NAFSA Impact Report 2022

NATIVE AMERICAN FOOD SOVEREIGNTY ALLIANCE

IMPACT REPORT 2022

NAFSA was formed to restore and support Native American food systems nationally, in New Mexico & Canada through education, advocacy and policy, while promoting better health and creating economic opportunities.

ABOUT NAFSA

Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA) is a national network of Indigenous leaders dedicated to restoring food systems that support tribal self-determination and community wellness. NAFSA supports and promotes Indigenous Food Sovereignty initiatives and upli s Indigenous Food Sovereignty activists, chefs, farmers, seed-keepers and land stewards.

STRENGTHEN

We a rm Indigenous community-led initiatives, while centering the sovereignty of our Nations and Communities.

RESTORE

We work to reclaim Indigenous Food Sovereignty while nurturing reciprocal kinship relationships.

INDIGENIZE

We prioritize the restoration of Indigenous practices, languages, traditions, cultures and connection to ways of being.

OUR WORK

Through ongoing strategic planning, the entire NAFSA team is working to develop and support new high impact programs and expanded o erings in the years ahead. These high-impact areas will build on NAFSA’s past and current work to elevate Indigenous leaders and organizations engaged in the Indigenous food sovereignty work. In April 2022, the NAFSA sta began the groundwork to refine the scope of NAFSA’s work which entails shi ing our priorities from o ering direct programming to an increased focus on redistributing wealth while resourcing Indigenous-led food sovereignty initiatives.

NAFSA will continue strategic planning and capacity building to further define, articulate, and activate and grow our internal capacity to support these emerging areas. By investing in NAFSA’s growth, you will support our team to continue to weave connections as we work at the forefront of the Indigenous Food Sovereignty movement.

We aspire to refine, articulate, and mobilize the following key impact areas:

Organizational Capacity Building:

As we embark on the next chapter of organizational growth, we are focused on internal capacity building. Building organizational capacity focuses on what is needed to bring NAFSA to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, and organizational sustainability and maturity, so that we may more e ectively advance our work into the future.

Indigenous Storytelling and Communications:

We aim to create a clearly articulated communications sector that includes the creation of multimedia content including: videos, webinars, printed/digital resources, manuals, toolkits, and podcasts to upli the Indigenous food sovereign-

ty movement while generating an Indigenized storytelling platform that builds visibility and centers Indigenous voices and experiences. This includes re-branding and updating NAFSA’s website, social media, and generating inspiring content and resources on other platforms.

Indigenous Food Sovereignty Gatherings:

We are committed to facilitating and resourcing events, gatherings, and exchanges while supporting regional and crossregional pollination to create strong networks while re-forging Indigenous food networks and trade routes.

OUR WORK

Indigenous Seed Keepers Network: We continue to nourish the growing Indigenous seed sovereignty movement by leveraging resources and cultivating solidarity within the matrix of regional and international grassroots Indigenous seed sovereignty initiatives. We place a renewed focus on alliance building while generating a collection of resources, support, and training to cultivate connections between local, regional and international Indigenous seed initiatives while nurturing the emergence of regional Indigenous Cooperative Seed Hubs.

Indigenous Alliance Building:

We are committed to building a resilient, resourced, and connected network that amplifies the impact of our mission through the cultivation of relational kinship building. We look forward to engaging in increased resource sharing to support and collaborate with mission-aligned partners to elevate current and future partnerships for increased impact and continued movement building.

Indigenous Resource Mobilization: We are working to articulate a Resource Mobilization sector that includes multi-year funding opportunities for National and International Indigenous partners. NAFSA’s resource mobilization team is actively engaged in cultivating strong partnerships with funding partners across various sectors to resource this emerging area while implementing the internal systems, team, and stability needed for a Indigenous grant-making sector.

Cultivating a Culture of Care NAFSA STAFF

We strive to engage Indigenous values of horizontal collective leadership focused on an embodied Culture of Care.

We strive to embody a Culture of Care by prioritizing sta wellness and other aspects that help us to be well and balanced in this work. NAFSA sta are parents, farmers, herbalists, gatherers, teachers, seed-keepers, community leaders, and healers. It is important that sta are supported and gain fulfillment by participation in ongoing commitments and/or ceremonies and activities outside of NAFSA. NAFSA strives to generate internal HR policies that support our commitment to collective health and wellness. We believe that it is up to us to create new systems and paradigms that support the world that we want our children to live in. Within the work we do, we understand that we do not have to bring all solutions to the forefront. We strive to support and center Indigenous community leaders who

are already engaged in bringing community-led solutions forth. We acknowledge that each community knows what is best for them. The NAFSA sta strives to respect. acknowledge, celebrate and honor cultural diversity and traditions, by creating space for joy and celebrating work by taking a trauma informed and healing centered approach. Our sta team strives to center and a rm Indigenous community-led initiatives while recognizing and respecting the autonomy of our Indigenous Nations and communities.

PICTURED (FROM LEFT): Jen Schlaich - Director of Resource Mobilization, Kristine Piasecki - Finance & Operations Manager, Aaron Lowden - ISKN Coordinator, Kristina Stanley - Communications Coordinator, Mariah Ashley - Media & Design Coordinator, Shiloh Maples - Program Manager, Rowen White - ISKN Seed Hub Coordinator

NAFSA provides Fiscal Sponsorship to Emerging Indigenous-led Initiatives

Through our emerging fiscal sponsorship sector we completed a successful two-year fiscal sponsorship partnership, providing technical assistance to Woksape Inc.

