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January 20, 2023

Restoring Access to Traditional Foods

Something wonderful is waiting to emerge at Discovery Park in Seattle!

There, members of Na’ah Illahee Fund’s Youth Trails & Restoration Cohort worked last year to clear invasive plants from 20 acres of land and replant with thousands of native plant species, including camas.

Camas were once abundant and essential to our communities—not only in Coast Salish territories, but across the continent. Once, camas prairies rolled as far as the eye could see in parts of western Washington. These great blue camas prairies – and access to most of our Traditional Native foods – were lost to settler Colonialism.

Camas bulbs are a delicious and highly nutritious Traditional food source that are steamed, roasted and dried. Planting camas is an act of faith in the future because it will take several years for the camas bulbs to reach a size suitable for harvesting and then sharing with our elders and community.

Through our work we are restoring camas and other Traditional foods so our Relatives can once again harvest them.

Our Food Sovereignty partners across the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia are planting and nurturing community gardens; sharing knowledge about harvesting and preparing traditional foods; and revitalizing the intergenerational cultural connections food has always provided for Native communities.

They are also reducing the dependency on unhealthy industrial food systems by replacing them with ecologically sound, resilient food systems that will nourish and sustain future generations.

Our Food Sovereignty partners and also all partners working with us are helping to secure a thriving future for Native communities.

Shelly Vendiola

(she/her), Swinomish/Visayan, Community Engagement and Culture Director

Shelly Vendiola, (Swinomish/Visayan) is an enrolled member of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and Visayan. She has served as an educator, facilitator, activist, and peacemaker/mediator for over 30 years. Shelly co-founded the native Community Engagement and Peacemaking Project and offers consultation in the areas of community engagement and facilitation services including: leadership development, strategic planning, organization mapping, dispute resolution, interest-based negotiations and peacemaking circles throughout the country.

Currently she works as a Community Engagement & Culture Director for the Na’ah Illahee Fund, and serves on the board of the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Skagit YMCA. She continues to work in partnership with the Swinomish Department of Environmental Protection, co-chairs the Protect Mother Earth Subcommittee, and is a member of the Swinomish Health, Education and Social Services Committee. Shelly developed a place-based curriculum about the history and culture of the Swinomish peoples and taught a series of cultural sovereignty courses for over 10 years at the Northwest Indian College – Coast Salish Institute within their Native Studies Leadership Program.

Previously her team provided leadership and consultation for the Lummi Cedar Project – Organized Generations Healthy Lifestyles Program. Ms. Vendiola served as President for the national Indigenous Women’s Network and a Campaign Director for the Indigenous Environmental Network. Shelly received several years of formal dispute resolution training from the Indian Dispute Resolution Services, Inc., and the San Francisco Community Boards Program. She is the recipient of the Native Action Network – Enduring Spirit Award, and a recognized educator and peacemaker in the Northwest region. Shelly has an M.Ed. in Higher Education and practices indigenous pedagogy and indigenous research methodology within all aspects of her work.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Shelly is passionate about gardening. She practices the ancient form of meditation known as Qi Gong for balance, energy, and resiliency, and is a certified Yoga instructor. Her motto is, “There is nothing permanent in the world but change, the key is how we flow with it!”