Food chefs urge people to try during Native American Heritage Month (and beyond)

The United States is known as a great mix of people, food, and culture. In major cities across the country like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, people can find almost any cuisine their heart desires.

However, as Chef Sean Sherman of the Oglala Lakota Tribe told In the past, these cities have had very few – if any – restaurants focusing on the indigenous cuisines of the more than 570 recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives. Each of these tribes has its own distinct food traditions.

like restaurants Watecha Bowl, Tokabe: An American Indian RestaurantAnd ovamani The goal is to change this by reviving or paying homage to age-old techniques and flavors that have been passed down through generations.

“We're all on the same mission of food sovereignty,” Watecha Bowl owner and entrepreneur Lawrence West told CBS News. “And introduced the world to Native American food.”

West is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

“The things I cook and the way I cook are very important because it only represents a certain heritage of people,” he said.

Restaurant options across the country

West's restaurant Watecha Bowl is a fast-food eatery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that serves the food and flavors of the Lakota Nation.

“I have the privilege of feeding people all over the world,” West said. “I've fed people from all 50 states.”

According to the Facebook page, which has 30,000 followers, one of the things his restaurant is doing this year is giving away an Indian taco in exchange for a toy that will be donated to local Native American children in foster care.

Tokabe: An American Indian Restaurant is a fast-casual restaurant that serves its own Native American cuisine in Denver, Colorado. Its goal is to “rebuild the Native American food system.”

Co-founder and president Ben Jacobs tells CBS News he wants to make his cuisine accessible to everyone while providing a place for Native community members to feel at home. He is a tribal member of the Osage Nation of northeastern Oklahoma.

He said he was inspired to open the eatery because when it opened in 2008, local food had no place in the culinary industry. More than 16 years later, Tokabe's food still shares stories of community, culture and identity.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, chef Sean Sherman's restaurant Owammani aims to “decolonize” the dining experience by purchasing ingredients from indigenous food producers that were found in North America before European colonization.

Sherman wrote in a recent blog post on the restaurant's website, “It's unfortunate that this restaurant is unique. Part of the goal is how can we normalize doing things that are healthy and homegrown? We're showing a model that's possible. Is.”

What are the must-try dishes?

According to West, Wojapi must be there. Thick berry sauce is one of the most traditional foods of the American plains. It can be used as a dip, in frybread, on meat or even as is.

Next is the bison, specifically the Chislik, which was invented in South Dakota. The third is wild rice with maple syrup.

Frybread is one of the most popular Native American foods. But West said it was adopted out of necessity when the U.S. government forced assimilation with land grabs and stipulations during the Trail of Tears.

However, Jacobs emphasizes that ingredients like corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and chilies found in local grocery stores originate “right here” in America. They are also native foods. He said he hopes all Americans understand where our food comes from and appreciate the story behind it.

Tacobé Indigenous Market Provides common, or not very common, ingredients, but they are sourced from native producers on tribal lands.

history of food

Native American cuisine is not mainstream for many reasons.

Sherman pointed to the 19th century idea of ​​”manifest destiny” or Faith That America was “destined” by God to expand throughout North America to spread democracy and capitalism.

West and Sherman also pointed to “forced assimilation,” or the U.S. government's objective of forcing Native peoples to adopt the customs, values, and behaviors of the dominant culture. Laws like the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Homestead Act of 1862, the Dawes Act of 1887, and others helped do this.

according to BritannicaThe Trail of Tears refers to the forced relocation of Native people to the Southeastern United States during the 1830s. Tribal military records estimate that approximately 100,000 indigenous people were forcibly removed from their homes.

According to , such policies disrupted Indigenous food systems, leading to food insecurity and poor health outcomes Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

The CBPP said the U.S. has made treaties with tribes since the 1700s, promising to provide rations to the indigenous people, giving them food such as lard, wheat and flour, which were often unhealthy.

as of 2023 US census dataAbout 1.3% of Americans identify as American Indian or Native American.

Jacobs said that after centuries of Native food systems being destroyed by the U.S. government, “we're trying to rebuild.”

“I think we're at the point now that we can control our food again, which means we can control our future,” he said.