NAFSA received a two-year grant from the O ce of Indian Economic Development (OIED) to support the wonderful work of Woksape. With the support of these grant funds, Woksape provided strategic support to Indigenous community-based organizations serving tribal communities in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Virginia. This initiative focused on Native food sovereignty issues, community economic development, and tourism alliances through technical assistance and one-on-one consultations.

Woksape’s community o erings were rooted in Terrie Badhand and Pati Martinson’s collective experience over 30 years assisting Native communities to achieve food sovereignty and economic security. Key Program Areas included the implementation

2022 HIGHLIGHTS

of a Fellowship that focused on individualized technical assistance provided virtually through webinars and Q&A sessions presented by Indigenous food sovereignty mentors from across the nation. Woksape Fellows and organizations received a needs assessment, technical assistance, one-on-one coaching, and travel opportunities for group exchange.

The NAFSA Leadership Council approved the Akwesasne Seed Hub’s request to provide Full Fiscal Sponsorship plus extended technical assistance support to ensure the success of the Akwesasne Seed Hub. A key element of this support is to build Akwesasne’s local infrastructure and capacity towards food sovereignty.

This new fiscal sponsorship is an outgrowth of existing relationships and is in alignment with NAFSA’s Indigenous Seed Keepers Network’s emerging regional Indigenous seed hub model. NAFSA recognizes that these seed hubs will play an important role in increasing Indigenous seed availability and improving the resiliency of local seed supply.

WOKSAPE Fellowship site visit to the Standing Rock Institute of Natural History.

Gathering saguaro fruits in Arizona. Event attendees learned how to turn pulped fruits into sitol.

2022 South West Indigenous Foodways Gathering

In Spring of 2022 NAFSA cosponsored the SW Indigenous Foodways Gathering. This event provided opportunities to connect with Native American farmers, ranchers, herbalists, educators, community organizers and activists, and enjoy Indigenous foods prepared by the best of Native American chefs. NAFSA sta and Woksape fellows had the good fortune to meet and learn from traditional Tohono O’Odham potters and Basketweavers, participate in the famous saguaro fruit harvest and learned the process of making sitol, saguaro fruit syrup. This event was hosted by the Ajo CSA at the Tohono O’odham Cultural Center and Museum in Topawa, AZ, on traditional Tohono O’Odham territory.

INDIGENOUS SEED KEEPERS NETWORK

Expands and Upli s Indigenous Seed Stewardship

2022 was a big year for program growth and development within the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN).

We expanded the ISKN team to welcome new sta members; ISKN Coordinator Aaron (Kuuwai) Lowden, Acoma farmer and community organizer, and our new Seed Hub Coordinator Rowen White, Akwesasne Mohawk Seed Keeper. ISKN’s work represents some of the most impactful work happening across Turtle Island— upli ing resilient Indigenous seed stewardship and regional Indigenous seed initiatives to enhance our collective capacity.

NAFSA Announces the Emergence of an Indigenous Cooperative Seed Hub Sector

ISKN is committed to providing practical technical assistance for communities working towards increasing their seed resilience and amplifying their seed sovereignty. We are developing a toolkit of support and resources aimed at supporting tribal communities in building Regional Indigenous Cooperative Seed Hubs that support culturally relevant seed stewardship towards the goal of increased seed resilience. We intend to support Indigenous centered initiatives with capital infrastructure support to create seed stew-

ardship and processing facilities that are focused on scaling up seed production while upleveling their seed and food sovereignty e orts.

In the coming years we plan to expand our outreach e orts while developing extended regional support for emerging and existing Indigenous seed stewardship networks and hubs that facilitate seed kinship distribution pathways and develop regenerative economic models that align with Indigenous cultural values.

DREAMING INTO THE FUTURE with the Akwesasne Seed Hub

In 2022, the Tides Foundation awarded the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA) a grant of 2.3 Million to support the development of an Indigenous Cooperative Seed Hub on Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. This is in partnership with NAFSA’s Indigenous Seed Keeper’s Network (ISKN), the Akwesasne Freedom School, and the Akwesasne Seed Hub (ASH). Funds support continued seed and food sovereignty e orts towards critical capacity building and infrastructure development including the construction of a functional seed storage facility, commercial kitchen, and living classrooms to support cultural mentorship and community education in the Akwesasne Mohawk Tribal community in partnership with the Akwesasne Freedom School, a Mohawk culture and language immersion campus.

This funding partnership presents an opportunity to continue to build local infrastructure and capacity toward Indigenous Food and Seed Sovereignty. The Akwesasne Seed Hub is a recent initiative emerging from NAFSA’s cornerstone program, the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN). A major aim of our work is to support the emergence of an Indigenous seed commons and foster shared leadership by supporting ISKN’s emerging regional Indigenous cooperative seed hub model.

As ISKN continues to support the emergence of regional Indigenous cooperative seed hubs, we envision that they will play an important role in increasing Indigenous seed availability and improving the resiliency of local seed supply.

