October 1, 2023

RECAP: Our Roots, Our Hearts: Food and Medicines Gathering

ti st’əxw̌ šədčəɫ, ti sc’aličəɫ

On September 23rd, the Indigenous Leadership Program hosted the online event, Our Roots, Our Hearts: Food and Medicines Gathering, to celebrate the completion of the 2023 Sovereign Futures cohort and create a space to honor our traditional foods and medicines. This event was held to nourish our hearts and spirits as Indigenous peoples by re-imagining and reconnecting with our plant relatives and ancestral roots. With speakers including Monique Gray Smith, Dune Lankard, Rena Priest and our Youth Panel, this event brought us together to share knowledge on traditional foods, wellness, and sovereignty.

“I attended this event to heal, learn, and support food sovereignty. I would absolutely attend a gathering like this again.” – Sylvia Murray

Our Roots, Our Hearts was a fully virtual event that opened with a prayer from community leader Glen Pinkham (Yakama) with introductions by Na’ah Illahee Fund board member Charlotte Coté (Nuu-chah-nulth) and emcee Michael Vendiola (Swinomish/Visayan). With virtual audience members in attendance, our keynote speaker, Monique Gray Smith (Cree/Lakota/Scottish), conducted a moving and enlightening talk around her work as the author of Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults and other stories for young Indigenous readers. Her talk was celebrated with frequent heart emojis from listeners while others connected with each other to share seeds and plant teachings. Her session was followed by Dune Lankard’s (Eyak Athabaskan) talk on bringing Indigenous kelp farmers to the fore of Alaskan aquaculture and Rena Priest’s (Lummi) lunchtime poetry where art, activism, and healing brought the audience together.

“It’s refreshing to see such leadership and picking up a role and recovering from disaster to find a way to food sovereignty.” – Catherine L Pierre

“I absolutely love poetry, but it’s been a while since I’ve heard someone perform their own poetry out loud, it gave me shivers. Some of the poems…even lured out a few tears from my eyes, I don’t know, it felt really powerful.” – Evaluation Review

Young Leaders Paving Their Way in Food Sovereignty

Our virtual day of gathering and celebration was rounded out with a youth panel session uplifting the voices and work of the young people in our community. Panelists included Free Borsey (Lummi), Joelle Jones (Yakama/Umatilla), and NiRae Petty, each being young leaders paving their way in food sovereignty, traditional knowledge, and generational healing. The youth panel, facilitated by Shanoa Pinkham (Yakama/Southern Cheyenne), provided the space for our next generation to express their knowledge and vital work they do within community.

“Each of these young people give me hope for the future. I am grateful to heard from them. I love the directions they are going in their lives!” – Sylvia Murray

Music, Raffles, Speakers, and Camaraderie!

The Our Roots, Our Hearts: Food and Medicines Gathering provided a virtual gathering space where we could exchange knowledge and resources while celebrating our plant relatives and traditional knowledge to express food sovereignty. With music, raffles, speakers, and camaraderie, we at Na’ah Illahee Fund are proud of this gathering and all of those who made it happen. Thank you to all who attended, to our speakers, and to the Indigenous Leadership team for organizing the event, and thank you to our sponsors, Boeing, and the City of Seattle.

It’s Not Too Late!

If you would like to watch the sessions for this event, you can find them on our YouTube channel here. Additionally, please consider supporting the Na’ah Illahee Fund through a donation here.