| Unit | Title | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “The Economic Outcomes of Indigenous Food Sovereignty” | A-dae Romero-Briones |
| 2 | “Food Sovereignty Case Studies conducted by National Congress of American Indians” | Sadie Red Eagle, Taylor Thompson, and Jann Hayman |
| 3 | “Ensuring Food Sovereignty Futurisms with Youth Centered Heartwork” | Electa Hare-Redcorn |
| 4 | “Osage Community Supported Agriculture (OCSA) Research Study” | Tonya Wapskineh |
| 5 | “Urban Indigenous Food Sovereignty: Perspectives from a Baltimore Community” | Tara Maudrie |
| 6 | “American Indian Resource Center: Implementing Culture and Health Programs for Cherokee Youth” | Melissa Lewis and Pam Iron |
| 7 | “The Economic Outcomes of Indigenous Food Sovereignty” | Austin Henderson |
| 8 | “Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity” | Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan |
| 9 | “Looking Towards the Future of the Food Sovereignty Movement” | Gary Ferguson |
Webinar Unit 1
“The Economic Outcomes of Indigenous Food Sovereignty”
A-dae Romero-Briones
Examining what existing food systems look like at a community level and considering the elements from an Indigenous perspective can illuminate the path toward individual and tribal self-efficacy when it comes to the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food. In this Keynote address, A-dae Romero-Briones takes a multi-layer approach to exploring how food sovereignty initiatives can improve health for tribal communities.
A-dae Romero-Briones, LL.M., JD
Cochiti/Kiowa
A-dae became Director of Programs – Native Agriculture and Food Systems in 2017, after first joining First Nations as Associate Director of Research and Policy for Native Agriculture. She formerly was the Director of Community Development for Pūlama Lāna‘i in Hawaii, and is also the co-founder and former Executive Director of a nonprofit organization in Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico. A-dae worked for the University of Arkansas School of Law Indigenous Food and Agricultural Initiative while earning her LL.M. degree in Food and Agricultural Law. Her thesis was on the Food Safety Modernization Act as it applied to the federal-tribal relationship. She wrote extensively about food safety, the Produce Safety rule and tribes, and the protection of tribal traditional foods. A U.S. Fulbright Scholar, A-dae received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from Princeton University, and received a Law Doctorate from Arizona State University’s College of Law, in addition to her LL.M. degree in Food and Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas.
Webinar Unit 2
“Food Sovereignty Case Studies conducted by National Congress of American Indians”
Sadie Red Eagle, Taylor Thompson, and Jann Hayman
Sadie Red Eagle hosts this panel, which focuses on two examples of tribes successfully implementing food sovereignty initiatives that have been highlighted in the case studies published by National Congress of American Indians. She talks with Taylor Thompson of the Yurok Tribe Food Sovereignty Program and Jann Hayman who represents Osage Nation.
Taylor Thompson gives an overview of the vision, development, and programmatic details of the Yurok Food Sovereignty Program. They will touch on Indigenous agriculture and land management methods incorporated into their Food Village model, educational opportunities offered for youth and community members, as well as how the tribe has successfully partnered with universities on formal research studies.
The Osage Nation, located in northeast Oklahoma, has prioritized food sovereignty and food security through the development of infrastructure to directly address breakdowns in food supply chains. Through developing the Harvest Land and Butcher House Meats facilities, the Osage Nation have taken an active role in ensuring the nutritional needs of their people are met. This presentation elaborates on those efforts for the benefit of the Osage people and the greater Indigenous community.
Sadie Red Eagle
Otoe-Missouria/Ponca/Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota
Sadie is a graduate of Dartmouth College, where she double-majored in Government and Native American Studies and minored in Sociology. She has developed passions for advancing tribal governance, exploring the intersectionality of Public Interest and Federal Indian law, and cultivating herself into a better tribal advocate. Sadie currently works as a Policy and Research Specialist at the National Congress of American Indians, focusing on Environmental Protection, Agriculture, Climate Change, and Natural Resources related issues.
Sadie is an enrolled member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians and a descendant of the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Fort Peck Assiniboine, and Carry the Kettle Nakoda First Nation.
