This year, Indigenous Peoples’ Day falls on Monday, Oct. 14. It’s a day to celebrate and honor Indigenous culture and contributions, past and present, as well as to recognize that Native peoples are the first inhabitants of the Americas, far before Western colonizers set foot on the land that would come to be known as the United States. Seward Co-op is located on the ancestral land of the Dakota people, where Dakota, Ojibwe, and many other Native people continue to live and exercise their sovereignty. As a cooperatively owned and community based business, we continue to learn and grow our practice in acknowledging Indigenous land and history, as well as cultivating connection with Native-led organizations. This is vital not only in honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but also in nurturing relationships year-round.

Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day with Food

Stop by Seward Co-op on Monday, Oct. 14 for special Grab n Go bowls that showcase Indigenous flavors and feature recipes developed by Sean Sherman of Owamni and NĀTIFS. The Hot Bar will feature its own special menu, including some of the items in the bowls. A portion of each bowl sale will be donated to Wicoie Nandagikendan Early Childhood Dakota and Ojibwe Urban Immersion Program, October’s SEED recipient. Be sure to round up at the register!

▲“I tried to not lean into pan-Indian imagery (i.e. merging Dakota and Ojibwe symbols) and instead highlight food across Turtle Island that’s connected to Indigenous people’s agricultural practices, in addition to the four sacred medicines. The turtle represents Turtle Island, and the dots around it represent the 11 Native Nations in Minnesota specifically.” – Moira Villiard, she/her

Planting a SEED of Cooperation

As part of Seward Co-op’s commitment to equity and food justice, a staff-led grant selection committee ensures that at least one Native-led organization is selected each year as a SEED grant recipient (the SEED program allows customers to “round up” their grocery bill for recipient organizations). This year, we are proud to include four Indigenous-led organizations in our SEED calendar.

2024 marks the fourth year of the Indigenous Foods Class Series, a program developed through Seward Co-op’s long-term partnership with Dream of Wild Health, one of the oldest and longest operating Native American-led and focused nonprofits in the Twin Cities. Our collaboration with Dream of Wild Health includes our partnership with the Indigenous Food Network (IFN), a collaborative of Nativeled community organizations in Minneapolis who are working together to rebuild a sovereign food system.

By hosting this annual class series every November, we honor our relationship with Dream of Wild Health and the Indigenous Food Network, and are proud to support IFN in their goal of creating a Native American urban model for food sovereignty. Read more about some of this year’s classes and register online.