"Support Local Indigenous Foods Producers" billboard campaign!

Our final Support Our Local Foods Producers billboard is now up. This time it features some of our Giinawiind Giginitaawig’gomin: Together We Grow Indigenous Food Sovereignty youth entrepreneurs! The photo was taken by AICHO staff member Ivy Vainio at one of our AICHO Indigenous Food & Art Markets this past summer/Fall! We are so proud of ALL the youth who are in this program! They are learning a lot about our Indigenous food ways, business and communication skills.

This truly is the best youth program around! The billboard will be installed across from the Whole Foods Coop in Hillside.
Our fifth "Support Local Indigenous Foods Producers" billboard features 10 year old Daicin Savage, a Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe tribal member and Indigenous food entrepreneur!

A little about Daicin from his parents: He was born into the seasonal lifestyle of our ancestors. His aunty coined him the Manoomin (wild rice) Manager and Sugar Bush (maple syrup harvest) Manager because he is always present during these traditional activities. He loves growing vegetables. The Savage Garden is year round preparation for him. His "Poppa" (Jeff Savage) is the main person who influences his gardening skills. He's been a budding entrepreneur since the age of 4 when he started pulling his wagon through the Fond du Lac Tribal Center. He later started his own vegetable stand at the age of 6. Now at 10 he is the owner and manager of "Daicin's Veggies."
This billboard is the fourth one we have done this year as part of our Support Local Indigenous Foods Producers public messaging campaign. It features David Wise, Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe direct descendant farmer, gardener, harvester, Indigenous foodways practitioner who co-owns Native Wise LLC on the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Reservation in Sawyer, MN.

AICHO has been connected to David and his wife/business partner Patra Wise, for a couple years now through their Indigenous food CSA boxes program that features smoked fish, organic vegetables, honey from their apiary, eggs from their chickens and more! They are a part of our AICHO's Indigenous Food & Art Markets and our youth programming. They also harvest traditional foods and medicines such as manoomin (wild rice), maple syrup, various plants for teas in their prospective seasons.

If you are interested in learning more about Native Wise, LLC go to: www.nativewisellc.net/.
The billboard features Indigenous food producers and harvesters Bruce Savage (Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe tribal member) and his wife Tawny (Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal member) - the owners of Spirit Lake Native Products/Farm in Sawyer, MN.

​To find out more info on their business, go to www.spiritlakenativefarm.com.
Tashia Hart- Red Lake Anishinaabe tribal member. Tashia is a wild foods harvester, cook, and author of the forthcoming wild foods cookbook, The Good Berry Cookbook (MNHS Press, August 2021). She has been connected to AICHO for years where she has engaged with our housing youth, families, staff, and greater community in increasing understanding about Indigenous foods and food sovereignty movement work. We are grateful for her commitment to re/connecting us to our plant relatives and to/with this land of the Anishinaabeg.

To learn more about her and/or about “The Good Berry Cookbook: Harvesting and Cooking Wild Rice and other Wild Foods,” go to: www.tashiahart.com.
Delilah Savage- Fond du Lac Ojibwe youth food producer, gardener, harvester, and entrepreneur.
Delilah comes from a long line of Anishinaabe farmers, harvesters, gardeners and she is carrying on this work with her passion and commitment to/for Indigenous food sovereignty and connection with cultural traditions, land, water and plants. She makes and sells her wild rice cupcakes with frosting made with maple syrup and works alongside her cousin Alyza Savage in making garden grown salads with salad dressing that she developed.
To learn more about her business go to:
Baby Cakes Wild Rice Bakery/Savage Girls Salads
or email [email protected]
Downloadable Poster
Native Wise LLC.-  David and Patra Wise, based out of Sawyer, MN on the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe reservation where David is a direct descendant. Their commitment to food sovereignty principles and Indigenous food access shines bright for/within both FDL, AICHO, Duluth and surrounding communities with their garden fresh produce, wild rice, smoked fish, honey and more. 
To find more about their farm go to : http://www.nativewisellc.net/ or Native Wise LLC​

Spirit Lake Native Farms

​Spirit Lake Native Farms was founded in 1999 and is owned by Bruce and Tawny Savage who live and operate their wild rice and maple syrup farm/business with their children on the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Reservation. They are state licensed and are members of the Intertribal Agricultural Council which “promotes the conservation, development and use of our agricultural resources for the betterment of our people.” They are one of the few Indigenous run businesses that specialize in Native wild rice and pure maple syrup production. Their farm is managed by generational food producers and harvesters. They put in 1,500 taps to produce maple syrup at the end of winter and harvests and finishes wild rice in late summer/early fall.
“We purchased Spirit Lake Native Farms to show our children the contributions that their ancestors made to the food systems today.” Bruce Savage, co-owner.

Intertribal Agricultural Council

​The Intertribal Agricultural Council’s “Made/Produced by American Indian Foods” trademark is promoted and marketed heavily through our program. This trademark certifies the authenticity of a product and symbolizes the culture, tradition, and pride that American Indian products represent. The trademark is approved for use on over 100 items. In order to use the trademark the user must submit an application along with verifying documentation that the user is a federally recognized Tribal member/entity or an Alaska Native as defined by law; or at least a 51% controlling share interest.

Native Wise, LLC

David and his wife Patra are owners of Native Wise, LLC, a Native owned and operated business on the Fond du Lac Ojibwe reservation in Sawyer, MN. Their farm is focused on soil health and they strive to farm in a way that reduces negative impacts to the ecosystem. They incorporate companion/pollinator cover crops into all of their agricultural plantings in order to enhance soil health, optimize plant production and provide pollinator habitat. On their farm they grow and harvest “food medicines” such as wild rice, maple sap, fruits and berries, natural herbal medicines and CBD hemp plants, and smoke fish and wild game.
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“I was taught from a young age, by my grandmother, to gather a variety of plants to make natural medicines. This includes food medicines such as Wild Rice, Maple Sap, Berries etc. as well as Herbal Medicines for a wide variety of ailments.” David Wise.
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Harvest Nation, Inc.

Four Anishinaabe women who are also family members have an indoor, aeroponic CSA farm concept to provide year-round access to premium quality, fresh, chemical free fruits and vegetables with year-round availability. They started their business with these four Indigenous Food Sovereignty principles - for the economy, for the quality, for the social good, and for the environment. 

The main Founder and CEO of the company, Denise Pieratos, has designed an aeroponic farming system that goes beyond current aeroponic farms who mainly grow and sell leafy greens. Harvest Nation’s design can accommodate a large variety of staple crop options (potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, etc.) to specialty and niche items such as black kabuli chickpeas.

Dream of Wild Health

Dream of Wild Health (DWH) is an intertribal, independent 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Native American community. Their mission is to restore health and well-being in the Native community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous foods, medicines and lifeways.

Their farm’s three agricultural actions include: Indigenous Food Share program, Farmers Markets, and Seed Collections. They have strong leadership programs for youth including Garden Warriors, Cora’s Kids, Youth Leaders and they also provide participating program youth with educational scholarships.

National Family Farm Coalition 

Resource from National Family Farm Coalition regarding the Six Pillars of Food Sovereignty. Adapted from the Nyéléni 2007 Forum for Food Sovereignty Synthesis Report.
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Six Pillars of Food Sovereignty
1. Focuses on Food for People
2. Values Food Providers
3. Localizes Food Systems
4. Puts Control Locally
5. Builds Knowledge and Skills
6. Works with Nature

Protect Our Manoomin

Protect Our Manoomin’s role includes opposing mining legislation that endangers our manoomin (wild rice) and the ecosystem of northern Minnesota; and to educate and inform Anishinaabe communities of the imperilment of nonferrous mining. Protect Our Manoomin believes that manoomin (wild rice) is a sustenance gift from the Gichi-Manidoo (the Creator). In this respect, the sustenance right to manoomin is sacred and cannot be constrained or recalled by colonial laws, policies, or institutions that impact and imperil the manoomin gitigaanan (natural wild rice stands) and ecosystem in northern Minnesota. We are resolved, as Bamaadizidjig (Anishinaabeg, non-Anishinaabeg, and non-Native peoples), to resist any changes that endanger our manoomin. We seek to create awareness of sulfate and sulfide pollution via mining and its harmful effects on manoomin – a vital cultural, spiritual, and environmental resource. We are guided by the Anishinaabe gete-gikendaasowin (traditional knowledge) of our elders.

