the importance of food to Indigenous culture
by Morrgan Zmolek
Food is important to people the world over. It can have emotional ties, connection to community history and religion. Native peoples are no exception to this. There are over 500 federally recognized Native nations in the United States, each with its own set of food ways tied to the landscape in which they live. Though it will vary from community to community, Native nations often have a set of traditional foods that tie to their life ways, according to Christina Gish Hill, associate professor in the department of world languages and cultures at Iowa State University. For agricultural nations, that food is corn. It is an integral part of sustaining those particular nations. Fishing nations have salmon, plains nations have buffalo — but, in all these nations, it’s not just about the food but the relationships between entities. It’s the connection between the people and the plant, animal and land. Native peoples honor these entities to sustain that life giving relationship between people and what will eventually become their food. Part of honoring that relationship involves harvesting animals in the most humane way — killing it in one shot — so they don’t suffer. There are also particular ceremonies surrounding honoring the gift of that animal. Hill noted the importance of honoring the animals because they are giving their life so human life can continue. “Often when people talk about those relationships, they talk about how those entities have chosen to essentially sacrifice themselves for people, and, you know, this is a huge honor and you have to show respect and you have to be mindful and respectful of that honor,” she said.
That same kind of respect is extended beyond animals, to the plants. When gathering, Native peoples make an effort to not kill the plant or gather too much because that practice isn’t sustainable. They also try to benefit the plant, so it can continue to reproduce and thrive. Hill said some communities encourage talking to the plant before gathering, explaining why it is necessary to gather and that no harm will be done to it. “That kind of protocol makes you pause,” Hill said. “You have to stop and think about what you’re doing, and you have to think of the role of that entity — plant or animal — in the world, and it forces you to show respect for the other life and acknowledge that that other life is supporting you.” Furthering that idea of respecting those relationships is the language Native peoples have surrounding food. In English, plants and sometimes animals are referred to as “it,” which implies a lack of consciousness or will. In Native communities, however, that isn’t the case. According to Hill, a lot of Native languages have animate and inanimate ways of speaking about things, much like the role of masculine and feminine in languages like French and Spanish. This is because they believe plants and animals have agency and make decisions. Plants and animals choose to take care of people by sacrificing themselves, but Native communities believe that should this relationship be disrespected and mistreated, those entities will abandon you. “It does shift the way that you think because then it really helps you see the entity, not just as alive but as capable of making decisions,” Hill said. The influence of Native peoples on the foods we eat today is substantial. Hill said that without contact with the Americas, many of the traditional European cuisines people have come to know and love would be missing crucial ingredients. “Honestly there are a lot of foods that Europeans and other people throughout the world didn’t eat
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