Reclaiming Indigenous Foodways with NATIFS

The Poor Prole’s Almanac

In this episode, we're joined with Mandu from NATIFS, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, to discuss food sovereignty and the future of indigenous foodways and the concept of culture and food as dynamic and evolving.

North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NāTIFS), founded by James Beard award winners The Sioux Chef, is dedicated to addressing the economic and health crises affecting Native communities by re-establishing Native foodways. We imagine a new North American food system that generates wealth and improves health in Native communities through food-related enterprises.

NāTIFS has opened the Indigenous Food Lab in the Midtown Global Market on historic Lake Street in Minneapolis. The Indigenous Food Lab is a professional Indigenous kitchen and training center covering all aspects of food service; research and development; Indigenous food identification, gathering, cultivation, and preparation; and all components of starting and running a successful culinary business based around Native traditions and Indigenous foods.

Reclamation of ancestral education is a critical part of reversing the damage of colonialism and forced assimilation, and food is at the heart of this reclamation. NāTIFS will drive sustainable economic empowerment and prosperity into tribal areas through a reimagined North American food system that also addresses the health impacts of injustice.

Check out NATIFS at NATIFS.org or @Natives_org on Instagram

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