The Savage Family & Food Sovereignty

The Savage Family from Cloquet, MN. Their intergenerational and extended family is involved in gardening and gathering/harvesting Indigenous foods together for many years and has always encouraged the younger generations to learn and be active and creative in this cultural agricultural food system. This past weekend five families, including 17 people, helped plant in the gardens! Leah Savage shared the following about her parents and family, gardening, exercising treaty rights, and how important it is to engage the younger generations in food sovereignty.
"We flow with the seasons – wild rice, hunting, maple syrup, fishing and currently gardening."- Leah Savage

Indigenous Foods

What are "Indigenous Foods?"

“When we talk about Indigenous Foods we’re ultimately talking about relationship. We’re talking about the foods that have historically nurtured and shaped our bodies, our cultures, and our traditions as Indigenous Peoples of this land base we know as Turtle Island from our (Anishinaabeg) creation stories. Other tribes have different names for this land base. In turn, the history of each of our Indigenous Foods is also tied to this land, and to us. Our histories are a shared one. This is what makes people, plants, and animals Indigenous to a place—a historical ‘upbringing’ if you will, in a shared space on our Maamaa Aki, Mother Earth.”-Tashia Hart (Red Lake Nation)

​Odatagaagomin – Blackberry

There are over 375 species of blackberry and are indigenous to North America and all over the world depending on the species. There is no fruit plant that is more widespread than the Blackberry.

Nutritional facts: It is considered a “superfood” as they are an excellent source of Vitamin A, B, C, E and K. Minerals include calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. They are also high in fiber and amino acids. They do not contain harmful cholesterol.

Health benefits: Aids in digestive health, strengthens immune defense, heart healthy, prevention of cancers, brain healthy. Also, considered a valuable food source during pregnancy.

Fun fact: The Greeks used the blackberry as a remedy for gout and the Romans made tea from the plant to treat various illnesses.

Wiigwaasi makak – Birchbark basket

​“Birchbark is an important resource for many in the Great Lakes region. Containers of birchbark were (and are) used for cooking, gathering berries, hauling water, storing food, and even burying the dead. It was (and is) also used for dwellings and birchbark canoes.” UMD Tweed Museum of Art Intersecting Ojibwe Art Curriculum.

Anishinaabe-Ojibwe words associated with birchbark:

ode’imini-giizis (na)—June
mitigwaakiing (na)—forest
wiigwaasi-mitig (na)—birch tree
wiigwaas (ni)—birch bark
wanagek (na)—bark of a tree
wiigob (na)—basswood tree
wiigob (ni)—basswood inner bark
maniwiigwaase (vai)—he gathers birch bark
wiigwaasi-makak (ni)—birch bark basket

Ziinzibaakwadwaaboo – Maple sap

Anishinaabe Ojibwe people harvest sugarbush in the early spring to make maple syrup and sugar, which can be used to flavor many foods. Historically and still today, people construct sugar camps to collect and process the maple sap. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup—that depends on how much sugar is in the sap. The hard sugar - Anishinaabe ziinzibaakwad - were/can be packed into shells or birchbark cones where the tops were sewn shut with basswood for storage and/or glass jars.

Health Benefits: Sap from various maple trees has been shown to provide support for osteoporosis, prevent gastric ulcer formation, lower blood pressure, support a healthy immune system and offer dietary antioxidants.