“This capacity building investment in the Akwesasne Seed Hub is the culmination of generations of collective hard work, prayers and relationship building towards true dignified resurgence of our cultural commitments to nourish our Mohawk community in alignment with our cosmological and cultural teachings. This initiative honors the decades of hard work of Haudenosaunee elders and ancestors, and will nourish and empower the next generation of seedkeepers, farmers, and culture bearers here in our community of Akwesasne. We have been cultivating relationships in this partnership for nearly a decade, and we are so thankful for NoVo’s generous capital investment in this project that centers Indigenous vision and leadership.” says Rowen White, Akwesasne Mohawk Seed Keeper and ISKN Founder and Cooperative Seed Hub Coordinator.

“This capacity building investment in the Akwesasne Seed Hub is the culmination of generations of collective hard work, prayers and relationship building...”

– ROWEN WHITE

RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

to support Indigenous Seed Keepers

ISKN recognizes that most Indigenous seed sovereignty initiatives are community-based, led by individual leaders or collectives, stewarding their work with little to no access to financial support or resourcing. We recognize Indigenous seed keeping as a collective responsibility and have o ered seed cleaning equipment, Indigenous seed grower stipends, travel stipends, advisory stipends, and will continue to leverage financial resources to support the expanding Indigenous seed sovereignty network.

Seed Keeper Stipends

In the Spring and Winter of 2022, ISKN awarded Seed Keeper Stipends to Indigenous growers across Turtle Island. In total, 38 Seed Keeper Stipends were distributed totaling $57,000. Recipients of the Seed Keeper Stipends included Tribal members from the following communities:

Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Dińe Navajo Nation

In addition, NAFSA provided additional stipend support within our network by directing $12,750 to travel stipends to support regional Indigenous Seed Keeper attendance at ISKN’s Seed Sovereignty Assessment Training and directed $8,005 to ISKN Advisory Stipends to support ISKN advisory members who engaged in seed policy work.

Red Lake Nation Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma

Tohono O’odham Nation

Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma

Little River Band of Ottawa Indians

Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe

Pueblo of San Felipe

Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians

Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Santa Ana Pueblo

Oneida Nation

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Yavapai-Apache Nation

Southern Ute Indian Tribe

Nakota (Assiniboine) Nation

Piro-Manso-Tiwa (PMT) Tribe, Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe

Blackfeet Nation

Maya

Pueblo de San Ildefonso

Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel

Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate

Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation

Seed Cleaning Equipment Awards

In 2022, seed cleaning equipment was awarded to ISKN partners. Recipients received Winnow Wizards– seed cleaning machines that separate the chaff from the seed and increase capacity to efficiently process seed harvests. Recipients of our seed cleaning equipment include the following partners:

Bidii Baby Foods: An Indigenous baby food line created by farmers and new parents to increase access to traditional foods in early childhood. Bidii Baby Foods is an agricultural cooperative (LLC) registered as a domestic business on the Navajo Nation.

Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute: Flowering Tree is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization established in 1987 at the homesite of Roxanne Swentzell in Santa Clara Pueblo located in northern New Mexico. Working with the concepts of permaculture, Flowering Tree is committed to preserving the knowledge of survival and independence.

Pikuni Co-op: The Pikuni Cooperative, located on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, is revitalizing Blackfeet lifeways to provide traditional medicine to the community while supporting new farmers and entrepreneurs.

Ohe·láku:Ohe·láku Among the Cornstalks is a nonprofit made up of Oneida families relearning how to grow traditional White Corn together.

Miinikaanan Gidinawemaaganoog Seeds Our Relatives: Composed of a Grassroots group of Ojibwe seed keepers in the Twin Ports area dedicated to continuing traditional agriculture.

Bodwéwadmi Ktëgan: Bodwéwadmi Ktëgan is a farm owned by the Forest County Potawatomi. The farm’s mission is to provide a natural, sustainable source of vegetables, fruits, greens, fish and animal proteins to the tribal community. All products are available to the tribal community and general public.

Pawnee Seed Preservation Society: The Pawnee Seed Preservation Project works to revitalize the knowledge and seed bank so that Pawnee corn can once again be a part of their lives.

Building seed access and increased supply takes time, space, and lifelong dedication. We see the love and labor that our community partners give to their seed relatives, and we want to honor our community by continuing to uplift and leverage resources to support our growing movement.

Training the NEXT GENERATION of

Indigenous Seed Keepers

In the fall of 2022, NAFSA’s Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN) team hosted our first Seed Sovereignty Assessment Training at the Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute, located at Santa Clara Pueblo in Northern New Mexico. The SW Seed Sovereignty Assessment Training engaged 25 participants in a 2-day immersive and interactive gathering. A seed sovereignty assessment process helps create a baseline understanding about the health and state of seed in a community through seed census work, and facilitates a collective vision of what vibrant seed sovereignty looks like for each unique Indigenous community. Participants were guided through a mapping process to create a blueprint and action steps to move towards greater seed sovereignty and seed resilience in their respective communities.

WHAT IS A SEED CENSUS?

Our ISKN Coordinator will focus on growing the SW Seed Soverignty network in the coming year. Participants from the SW Seed Sovereignty Assessment Training will stay connected via ISKN’s emerging SW Network which will provide ongoing regional networking and peer-to-peer sessions to build solidarity as communities continue to grow their seed and food sovereignty e orts. ISKN’s long-term strategy is to support more regional seed networks and the development of additional seed hubs. With ISKN sta now focused in the UM, SW, and NW, we soon anticipate welcoming additional ISKN sta who will support other regions.

A Seed Census is a dynamic interactive community-led practice that helps gather information about the state of seed in their community. Led by Indigenous community members, interviews and surveys are conducted to learn from gardeners, farmers and seed keepers about what specific seed crops and varieties are being grown and saved each year.

Seed Census teams are formed to help cultivate a diversity of conversations across the community to record and gather critical information about traditional seed stewardship while assessing the overall state of Indigenous seed to inform e orts to build capacity to increase local and regionally grown seeds.

SEED POLICY

ISKN Submits Recommendations to the United States Department of Agriculture

In 2022, the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network assembled an advisory group of Indigenous seed experts and Indigenous Food Sovereignty leaders tasked to help dra and create seed policy recommendations to the USDA Germplasm Resource Information Network (GRIN). GRIN has several repositories within its system that house seed varieties that are of tribal provenance and origins. The seeds within this system are primarily used for academic research purposes and currently access is only given to those working on behalf of educational institutions. The ISKN advisory group provided their insights into assessing and

analyzing the current GRIN system. In September, NAFSA’s ISKN team and the ISKN Advisory Group submitted formal recommendations that create pathways towards Indigenous seed rematriation, and instituting Indigenous-led and informed policy decision-making.

As ISKN continues to provide thought-leadership in the Indigenous seed sovereignty movement, we are committed to growing our programing and sta ng to stay relevant to emerging seed policy making needs we hear from the seed keepers working in the soils.

REMATRIATION

and #SeedBack

ISKN has initiated an intercultural participatory approach to Indigenous seed restoration, reparations, and conservation that we call

Seed Rematriation

Seed rematriation is a process through which seeds are returned to their place of origin. The Seed Rematriation movement is led by Indigenous women, who in many Tribal Nations traditionally act as the caretakers of seeds, ensuring they are healthy from one season to the next. The choice of the term “rematriation,” rather than the common term “repatriation,” to describe this process emphasizes the role of women as seed keepers and deviates from the patriarchal cultures that allow the ownership of seeds.

When a seed is rematriated, it reenters into a reciprocal relationship

with that community. Seed Rematriation centers on intercultural relationship building between non-Indigenous and Indigenous entities to ensure seeds held in non-Indigenous ex-situ institutions and other non-Indigenous public/private access seed banks are respectfully stewarded in their culture communities of origin to ensure sustainable in situ conservation and adaptation moving forward. We continue working with prominent national and international seed bank organizations to develop a more collaborative, equitable, just, and participatory approach to Indigenous seed stewardship that aligns with our cultural values. We honor our cultural and spiritual agreements with our seed relatives to continue to forge pathways for them to find their way home into our communities of care. We invite you to join us in our endeavors to bring our seed relatives home.

Food & Culinary Program

NAFSA’s Food and Culinary Program assists Indigenous peoples and communities in reconnecting with their traditional diets and lifeways for the wellbeing and health of their communities. We provide essential resources for Indigenous people to realize the potential for serving their own traditional, healthy foods in their communities and to the broader public.

Indigenous Culinary Mentorship

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, NAFSA’s Food and Culinary Program piloted a virtual mentorship space. Launched in 2020, and still in use today, this online community and classroom platform was created to provide space for Indigenous community members to share resources, engage in discussion groups, and exchange knowledge around Indigenous foodways and culinary practices. This space currently supports 96 enrolled participants from over 50 Indigenous communities.

NAFSA Co-Sponsors Indigenous Agriculture Food Sovereignty Symposium

In May of 2022, NAFSA’s Food and Culinary program provided event and sponsorship to support the culinary programming at the Indigenous Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Symposium hosted by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Northern Michigan University. NAFSA’s sponsorship supported the purchase of tribally sourced ingredients that contributed to Indigenous prepared meals for symposium participants. In addition, we sponsored Indigenous Chefs from throughout the country to prepare Indigenous centered meals for the event.

Indigenous Culinary Demo Series

During 2022 NAFSA’s Food and Culinary Program and Communications Team worked to develop and curate an Indigenous Culinary Demo Series that promotes wellness and provides education around accessing and utilizing Indigenous ingredients while also elevating the voices of Indigenous culinary leaders. Our team curated demos from 12 chefs or leaders currently involved in food sovereignty work in their communities. Within the demo series, featured chefs represent a broad sampling of Indigenous foods available throughout the Americas. During 2023, these demos will be shared broadly across NAFSA’s media platforms and will upli the knowledge and narratives of Indigenous culinary leaders.

RAMPS PESTO

by Elena Terry, Indigenous Culinary Mentorship Program

Ingredients

• 8 oz ramps

• ½ Cup pine nuts

• ½ Cup parmigiano-reggiano

• ½ tsp smoked salt

• ⅓-½ Cup sunflower oil (or olive oil)

• Juice of half a lemon

• ¼ Cup sweet basil

Equipment

• Food Processor

Instructions

• Wash ramps thoroughly and rough chop the leaves

• Put ramps and pine nuts in food processor

• Add cheese and salt

• Turn on food processor and slowly add oil and lemon while pulsing, scrape sides and continue until desired consistency is reached.

