We attended the Indigenous Foods and Ecological Knowledge Symposium on May 4, 2018. It was hosted by the University of Washington’s American Indian Studies Department and Na’ah Illahee Fund. I am very thankful to Anita for organizing this activity for the interns! The keynote speakers were from the Suquamish and Puyallup tribes. The presenters were from both American and Canadian indigenous groups. The lunch of geoduck chowder and salad of native greens was fresh and locally sourced. The nettle and mint tea was very popular! I tried hemp milk and honey in my coffee for the first time.
I think during the car ride home we were suffering a little “white guilt”. The Native people of “Turtle Island” are still trying to heal from the effects of colonialism. Their stories touched us and also inspired us to do better and be grateful. Referring back to a previous question that Anita had asked about culture, I made a comment that if we are to reject our culture, what would we replace it with? Anita said that everyone in the car is looking for something. After further thought, I think that it is not American culture that we reject it is neoclassical economics, corruption of our political system by big corporations and special interest groups, and a racially biased criminal justice system that we reject. When Indigenous people talk about culture, they do not usually address those issues. They talk about their language, songs, stories, dances, traditional food ways and spiritual practices. We (Euro-Americans) have all of that. So, what are we looking for? Could it be community and sense of belonging? I mean real flesh and blood community not Facebook. Perhaps that’s why we all ended up at Songaia. I want to explore how this intentional community works. I want to grow food that nourishes my body and, in the process, also renews my spirit. I want to surround my self with like-minded individuals to build a social network that can work to change the economics, politics, justice system. We need to shift the power away from corporations and back to the people. We can form alliance with our Indigenous brothers and sisters to fight against GMO and factory farming, to advocate for their treaty rights and access to traditional hunting and fishing grounds, clean water, clean air, transition to renewable energy, etc.
I also want to thank the residents of Songaia Community for welcoming me as a 2018 Intern. I am a little older than the average intern (ok, a lot older). I am grateful for the opportunity learn and grow within this incredibly supportive environment. I’m old enough to know that I still have a lot to learn!
I think during the car ride home we were suffering a little “white guilt”. The Native people of “Turtle Island” are still trying to heal from the effects of colonialism. Their stories touched us and also inspired us to do better and be grateful. Referring back to a previous question that Anita had asked about culture, I made a comment that if we are to reject our culture, what would we replace it with? Anita said that everyone in the car is looking for something. After further thought, I think that it is not American culture that we reject it is neoclassical economics, corruption of our political system by big corporations and special interest groups, and a racially biased criminal justice system that we reject. When Indigenous people talk about culture, they do not usually address those issues. They talk about their language, songs, stories, dances, traditional food ways and spiritual practices. We (Euro-Americans) have all of that. So, what are we looking for? Could it be community and sense of belonging? I mean real flesh and blood community not Facebook. Perhaps that’s why we all ended up at Songaia. I want to explore how this intentional community works. I want to grow food that nourishes my body and, in the process, also renews my spirit. I want to surround my self with like-minded individuals to build a social network that can work to change the economics, politics, justice system. We need to shift the power away from corporations and back to the people. We can form alliance with our Indigenous brothers and sisters to fight against GMO and factory farming, to advocate for their treaty rights and access to traditional hunting and fishing grounds, clean water, clean air, transition to renewable energy, etc.
I also want to thank the residents of Songaia Community for welcoming me as a 2018 Intern. I am a little older than the average intern (ok, a lot older). I am grateful for the opportunity learn and grow within this incredibly supportive environment. I’m old enough to know that I still have a lot to learn!
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