Indigenous Peoples’ Day is Monday, Oct. 12, and it recognizes that Native people are the first inhabitants of the Americas, including the lands that later became the United States of America. This holiday challenges the narrative that European colonizers “discovered” America when, in fact, many Indigenous nations had been thriving on and living in harmony with the land long before. Seward Co-op is located on the ancestral land of Dakota, Ojibwe, and many other Native people who 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. We celebrate this day to honor Indigenous cultures and contributions, both past and present.
Nurturing Relationships with Native-Led Organizations
Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day with Food
Stop by Seward Co-op on Monday, Oct. 12 for Grab & Go bowls that showcase Indigenous flavors and feature recipes developed by Sean Sherman of Indígena by Owamni and NĀTIFS. The Hot Bar will feature its own special menu inspired by Native food traditions, like maple squash, Three Sisters mash, wild rice pilaf, maple-juniper chicken, and cedar-braised beans.
A portion of every purchase will be donated to Little Earth Residents Association, October’s SEED recipient. Be sure to round up at the register!
Planting the SEEDs 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 two Indigenous-led organizations in our SEED calendar.
This November, we’re honored to partner again with Dream of Wild Health and the Indigenous Food Network (IFN) to co-present the Indigenous Foods Class Series. Through this series of cooking and lecture workshops that explore the nutritional and cultural significance of the ingredients used, Seward Co-op joins Native-led organizations as they generously share their ancestral knowledge.
By hosting this annual class series every November, we honor our relationship with Dream of Wild Health and the Indigenous Food Network by working alongside organizations in Minneapolis who are working together to rebuild a sovereign food system.
Local members of Native-led organizations Dream of Wild Health, Two Sisters Herbals, and Wiisinig LLC will share their expertise about Indigenous foods, herbal remedies, sustainable sourcing, and more.
“Seward Co-op and many Indigenous groups and organizations we’ve worked with, such as NĀTIFS and Dream of Wild Health, have shared values. We [believe in] creating access to healthy foods, that food is medicine, and the importance of Indigenous foods to not just humans, but also to our extended communities and the ecosystems we are a part of. Food that’s good for you can also be delicious.”
— Cassandra Meyer, Seward Co-op Board of Directors President
Shop Sales on Field Day Products to Support NĀTIFS
Grocers benefit greatly from the widespread celebration of Thanksgiving, and, at the same time, we acknowledge that its myth is inaccurate and harmful to Indigenous communities. In recognition, we’re participating in a program with National Co+op Grocers (NCG) to support local, Indigenous-led organization NĀTIFS, which works to strengthen Native foodways to
address economic and health crises affecting Native communities.
For every Field Day product on sale that’s bought from Nov. 4–17, NCG will donate 5¢ to NĀTIFS. You may know of NĀTIFS through:
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- Our SEED round-up in 2021
- Chef Sean Sherman’s speech at the 2018 Annual Meeting
- The restaurant Owamni which was opened in 2023
- The sale of the Creamery building
- Their Select Hand-Harvested Wild Rice, offered through the Indigenous Food Lab Market, on our shelves
▲“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), who designed this graphic