Monday, Oct. 12 is Indigenous Peoples Day. The holiday marks another important opportunity to honor and reflect on the lives, histories and diverse cultures of Indigenous people throughout North America. We continue to be grateful at Seward Co-op for the teachings Sean Sherman, of the Sioux Chef, was willing to share at the 2018 Annual Owner Meeting. Join the co-op in celebrating the survival and resilience of Indigenous people by learning more about Indigenous foods.

Food is often an important part of one’s identity. What we eat, who we eat with, and when we eat it can tell a lot about a person’s values, traditions and culture. “[I]ndigenous communities all over the world have a blueprint of how to live sustainably using just plants and animals right around you, no petroleum or anything,” Sherman stated in an interview on culturalsurvival.com. Colonization has stripped away many of these Indigenous foodways. Dana Thompson, Sioux Chef co-owner, said in an interview with Indian Country Today, “Food is medicine, and we’ve got tribes right now that three generations out might not even remember what their grandparents ate.”

The Sioux Chef works to make indigenous foods more accessible. While Sean is sometimes misidentified as The Sioux Chef, the name actually refers to the entire team. The Sioux Chef is a group of Anishinaabe, Mdewakanton Dakota, Navajo, Northern Cheyenne, Oglala Lakota and Wahpeton-Sisseton Dakota. The team includes chefs, ethnobotanists, food preservationists, adventurers, foragers, caterers, event planners, artists, musicians, food truckers and food lovers. In October 2017, Sean and his team performed the first decolonized dinner at the James Beard House in Manhattan. Sean’s first book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, earned the James Beard medal for Best American Cookbook for 2018.

Indigenous People’ Day Bowls

Enjoy an Indigenous Peoples Day Bowl for a limited time in our Delis. The entrees include cedar-braised beans, griddled maple squash, three sisters mash, wild rice pilaf with mushrooms and cranberry with a side of wojape sauce. A non-vegetarian option includes maple juniper chicken. Seward Co-op will donate $1 to Dream of Wild Health with each purchase of a bowl.

Dream of Wild Health is a Native-led organization working to restore health in our community through recovering knowledge of and access to Indigenous foods and medicines. These funds will support the non-profit’s work to serve high-risk, Native youth year-round.

Native-owned Community Foods

Seward Co-op also invites community members to explore the Native-owned Community Food producers available on our shelves. Purchasing Community Foods is one way to invest in a more local, sustainable and inclusive food system. We’re proud to offer wild-caught walleye from Red Lake Nation Fishery and Ojibwe wild rice from Autumn Harvest.
Red Lake Nation Fishery
Local, Small-scale
Inspired by their Native American culture, Red Lake Nation Fishery’s mission is to sustainably manage, harvest, and prepare superior quality wild fish products. Based out of Minnesota, Red Lake Nation Fishery has provided America with freshwater walleye since 1919. Red Lake Nation Fishery products are wild caught by tribal fishermen who use wisdom from their elders to harvest sustainably.

Now until Monday, Oct. 12 save on Red Lake Nation Walleye. $14.99/lb. (reg. $18.99)

Autumn Harvest Ojibwe Wild Rice
Local, Small-scale
Autmun Harvest Wild Rice is a local, small-scale producer operated by members of the Ojibwe Nation. Their wild rice is hand-harvested and then processed in Sawyer, MN at Bruce Savage’s Wild Rice finishing plant. Traditional wild rice is dramatically different than paddy-grown “cultivated” wild rice offering a true taste of Minnesota. Find Autumn Harvest Ojibwe Wild Rice at both Franklin and Friendship stores.