In a country and culture where so many things have been stripped away from Indigenous Americans including identity, language, customs, and food-ways, we celebrate those who are reawakening traditions, preserving their heritage, and creating new rituals through food and community.

This Thanksgiving season, join MOFAD and The Greene Space for a celebration of Native food culture. We’ll learn to make recipes using traditional heirloom ingredients and hear from Indigenous chefs and community leaders who are using food to reclaim their heritage and teach others about sovereignty, food justice, and deep ancestral healing.

In a virtual cooking demo with Chef Crystal Wahpepah, Ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk, and Sovereign EarthWorks founders David Rico and Reignbeaux Cuahuitl, you’ll learn how to make a three-course meal:

• Indigenous Pre-Columbian Cornbread

• Wild Rice with Turkey, Mushrooms, and Nettles

• Blue Corn Squash Upside Down Cake with Berries

LINDA BLACK ELK

Linda Black Elk is an ethnobotanist and food sovereignty activist specializing in building relationship with plants. Linda works to build an understanding of the uses of plants as food, medicine, and materials, and she conducts research in to the ways these plants improve the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of Indigenous peoples. Linda currently works as the Food Sovereignty Skills Instructor at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota, and spends her time standing up for Indigenous peoples and our Mother Earth for the sake of her three Lakota sons. 

REIGNBEAUX CUAHUITL

Reignbeaux (pronouns they/them/elle) is an Aniyvwiya/Zapoteca/Otomi Two-Spirit food sovereignty advocate and founder of Sovereign EarthWorks, a Black/Indigneous collective working towards food sovereignty, land liberation and healing for other QTBIPOC on unceded Piscataway land colonially known as DC. They use food and farming as a way of continuing their ancestral legacy of land stewardship. 

They have worked in the food sovereignty movement their entire life as an advocate, farmer, herbalist, troublemaker, and truthseeker, centering their ancestral ways of being.

DAVID RICO

David Rico's pronouns are he/him/his. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation through his mother, and Indigenous Mexican on his father’s side.  Rico's Indigenous ancestors are native to the contemporary American South and Northern Mexico, thus his blood is rooted on both sides of the newfound American border. 

He studied the History of Science and Public Health at Yale University and then graduated to become a line cook for Jose Andres.  For the past year he's been working as an urban farmer for Sovereign EarthWorks in Washington DC.

CRYSTAL WAHPEPAH

Crystal Wahpepah is the​ ​first​ ​Native​ ​American​ ​Indigenous ​​Chef​ ​to​ ​be​ ​featured​ ​on​ ​Food​ ​Network's​ ​Chopped.

Chef Wahpepah grew up in​ ​Oakland, CA​ ​in​ ​the​ ​urban​ ​Native American​ ​community and was​ ​raised​ ​with​ ​fellow​ ​Native​ ​American​ ​people​ ​from ​​different​ ​tribes​​. ​ A member of the ​​​Kickapoo​​ ​tribe​ ​from Oklahoma, ​she grew up ​learning how​ ​to​ ​cook​ ​many​​ styles​ ​of​ ​Native​ cuisine ​and​ ​understands how Indigenous foods brings​ ​community together​.

Chef Wahpepah ​successfully​ ​completed​ ​the​ ​Bread​ ​Project ​​program​ ​in​ ​Oakland​ ​and​ ​attended ​La​ ​Cocina​ ​in San​ ​Francisco.

​She ​received​ ​the​ ​Indigenous​ ​Artist​ ​and​ ​Activist​​ Award​​, ​and​ ​was inducted​ ​into​ ​the​ ​Native​ ​American​ ​Almanac​ ​as ​​the​ ​first​ ​Native​ ​American​ ​Woman Entrepreneur​ ​Catering​ ​Business​ in Oakland, CA.

Her dream is to make her children, Native community, and family proud by continuing to work in the Indigenous Food Movement and to show people how healthy and beautiful Native foods are.

INTERTRIBAL AGRICULTURE COUNCIL

The Intertribal Agriculture Council was founded in 1987 to pursue and promote the conservation, development and use of our agricultural resources for the betterment of our people.

IAC has grown to prominence in Indian Country and among the federal government agencies and the agricultural field with which it works on behalf of individual Indian producers and Tribal enterprises. The IAC has, over the last three decades, become recognized as the most respected voice within the Indian community and government circles on agricultural policies and programs in Indian country.

8TH NATION

8th Nation has been elevating underrepresented voices with curated events in NYC and beyond for over a decade. Mainly focusing on food justice issues and inclusivity in the business world has led to an incredible array of unique opportunities from running a weekend-long hackathon with This American Life to pivoting an entire in-person conference featuring Bill Mckibben to Zoom during COVID. 8th Nation is always seeking new challenges and new ways to express their passion by bringing people together to freely express and share ideas.

THE GREENE SPACE

The Greene Space channels the collective genius of New York City to create forward-looking live art, theater and journalism that sparks change. WNYC Terms of Use.

CABOT CREAMERY

The farm families that own Cabot Creamery Co-operative love what they do. And they’ve been doing it for a long time—every single day since 1919. Now 100 years later, we’re proud of our thriving farms, strong communities, and happy, healthy cows that produce the rich, buttery milk that we use to make Cabot’s award-winning cheese and dairy products. 

THE FEDERATION OF SOUTHERN COOPERATIVES/LAND ASSISTANCE FUND

The Federation is a non-profit cooperative association of black farmers, landowners, and cooperatives. We are organized by state associations with field offices serving a primary membership base in the Southern States. The majority of our farmers, landowners, cooperatives, and credit unions are in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana.