orchard, you know, we planted these trees like years ago.

And right back there is our little meadow area.

Our property actually stops at the end of that tree line over there, and we hope to continue to build on the that and kind of expand what we do here, which is we grow seeds and we grow leaders, you know, and we wanna continue to do that.

And we do have our little fire ring over there, that's where we meet up in the morning, and circle up with our youth and hang out and ask 'em fun little questions and stuff.

Everything we do here, everything is all about planning for the future, you know?

We have a teaching that we are always planning for the generations ahead of us because that's what the generations that came before did for us.

(upbeat rhythmic music) - We really are deeply invested in the work that the Indigenous Food Network is doing, and we think it's incredibly well worth it.

There really aren't, you know, from our perspective, there's not maybe as many opportunities for our Indigenous folks in urban areas to really reconnect and reclaim their traditional food ways and cultural ways.

So I would say, especially when it comes to food sovereignty, understandably, right, we see a lot more on res, which makes sense.

But just because, you know, the Twin Cities has one of the largest urban American Indian populations in the US, a lotta folks really are missing those connections and opportunities, which we see as a direct avenue towards health and wellbeing.

And we've really continued to recognize and see them as a champion around food sovereignty and health for Indigenous peoples in Minnesota.

So just the work that the Indigenous Food Network does to reconnect folks, or maybe open doors for the first time and make those connections, it's really profound and transformative for intergenerational health, right?

So not just with youth, but with elders, families, parents.

We see it as just such a holistic approach.

I think a lot of times, especially when we talk about like food in general, or hunger, or food access, a lot of funding might traditionally just see food as kind of that direct service, right, like food shelf.

And yes, that is an absolute need, especially right now with the cost of food and inflation.

But we really wanna think long term, right?

Like beyond that direct service, what does food justice look like, what does food sovereignty look like?

And we think it's really important for funders to really listen to a community and hear what they want to see, and what they envision, and what their hopes and aspirations are.

And really uplift that, versus maybe what we kind of perceive as the correct way as a funder.

And so having someplace like Dream of Wild Health, where you have incredible soil health, things are done so sustainably and without pesticides and chemicals, and being able to bring young people just into this environment is so great to see.

And just helping people access and reclaim land that we absolutely are deserving of, I think that's a huge one that sometimes is overlooked.

And we're really excited about the expansion that Dream of Wild Health has been able to do, as far as land access and the ability to grow more food.

And just the amount of people, there's buy-in.

It's like you see community members really getting the Indigenous Food Share boxes, you see people excited about eating their traditional foods, you know?

And even 15 years ago, you really did not see that in community as much, right?

The norm was very much soda, Indian tacos, fried bread.

So it's a really amazing transformation that still has a long way to go, but I think is well underway.

- The Indigenous Food Network has been growing exponentially for years.

The hope that I do have for the Indigenous Food Network is that people just get very excited about the work that we're doing.

And we hope to build allyships with non-Indigenous partners as well.

And I just encourage people to get involved and get excited about healthy Indigenous foods, healthy Indigenous food culture, and learn more about our Indigenous tribes here.

(gentle acoustic music) - It's inspiring to see the amazing work bein' done to support the urban youth.

It doesn't end there.

The Indigenous Food Network also shows up for the youth in a classroom setting.

Let's now look at how the Indigenous Food Network curriculum is used at the Anishinabe Academy to promote cultural teachings.

(gentle acoustic music) - We have the sweetgrass.

I have been here for seven years, and the sweetgrass has also been here that long.

And it's now getting big enough that we can harvest it on a somewhat regular basis.

So I like to come out with the students and have them harvest the sweetgrass.

In January, Hope and Kateri brought me the curriculum that the Indigenous Food Network had created.

And I was doing the science, and I skimmed through it, and I said, "Oh look, I've been doing this and I've been doing this.

So absolutely, I would be happy to incorporate some of these other lessons."

So today, I did a braiding sweetgrass lesson.

And to start us off, we started by harvesting some of the sweetgrass.

And when we harvest, I was taught that we put down tobacco.

Take a little pinch of tobacco, and you put it down because you always wanna give something back when you take something.

So we put down with our left hand a little pinch of the Asemaa into the sweetgrass, and then students would gather a handful and cut it off close to the roots.

The closer you go to the root, the easier it is to line it up to be able to make a bundle to be able to braid it.

So after harvesting sweetgrass, you kinda need to start working right away, as with anything you harvest.

So today, they bound the sweetgrass into bundles.

We usually have 'em count 21 because of the seven teachings, and you need three bundles to be able to make a braid.

It doesn't always make a very big braid, but if we make it a smaller one then everyone can get one to take home.

Then we got some that we'd actually harvested yesterday 'cause sweetgrass can't be braided right away, (laughing) it's too wet and it's going to break when you braid it.

Sweetgrass also can't be braided if you wait too long because it's too dry and it will break.

So I've found that after about a day, it's ready.

And then with sweetgrass, you need to have a friend, and your friend holds it while you do the braiding.

And then you get a nice tight braid that shows all the colors of the sweetgrass.

This needs to dry now for a few more months, and then it would be ready if you wish to smudge with it.

So when I do these lessons, when we're braiding the sweetgrass, doing a sound map or whatever, every single student is engaged.

And typically with a lesson, that doesn't always happen.

It's a lot of hands-on, it's a lot of, "What do you see, what do you hear?"

And so they're very invested in that, and so they're all very careful about doing it.

And so I see a whole lot of engagement from students, and very little disengagement at all.

- The curriculum was a project through the Indigenous Food Network, and so of course there's this whole group of folks, community folks that gather together and talk about it.

And so I was recommended to do this project, and I was really surprised to find that Kim was using it.

I created this, it sorta went dark with the pandemic and things like that.

And I was just super excited to actually see it all bound up and with a cover.

So this curriculum, it's listed as a youth gardening curriculum.

And so when I started working on it, they had topics that they wanted covered.

And so it is a series of lessons that really center Indigenous ways of knowing, being outside, working in the garden.

But it's something that anyone can do, you don't need specialized tools.

I just tried to be really logical in the way that you go through things, but they can be standalone lessons too.

And I wanted folks to get some cultural teachings in there, but I really wanted to ground and center them in just Indigenous ways of knowing, this reciprocity, this giving, the sense that we're all better when we treat the world and Mother Earth in a good way.

And so, I hope everyone will use it.

And there's pictures, I've tried to have make it really user friendly and pretty.

There are some different worksheets in there that I encourage people to just explore with.

I gave some extensions because different classes feel different, you might wanna do this with younger people or you might need to do it as a group.

- Our current education system is failing students.

There's a specific type of student that succeed easily, and that's not most students.

It hurts to see students that loved learning with me in third grade, in elementary school, to go on and stop loving it.

Indigenous teachings are not typically taught in other schools.

I am fortunate that I have an administrator, Laura Sullivan, who brings in people to give me training to show me what I need to do, to show me how to help students.

But we are on Dakota land, and this land was stolen from the Dakota people.

And I think it's right to honor what they had and where they lived by teaching their ways.

We've tried the colonizer's way, it's not working, our students are not doing better.

But when we do this, when we do the Indigenous teachings, and hands-on, when they get to braid the sweetgrass, when they get to harvest the vegetables and the sage and everything, it sticks with them.

They remember what they saw, they remember what they felt, they remember what they heard.

And the next time I bring it up, they know what happened, they know what I'm talking about.

- This curriculum is very much focused on Anishinabe ways of knowing and Dakota ways of knowing.

And so it may not apply to your current area, and so please don't assume that all Native folks have these same ways of knowing.

And so one of my recommendations is to step up and volunteer in your school and see what's happening.

How are different cultures talked about, respected, integrated into your classrooms?

I do know that it will be offered free of charge and it will be on the Indigenous Food Network page and Dream of Wild Health, and it will be a free download.

- I want my students to know that they can be independent of the colonizing food network.

They can grow their own foods, they can take care of their families, they can get what they need.

They can do it in an urban setting, they can do it in a rural setting, it can happen anywhere.

So that's why we have the garden here, so that students see we're in the middle of the city and we're still growing things that we need to be healthy.

We have the sweetgrass in the garden, we have the sage in the garden, and those are two of the Sacred Medicines.

They can have what they need, where they're at.

- If you're interested in giving your support or looking to get involved with the Indigenous Food Network, you can learn more at dreamofwildhealth.org.

If you missed a show or wanna catch up online, find us at nativereport.org.

And don't forget to follow us on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for behind-the-scene updates.

Drop a comment on social media if you enjoyed the show.

Thanks for spending time with your friends and relatives across Indian Country.

I'm Rita Karppinen, we'll see ya next time on "Native Report."

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