The second Sacred Little Ones session treated food as a site of memory, connection, and nourishment.
Memory and Nourishment: Exploring Indigenous Foods was guided by Mariah-Rose Marie (Afro-Indigenous, Cherokee, Saponi), a writer, artist, and educator. The opening blessing was offered by Sandra Logan (Navajo Nation) of Lucy Hale’s Indian Tacos, a multigenerational family business rooted in recipes and teachings.
Native youth and their caregivers were encouraged to explore the taste, touch, and smells of Indigenous foods and their benefits. They participated in a tasting of chia seeds, mesquite flower cookies, pima corn grits, and prickly pear jelly which support heart and digestive health, reduced inflammation, increased energy, blood sugar stability, and more! The So’oh-Shinálí Sister Project describes the group learning about the power of Indigenous foodways and how implementing those foods into everyday meals supports healthy relationships with food, the land, and ancestors. The organization says the session affirmed the significance of food education for youth development, and connects that to healthy habit building and disease prevention for families.
Caregiver Stephanie Mushrush, LCSW (Tribal Citizen, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California; Filipina) took part and reflected on raising her son with a connection to ancestral foods, and on hoping those early experiences become a pathway toward health and balance for him.
My hope is that my son, the experiences that we’ve exposed him to as a child, that they will serve as a pathway for him, for health, for balance, and for him to know that the best foods for him are ancestral.
— Stephanie Mushrush, LCSW (Washoe Tribe of NV & CA; Filipina)
The organization frames access to education about Indigenous foodways as helping young children affirm and celebrate their identities, their community, and the wisdom passed down through generations.
Foodways work runs through the organization’s broader programming as well, including its Indigenous Foodways Cooking Project and summer gatherings focused on traditional foods and chronic disease prevention.
Resources for families
Food security is one of seven areas covered in the campaign’s Birth to Five resource guide, alongside childcare, parenting support, early education, special education, financial support, and healing. The guide runs more than 25 pages.
Read the Birth to Five Resource Guide
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