HEALING MEALS

Grantee Highlights

NAFSA’s Healing Meals Grant opportunity provided financial and planning support for Indigenous community organizers to cra and execute their vision of a healing meal, tailored to their community’s needs, ingredients, and traditions. Community Healing Meals center regional Indigenous ingredients prepared by and for Indigenous communities, with the intention of providing holistic and cultural nourishment. The following stories are just a few of the highlights from some of our 2021-2022 Grantees.

Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network, Tongass (WECAN): Decolonized Thanksgiving

2021-2022 Healing Meals Grantee WECAN, Tongass utilized Healing Meals grant funds to provide a Decolonized Thanksgiving to community Elders focused on traditional Łingít foods locally sourced from Łingít hunters, fishers, and harvesters, prepared by Tribal Chefs and Volunteers. 125 Elders in the Juneau Community were served in partnership with the local Tlingít and Haida Tribal Elder’s Program. The meal included locally and tribally sourced deer stew with K’unts’ (Łingít Potatoes), fresh halibut, smoked local salmon, herring egg salad, and wild berries.

Photos by Yolanda Fulmer, 2021 Healing Meals Grantee

Please enjoy these recipes from our Culinary Mentorship Program partners.

PURSLANE CHIMICHURRI

by Kristen Kirby Shoote

Tlingit Food Activist, Chef, & Urban Farmer

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Purslane leaves

• 1 Cup Italian Parsley leaves

• 1 Cup Cilantro leaves

• 1 Tbsp Fresh Oregano or Bee Balm, Chopped

• 3 Cloves Garlic

• 1/2 Chili Pepper

• 1/2 Cup Oil

• 2 Tbsp Vinegar

• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Equipment

• Food Processor

Instructions

• Mince garlic & chili pepper, and add to food processor. Pulse for a few seconds.

• Add purslane, parsley, cilantro, and the oregano or bee balm to the food processor. Blend for 10 seconds, or until the herbs are finely minced.

• Pour in the oil and the vinegar. Mix in the processor until thoroughly combined, season with salt and pepper to taste.

HEALING MEALS (continued)

Zuni Youth Enrichment Project (ZYEP): Family Cook Night Series

2021-2022 Healing Meals Grantee Zuni Youth Enrichment Project (ZYEP) utilized Healing Meals grant funds to host a ‘Family Cook Night’ series to teach families how to create a plant-based meal that is both nutritious and delicious, featuring ingredients grown at ZYEP’s garden. Each cook night event o ered an option to cook in person, or join a virtual demonstration via Zoom. For each event in the series, families were provided with a kit containing all of the ingredients, recipes, and tools needed to prepare the meal. A total of 36 families participated in this series, serving over 180 community members.

Ttáwaxt Birth Justice Center : Family Healing Meal and Herbal Remedy Kits

2021-2022 Healing Meals Grantee Ttáwaxt Birth Justice Center utilized grant funds to harvest, prepare, and distribute 40 traditional food & medicinal remedy kits to pregnant and postpartum families on the Yakama reservation. Preserved foods such as Frozen Elk roast/canned deer, frozen filet salmon/canned salmon, canned chokecherries, canned huckleberries/huckleberry jam were given as the traditional meal. Herbal medicines from traditional and sacred plants and trees to help build the immune system such as elderberry syrup, healing salve, chest rub, lip balm, soaps, and soaks were also given out in the kits.

Photos by Brittny Seowtewa, 2021 Healing Meals Grantee

Photos by Leslie Swan, 2021 NAFSA Healing Meals Grantee

SALMONBERRY GELÉE

by Britt Reed, Indigenous Culinary Mentorship Program

Ingredients

• 6 Cups Salmonberries (or any berry)

• 3 Tbsp gelatin

Equipment

• Nonreactive saucepan

• Large Bowl

• Blender

• Mesh Strainer or Cheesecloth

• Baking pan

• Silpat baking mat or wax paper

• Refrigerator

Instructions

• Gather berries and wash thoroughly; make sure all stems, leaves, etc are removed.

• Place berries in a blender and puree. If you do not have a blender, place in a large bowl and mash.

• Place pureéd or mashed berries in a mesh strainer and/or cheese cloth and strain juices into a nonreactive saucepan. Make sure to press berries when straining to try to get as much juice out of the berries. Save berry pulp for dehydrating to make leather or powder - or compost.

• Remove three cups of juice and place in the large bowl. Place gelatin strips or powder in bowl of juice to hydrate. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

• At the same time, place non reactive pot on the stove with the remaining 3 cups of juice. Bring to a boil.

• Remove the pot from the stove and pour the hot juice into the large bowl and stir to combine.

• Place silpat baking mat or wax paper on the bottom of the baking pan.

• Pour juice into the baking pan and refrigerate until firm.

• Cut geleé into squares, or use cookie cutters to achieve the desired shapes of geleé.

Note: You can make powdered berry candy by taking the strained berry pulp and placing it in a dehydrator for 8 hours on 1300F. Once dehydrated, place in a blender or grinder to turn into powder. Blend in sugar and/or citric acid to taste.

COMMUNITY GRANTMAKING

We are working to articulate a Resource Mobilization sector that includes multi-year funding opportunities for National and International Indigenous partners. In 2022, NAFSA o ered 40 grants totaling $140,000 to Indigenous individuals and organizations. Grants were awarded in categories under NAFSA’s Indigenous Seed Keepers Network (ISKN) and Food and Culinary (F&C) Program.

ISKN Grants were awarded in two categories to partners based in the Southwest and Upper Midwest.

• Indigenous Seedkeeper Gathering Grants were provided to support educational events that build community seed literacy.

• ISKN Capacity Building Grants were provided to support Indigenous growers, organizers, and collectives who are building seed access and literacy in their communities.

F&C Grants were awarded in two categories to individuals and organizations across Turtle Island.

• F&C Capacity Building Grants were provided to support the development of food sovereignty programming that provides community education and/or access to culturally relevant foods.

• Healing Meals Grants were provided to support Indigenous community organizers to develop and host their vision of a healing meal that incorporates their communities unique ingredients and traditions.

ISKN Grantees: p. 28-29

F&C Grantees: p. 30-31

Read on for more information about these Community Grant Awardees, and the amazing projects NAFSA has helped them realize.

COMMUNITY GRANT AWARDEES

2022-2023

ISKN Seedkeeper Gathering Grantees

Ukwakhwa Inc • Oneida, WI Event will focus on the basics of planting with the intention of seed saving and how to select seeds a er harvest.

Chastity Lolita Salvador • Acoma Pueblo, NM Pueblo women farmers will share their harvest and seed cleaning and storing practices.

Miinikaanan Gidinawemaaganoog

(Seeds Our Relatives) • Superior, WI Grassroots group of Ojibwe seed keepers in the Twin Ports area. Event will include sharing of seed saving basics, seed processing, seed swap, and a demonstration utilizing the NAFSA-awarded Winnow Wizard. An Indigenous meal will also be provided.

Native Food Network • Sun Prairie, WI

This gathering will be focused directly on teaching seed keeping from an instructional standpoint and then giving teaching experience under mentorship from more experienced seedkeepers. By incorporating a seed exchange, the event will also help expand access to regionally grown seeds.

Bay Mills Community College • Brimley, MI

In biigoon (winter) a gathering will be hosted at Bay Mills Community College to dream and plan for the coming growing season and beyond. Experienced seed keepers in our communities will share their knowledge

about finding seeds, planting dates, soil prep, relationships with seeds, and more. In the ziigwan (spring) at Bay Mills Community College’s Waishkey Bay Farm, we will gather, and a four sisters gitigaan will be planted. In late niibin (summer) a gathering will be hosted at Three Dogs Seed Farm to harvest four sisters. Knowledge will be shared with one another about how to dry and store seed relatives and determine when they are ready to harvest.

Awarewolf Ecology • Hesperia, MI

Two-Spirit, Wixárika-run social-mission driven center dedicated to stewarding our Lands for the next 7 Generations.

The gathering will o er one or more networking sessions for the discussion of the future of Indigenous seedkeeping in the State of Michigan as well as several educational sessions for knowledge sharing on traditional and modern seed harvesting and storage techniques.

Anna Williams Roush – Odawa • Ypsilanti, MI

A series of workshops will be held that will focus on seeds, land/soil, sowing, growing, pollinating corn, harvesting, preserving, and cooking. Ceremony and healing will be built into the practices we learn.

We Have Always Been Related • Minowakiing, WI —colonially mispronounced as Milwaukee Gathering will center storytelling, traditional foods, culturally stewarded seeds, and kinship.

ISKN Capacity Building Grantees

Three Dogs Seed Farm • Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Building seed access and literacy for Great Lakes Anishinaabek communities by addressing both the immediate and ongoing need for seed as well as facilitating opportunities for community members to grow in their role as seedkeepers through training and handson education opportunities.

Ubetcha Wateča Community Owóžu • Eagle Butte, SD Building water access, providing garden tools and fencing materials, cataloging, food preservation, and sharing seeds, experiences, and stories via seed saving and food preservation classes and workshops.

Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture • Ajo, AZ

Hosting classes and tours with seeds at the forefront, recruiting growers to diversify seed stock, introducing and rematriating Indigenous seeds in partnership with elders and Tribal community programs.

Kat Thompson – Navajo • Casa Blanca, NM

Support the development of a sustainable and just local food system in Ajo, Arizona and the Tohono O’odham Nation. Provides agricultural education, reduces barriers to healthy and culturally-appropriate foods, preserves and revitalizes agricultural traditions, fosters local, foodbased economic development and establishes valuable partnerships.

Kaitlyn Walsh – Ojibwe, Fond Du Lac Band Descendant • Duluth, MN

Hosting classes and tours with seeds at the forefront, recruiting growers to diversify seed stock, introducing and Rematriating Indigenous seeds in partnership with elders and Tribal community programs.

Anthony Joseph Barela NystromPiro-Manso-Tiwa Tribe of Guadalupe Pueblo, Yoeme Nation, Mackinac Ojibwe Descendant • Mound, MN

Operating a small seed farm, sharing seeds, plant knowledge, and stewardship information with the community.

Anna Williams Roush – Odawa • Ypsilanti, MI

Increasing seed literacy, seed bank development, and knowledge sharing through workshops and media engagement.

Mark L McConnell – Fond Du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa • Superior, WI

Expanding growing capacity, upgrading equipment, seed rematriation e orts, and knowledge sharing programing.

GRANT AWARDEES (continued)

F&C Capacity Building Grantees

Kessi Watters Kimball - Mi'kmaq Listuguj First Nations • Wabanaki homelands of what is now called Maine (Vassalboro, ME) Purchasing a Featherman Pro equipment to train youth apprentices in the art of bird harvesting, and further share the harvest with the community.

Eastern Woodlands Rematriation • New York, NY

Strengthening and fortifying Indigenous foodways in the Northeast through learning exchanges, mutual aid, apprenticing, and resource sharing.

Fond du Lac Tribal College • Cloquet, MI

Piloting a learning project based at Gookonaanig Endaawaad (Grandma’s House), which is a language nest for families with young children aged 0-5 years. In partnership with local Elders, this project will provide education for the families and sta of Grandma’s House to identify, harvest, prepare, and preserve select local foods.

Native Women’s Collective • Goudi'ni Wiyot Homelands (Arcata, CA)

This project, led by collective member Marlene Dusek, will provide community food boxes to Wiyot peoples in the Northern California region. The 'Food Boxes for the Wiyot Community’ project supports local Indigenous youth to gather, process, and prepare traditional Native American foods into meal boxes to give to the community.

Lozen Orozco - Purépecha/Nahua

• Lake Elsinore, CA

Spirit Plate is a project taking place In Lake Elsinore, CA that is led by a group of Indigenous women and homeschooling youth. Funding will provide access to healthy Indigenous-based traditional food. The project’s activities will range from building an adobe outdoor kitchen to growing and processing corn and will be completed alongside youth and community members.

Next Evolution Co ee Shop • Shurz, NV

Supporting food sovereignty e orts in the community of Walker River Paiute Tribe through continued educational opportunities.

I-Collective • National, based in East Hardwick, VT Rooted in the cultivation of Indigenous food sovereignty and elevating and preserving Indigenous narratives, I-Collective has been producing a digital, multimedia cookbook and community journal ( ‘A Gathering Basket’) to assist in strengthening the connection of our people to their food. These funds will support the development of a physical publication, representative of and expanding upon the body of work produced and shared by community members for ‘A Gathering Basket’.

POC Fungi Community, a sponsored project of Yaquis of Southern California • Kumeyaay landSan Diego, CA

Providing access to fungi related education, medicine, food and community building opportunities.

Texas Tribal Bu alo Project, Lipan Apache Band of Texas • Waleder, TX

Addressing food insecurity and access among Indigenous communities in South Central Texas through agricultural education.

Sewa Yuli - Yoeme/Purépecha • San Diego, CA

Producing a documentary on Indigenous food sovereignty from across both sides of the so-called border. Featuring voices from Indigenous farmers, seedkeepers, medicine people, midwives, foragers, and professors.

Kathryn Thompson - Navajo • Casa Blanca, NM

Introducing beekeeping to increase biodiversity of an Indigenous food forest project. The project utilizes traditional ecological knowledge to increase food security and demonstrate solutions to climate change.

Waspfriend Farm • Poplar, MT

Constructing a greenhouse to support local community gardens, further seedkeeping and Indigenous plant growing activities, and encourage continued community engagement.

Birds N Things Farm • Ashland, WI

Building a processing shed that will include equipment to support community Wild Rice processing.

F&C Healing Meals Grantees

Next Evolution Co ee Shop • Shurz, NV

Creating a video project for the Walker River Paiute Tribe Boys and Girls Club to share the story and value of harvesting, cleaning, and storing our first foods. The video will provide traditional knowledge and education while promoting nutrition and food that highlights Indigenous ingredients will be served.

Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio (NAICCO) • Columbus, OH

Funds will be used to host annual community feasts that bring the community together, acknowledge past struggles, and celebrate the present Native Community in Ohio. Through togetherness, traditional foods, and culture this project will prioritize the holistic healing of the NAICCO community - mind, body, and spirit.

I-Collective • National, based in East Hardwick, VT

Hosting an educational dinner featuring dishes found in the I-Collective Publication ‘A Gathering Basket’. The dishes and ingredients represented in the dinner will come from Indigenous communities from what is now known as the Americas. The I-Collective will use prepared dishes to take a deeper dive into the stories of the foods themselves as well as the issues surrounding these foods in Indigenous communities in the Americas.

Texas Tribal Bu alo Project - Lipan Apache Band of Texas • Waleder, TX

Many people are unaware that there are still several Native Nations in existence across the state of Texas. Our resilient, vibrant communities have such strength and knowledge to share with one another and our allies as we continue to move forward in building healthier, thriving communities. To celebrate and bring awareness to the rich culture and traditions of the people who initially occupied the land we walk, TTBP aims to provide a free, culturally relevant meal to the community, by providing a feast in celebration of Indigenous People’s Day 2023.