Taylor Thompson
Cherokee
Taylor Thompson (they/them) is a two-spirit Cherokee Nation citizen, currently residing on Wiyot ancestral lands in Northern California. In addition to an academic background of a B.S. in Biology and a B.S. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Taylor has a broad scope of experience in the environmental field, from wildlife rehabilitation to invasive weeds mitigation. Taylor has been serving as the Yurok Tribe Environmental Program (YTEP) Food Sovereignty Division Manager since August 2020 and has been enjoying learning how to best support existing traditional food systems while assisting in the creation of fruit and vegetable growth within the Yurok Indian Reservation and surrounding areas. Outside of work, Taylor can often be found running in the nearby redwood forests, marshlands, and beaches, or on a gentle walk around the neighborhood with their elderly dog, Da-Wo-Li.
Jann Hayman, PhD
Osage
Jann Hayman is a citizen of the Osage Nation. She began working with the Osage Nation in 2006 as a Natural Resource Specialist and then was promoted to Director in 2012. During her time with the Osage Nation, she has worked with a multitude of federal and state agencies to implement wildlife, oil and gas, and other environmental and natural resources programs. Recently, Jann has worked extensively on creating food sovereignty initiatives for the Osage Nation. Jann received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education with a minor in Animal Science and a Masters of Agriculture in Agriculture, both from Oklahoma State University. More recently, she also obtained a Doctor of Education from Kansas State University, where her research interests are related to the development and implementation of Native nation agriculture and agricultural education programs. She and her husband Brad “Turnip” have two children and reside in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
Webinar Unit 3
“Ensuring Food Sovereignty Futurisms with Youth Centered Heartwork”
Electa Hare-Redcorn
This presentation is a fusion of professional development for community health leaders through a lens of cultural restoration and Traditional Ecological Knowledge across the lifespan. “Heartwork” is a term coined by Dr. RobinStarr Zapetahholah Minthorn, Kiowa, an alumni of Oklahoma State and Professor of Indigenous Research Methodologies at University of Washington.
Heartwork has been defined as “Heart work is the work that we, Indigenous scholars, do on behalf and with our communities not expecting or wanting any payback or rewards. It is selfless and passionate to help benefit those whom we hold close to our hearts.” (Minthorn, 2018) and in general it has been defined as “Heartwork is your purpose combined with passion; it is taking whatever your heart has been charged with and committing to do the work necessary to honor your spirit” (Winder, 2021).
Electa Redcorn
Electa is a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and a descendant of the Ihanktonwan Dakota tribal communities. From her ancestors, she has been gifted with an awareness of social justice issues. Electa’s occupations as a public health community liaison and as a youth advisor have blessed her with a keen sense of humanitarian strength in adverse conditions. She has a heart to cultivate beautiful, strong leaders who are as eager to pull roots in the garden bed as they are to deliver a harvest of health policies. Her goal is to bring their collective knowledge forth as they embrace their history and heritage.
Webinar Unit 4
“Osage Community Supported Agriculture (OCSA) Research Study”
Tonya Wapskineh
Indigenous communities experience significant rates of food insecurity, which is associated with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Food sovereignty is a concept that can be described as a community’s access to and control over their own food system. This presentation provides an overview of food sovereignty and the Osage Community Supported Agriculture Study that is funded by NIH and implemented by the OSU Center for Indigenous Health Research & Policy research team.
Tonya Wapskineh, MPH
Cherokee, Prairie Band Potawatomi
Tonya is a Senior Research Director for the Center of Indigenous Health Research and Policy at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. Ms. Wapskineh aims to implement innovative research studies to improve food environments within Indigenous populations.
Ms. Wapskineh received her Masters of Public Health in Health Promotion in 2004 from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and her B.S. in Health Promotion Sciences from Oklahoma State University in 1999. She has worked in Tribal health and national Native health settings for over 20 years to promote disease prevention, with a primary focus on diabetes prevention. During this time, she served as a project manager for a research study/initiative for 16 years with Cherokee Nation. Her educational foundation and experience in Indigenous health drives her passion to help reduce health disparities within Indigenous communities.
Webinar Unit 5
“Urban Indigenous Food Sovereignty: Perspectives from a Baltimore Community”
Tara Maudrie
Through a case example of the Baltimore Native community, we explore the interconnectedness of food security and food sovereignty for urban Native communities.