Fun fact: There are at least one hundred species of maple in the world. Fourteen of these are Indigenous to the United States. In Minnesota, the four species used for producing maple syrup are: sugar maple (hard maple); red maple (soft maple); silver maple (soft or cutleaf maple); and boxelder (Manitoba maple).

​Azasawemin(an) – Chokecherries

Chokecherries are a food source for birds, wildlife and Anishinaabeg, Indigenous and all folks. You can make delicious food and beverages from them. Traditional dehydration is to simply place the fruit in full sun, on tightly woven tray type baskets. When the cherries become hard, the fruit is ready to be stored in a dry place. Paper bags work well for storage. Cherries can be refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.

Fun fact: Flour can be made from the dried cherries and it can change every day baked goods into delicacies. Grinding one cup of fruit (pits included) will produce approximately ½ cup of flour (which can vary in consistency from powder to a course meal.)

When to harvest: End of July-August when they appear dark red to purple. Nutrition benefits: Low in fat, saturated fat free, cholesterol free, and sodium free, an excellent source of fiber and vitamin K, and a good source of vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese.

Ogin – Rosehip

The inner part of the wild rose is widely known as a “rosehip.” There are many nutritional and medicinal qualities associated with rosehips. They are considered a superfood as they are nutrient dense and are known to prevent and treat colds and flu. They contain Vitamins A, B Complex, C, E, and K as well as minerals such as calcium, silica, and iron. Just three rosehips can deliver the equivalent amount of Vitamin C of one orange. Rosehips also contain bioflavonoid antioxidants including rutin which helps with strengthening our hearts and blood vessels and prevents degeneration of tissue. The red-hued carotenes including lycopene have been linked to cancer prevention and their natural pectin's benefit digestion and gut health. Gather rosehips in the Fall (be mindful of roadsides, industrial and agricultural areas), pinch off the brown tips to ensure drying process, and dry in a paper bag or basket. Once dried you can store them in a glass jar.

Fun fact: During WII oranges couldn’t be shipped into Britain or Scandinavia. Therefore, 500 tons of rosehips were collected (mostly by children) and made into “National Rose Hips Syrup.”

Wild Rice Berry Salad Recipe

Recipe by Terry Fox, Lac Vieux Desert Tribe
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups – wild rice
4 ½ cups – hot water
2 tbsps – maple syrup
1 quart – fresh strawberries
¼ cup – dried cranberries
1 ¼ cup – fresh blueberries
1 ¼ cup – fresh blackberries
1 ¼ cup – fresh raspberries

Using large sauce pan, combine rice and water – cover with a lid and allow to soak for at least 8 hours. After soaking, uncover and bring rice to a boil after high heat. Once boil starts, turn off heat and remove rice, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain well and add maple syrup and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate mixture until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours. Before serving, rinse strawberries and cut off leaves and stems. Cut strawberries into bite size pieces and place in a separate bowl. Mix in cranberries. Remove rice from refrigerator and gently fold in strawberry mixture until thoroughly combined. Clean remaining berries, cutting any large berries in half, and gently combine in a medium bowl. In a large serving bowl, alternately pour in portions of rice mixture and berry mixture to prevent softer fruit from breaking into smaller pieces. Serve chilled!

​Wiinsiibagoon - Wintergreen Plants

According to the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife (GLIFWC), “Traditionally, the Ojibwe people relied on a host of wild plants for food, medicines and other practical purposes. Many of these plants remain important today.”

​Did you know that Wintergreen is classified as a herb and that the leaf can be used to treat headaches, sciatica, menstrual cramps and it’s also good for digestion and lung conditions? It also can be used as a wash for achy joints and muscles! The leaf contains an aspirin like chemical that might reduce pain, swelling and fever. It is found throughout the Midwest, Newfoundland to Manitoba, and south to Georgia.

Sean Sherman

Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota, born in Pine Ridge, SD, has been cooking across the US and world for the last 30 years. His main culinary focus has been on the revitalization and awareness of Indigenous foods systems in a modern culinary context. Sean has studied on his own extensively to determine the foundations of these food systems which include the knowledge of Native American farming techniques, wild food usage and harvesting, land stewardship, salt and sugar making, hunting and fishing, food preservation, Native American migrational histories, elemental cooking techniques, and Native culture and history in general to gain a full understanding of bringing back a sense of Native American cuisine to today’s world.

​“We are committed to revitalizing Native American cuisine and in the process we are re-identifying North American Cuisine and reclaiming an important culinary culture long buried and often inaccessible.” The Sioux Chef mission statement.

Food Sovereignty at AICHO

​Food Sovereignty work at American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO), in downtown Duluth, started 6 years ago with the rooftop garden. The garden was started to address the lack of access that the AICHO housing families had to healthy foods. Children at the Mino Gimaajii Mino Bimaadizimin housing program have always been a big part of the garden; deciding what to grow, taking care of the garden, and helping make use of the harvest. Over the seasons we’ve doubled our garden space and incorporated more traditional varieties of fruits and vegetables like strawberries, blueberries, corn, squash and beans. From the beginning we’ve grown traditional medicines like sage and sweet grass and continue to learn about and incorporate traditional plants like tobacco, bergamot, wild mint, yarrow, and other plants valued by Indigenous communities. Growing medicines and traditional varieties of vegetables and fruits have helped to deepen the relationship families, children and visitors have with the gardens.

"It’s been amazing to hear the family stories some of our community members share when they see certain plants growing in our gardens. Others are connecting to the gardens as they learn about some of the healthy food traditions of their ancestors for the very first time.” Katie Schmitz, AICHO Children's Program Coordinator.

​Aniibiishaaboo – Wild Teas

Awanook Veronica Kingbird-Bratvold, Red Lake Nation Tribal Member, shared her cultural knowledge about the various Aniibiishaaboo (wild teas) that are grown in this region at the AICHO's Indigenous Foods Expo in 2019. She demonstrated
how to make Indigenous teas and attendees were able to sample her teas. She also discussed traditional protocols and origins of knowledge.
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Veronica grew up in a traditional Ojibwe family that has knowledge of medicines and continued learning from the Anishinaabeg community as an adult. Veronica’s passion is helping her people remember our Anishinaabeg lifeways. Veronica believes through practicing cultural traditions, it will in turn help our people maintain identity and connectedness.

Manoomin – Wild Rice

Manoomin is a healthy Indigenous, sacred, and ancestral food source that has nutritionally, culturally, spiritually and emotionally nourished our Anishinaabeg communities since our migration from the East Coast over a thousand years ago as told in a prophecy that stated to settle in the place “where the food grows on water.”

Fun fact:  It belongs to the grass family - Poaceae and is classified as a cereal and a whole grain. It is a “super food” as it contains a healthy composition of protein, minerals, vitamins, healthy carbohydrates, and a favorable fat content – elements that contribute to human health and growth. It is a low glycemic food, and it can be used in soups, salads, cereals, and can be made into popped rice. Nearly 58,000 Native Americans in Minnesota consume between 155,000 and 563,000 pounds of manoomin each year.

Spirit Lake Native Farms

Bruce Savage (enrolled member of the Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe) and his wife Tawny (enrolled member of Pyramid Lake Paiute) began their family supported business called Spirit Lake Native Farms in 1999 on the southwestern corner of the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Reservation in Sawyer, MN. They are one of very few Indigenous run businesses that specialize in Native wild rice and pure maple syrup production. Their farm is managed by generational food producers and harvesters. They put in 1,500 taps to produce maple syrup at the end of winter and harvests and finishes wild rice in late summer/early Fall. They are active members of the Inter-tribal Agriculture Council whose mission it is “To provide a unified effort to promote change in Indian Agriculture for the benefit of Indian people.”
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“We purchased Spirit Lake Native Farms to show our children the contributions that their ancestors made to the food systems today.” Bruce and Tawny Savage, Owners and Indigenous Food Producers of Spirit Lake Native Farms.
Web design by Moira Villiard.