Waspfriend Farm • Poplar, MT

Funds will be used to share a fresh boxed meal that utilizes Indigenous ingredients. Boxes will be available for pick-up so that Elders and community members can enjoy their meal wherever they choose.

Folk • Detroit, MI

The project will o er a Harvest Basket that will be filled with provisions made entirely by and traditionally inspired by Indigenous people and land. Harvest basket will provide a whole meal experience and will include learning tools such source profiles, recipes for basket provisions, and suggestions for further use.

Amy_Consulting • Anchorage, AK

Community advocacy firm, focusing on Indigenous family preservation and cultural support for Native American and Alaskan Native participants. Purple Heart Talking Circle will be a gathering of houseless and /or at-risk Alaskan Native or American Indian adults and families to prepare and eat traditional foods potlatch style and participate in a talking circle to share life skills to build resiliency and assist with stabilizing participants cultural and emotional well being as they navigate moving forward from houselessness.

IREKUARHIKUA • Los Angeles, CA

A group of individuals will be selected to form a cohort through an application process. The cohort will collectively come together to learn about all details related to maize (di erent types), the process of nixtamalization (step by step), grinding, preserving maize, and preparation of dishes using nixtamalized masa.

Ziibimijwang • Carp Lake, MI

Hosting four community meals per year, according to traditional foraging, hunting, seasonal harvesting, and spiritual practices. Meals and gatherings will be facilitated by prioritizing a decolonized approach, accessing traditional knowledge keepers, and rematriating our community with our land base.

Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture • Ajo, AZ

Preparing and distributing at least 100 traditional food boxes for O’odham Elders in at least three O’odham districts, and sourcing supplies directly from O’odham farmers. Boxes will include a traditional and modern recipe plus food descriptions.

Daniella James - San Carlos Apache • San Carlos, AZ

Hosting a hands-on Healing Meal for San Carlos Apache Middle School, to share knowledge of San Carlos Apache tribal foods, national tribal foods, and nutrition of historical foods.

UPLIFTING OUR WORK

Contributing to Indigenous Food Sovereignty

We are beyond grateful for cultivating partnerships, hosting open conversations, and for our growing relationships that center trust-based partnerships and multi-year funding relationships. We can attest that multi-year, general operating funding allows our team to engage in long term planning to direct more of our time to our community partnerships and programmatic work, and contributes to the Culture of Care within our organization.

When we know that we have financial resources secured over a longer period to continue serving our alliance in a good way we can operate in abundance. As we continue to build multiyear funding collaborations, we thank you for investing in NAFSA’s growth and allowing us to continue to weave connections between grassroots partners as we work at the forefront of the Indigenous food sovereignty movement.

*Please note, this includes both funds secured in 2022 and funds that were carried over from multi-year funding.

Funding through PARTNERSHIPS

In 2022*, NAFSA’s work was made possible through the generous donations by the following Foundations and Organizations:

•Ceres Trust

•CS Fund

•HRK Foundation

•Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation

•Julia Kaemmer Fund of HRK Foundation

•Kalliopeia Foundation

•Kataly Fund - administered by Possibility Labs

•Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation, Inc.

•Lush Cosmetics Inc.

•Metabolic Studio and the Annenberg Foundation

•Native Voices Rising

•Newman's Own Foundation

•O ce of Indian Economic Development (OIED)

•Panta Rhea Foundation

•Pawanka Fund

•Pivotal Venture-Building Champions Fund a funding partner of Moore Impact

•Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation

•Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Foundation

•Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Inc.

•Swi Foundation

•The Agroecology Fund

•Tides Foundation and NoVo Foundation

•U.S. Department of Agriculture, O ce of Tribal Relations, Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative

•Vadon Foundation

•Vervane Foundation

•WhyHunger

•Wild Wisdom Foundation

We are grateful to the many individuals who contributed donations to NAFSA’s work. Since our organization began, our mission has been to support Native communities nationally with advocacy, education, and networking as they revitalize their Indigenous food systems. In the next year, we will continue rebuilding our relational Indigenous foodways through supporting the development of regional intertribal cooperative seed hubs, facilitating seed sovereignty assessment trainings, supporting Indigenous food sovereignty events, redistributing resources to our partners via our community grantmaking program and more.

We thank you for believing in our work and for contributing resources that allow us to fulfill our mission.

2022 FINANCIALS

Statement from the Finance and Operations Manager

2022 was a year of abundance and growth for NAFSA. We are so grateful for the amount of support our organization receives. We take great pride in approaching financials with an Indigenous lens. We are a team that operates in abundance and takes pride in providing a culture of care that tends to individuals who carry this work. At NAFSA we have a collaborative approach to all of our work, including the development of budgets, and financial reporting.

In the Finance Department, 2022 was a year for developing processes and procedures that align with our Financial and Organizational values and strategy for organizational sustainability. NAFSA is committed to telling a story with our financial statements so anyone external to our organization can understand how passionate we truly are in serving our community.

— Kristine Piasecki, NAFSA Finance & Operations Manager

$91,515 4%

Expenses $2,314,554

Income: ($373,979)

CONNECT WITH US Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA)

PO Box 675 Flagsta , AZ 86001

info@nativefoodalliance.org

nativefoodalliance.org