porwvn, hompetvn pom vhesaketv tos

PORWVN, HOMPETVN POM VHESAKETV TOS
OUR SEEDS. OUR FOOD. OUR SURVIVAL.
2nd Annual
Food Sovereignty
Symposium
February 12th & 13th 2010
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative
Welcome
Greetings from t h e M F S I s t a f f ! We a re h a p py to h ave yo u v i s i t o u r co m munit y and
share in this g at h e r i n g. We h ave s e l e c te d s o m e o f t h e m o s t i n s p i r i n g a nd interesting speakers th at we e n co u nte re d d u r i n g o u r t rave l s t h i s ye a r a n d h ave brought
them together to ex p l o re t h e co m p l ex i t i e s o f t h e fo o d s ys te m i n re l at i o nship to the
challenges of c l i m ate c h a n g e. We h o p e t h at e ve r yo n e w i l l l e a r n f ro m t he exper iences and conve r s at i o n s o f t h e s e t wo d ays, g a i n i n g i n s p i rat i o n a n d k n owledge that
can be applied i n yo u r co m m u n i t i e s a n d d a i l y l i ve s. We a re ve r y p ro u d to host this
symposium an d ex te n d a h e a r t fe lt M V TO ( t h a n k s ) to a l l w h o h ave h e l p e d make it
happen and to a l l o f o u r g u e s t s fo r t a k i n g t h e t i m e to j o i n u s.
Mvskoke Fo o d S overeig nty In itiative
Por w v n , Homp e t v n , Pom Vhes ake t v To s
(O u r S eed s , O u r Fo o d , O u r Su r v ival )
2 0 1 0 Fo o d S ove re ig nt y Symp osiu m
Februar y 1 2 and 1 3 , 2 01 0 • Mu s co gee Nation , Oklahoma
Friday
9:00 Welcomes B e n Ya h o l a a n d Vi c k y K a r h u, M F S I
Chief Ellis, S e co n d C h i e f B e r r y h i l l, S p e a k e r B a r n e t t, M u s co g e e N at i on
9:15 Traditiona l We l co m e M vs k o k e E l d e r
9:30 Climate C h a n g e Fa c t s D r. D o n Wu e b b l e s, U n i ve r s i t y o f I l l i n o i s
10:15 B reak
10:30 Agr icultu re S o l u t i o n s to C l i m ate C h a n g e B r u ce Ed wa rd s, U r b a n H ar vest in Ok lahoma Ci t y
11:15 S outheaste r n I n d i g e n o u s Agr i c u l t u re a n d Fo o d H i s to r y Ste ve n B o n d, Chick asaw Nation Eth n o - b o t a n i s t
NoonB reak for l u n c h
1:00 Economics o f S u s t a i n a b l e Agr i c u l t u re K e n M e te r, Cro s s ro a d s R e s o u rce Center, M inneapo l i s, M N
1:45 Far m to S c h o o l a n d D e m a n d fo r Lo c a l Fo o d s i n O K C h r i s K i r by, O k l ahoma D e par tment o f Fo o d Fo re s t r y a n d Agr i c u l t u re
2:15 Wilson Co m m u n i t y Fo o d Pro j e c t B a r to n Wi l l i a m s, Fa r m e r
2:30 Eufaula Co m m u n i t y Fo o d Pro j e c t B u d M c Co m b s, G a rd e n e r, H u nte r, Fisher man
2:45 Break
3:00 Organic Fa r m a n d Tra d i t i o n a l S e e d S av i n g Pro j e c t S a l l y Au g e r & D i ane Wilson, Dream of Wi l d H e a l t h , M i n n e a p o l i s, M N
3:45 Shor t Film T B A
4:00 Traditiona l M e s s a g e M vs k o k e E l d e r
S aturday
9:00 Welcome
9:15 Successfu l S m a l l O k l a h o m a Fa r m E m i l y O a k l e y a n d M i k e Ap p e l, Th ree Spr ings Organic Fa r m , J ay, O K
10:00 O K Far mer s a n d R a n c h e r s As s o c i at i o n M i k e O a k l e y a n d Fra n k B u t l e r, R anchers
10:30 I ndigenou s Pe r m a c u l t u re G u i l l e r m o Va s q u e z , M aya n Fa r m e r, S a n Francisco, C A
11:15 B uffalo an d G ra s s fe d Cat t l e R u p e r t N ow l i n , Ara p a h o R a n c h e r ; Co l o ny, OK
NoonT raditiona l M e a l Fo o d s d e s c r i p t i o n by C h u m o n a D e e re, M vs k o k e Traditional Cook
1:30 Cook ing M vs k o k e Fo o d s M e l i s s a H a r j o - M o f fe r, M vs k o k e Fa r m e r a n d Traditional Cook
2:00 Traditiona l Fa r m i n g a n d Pe r m a c u l t u re C l ay to n B ra s co u p e, O rg a n i c Far mer, Tes
uque Pueb l o, N e w M ex i co a n d D i re c to r Tra d i t i o n a l N at i ve Am e r i c a n Far mers
Associatio n .
2:30 Pawnee Co r n R e s to rat i o n Proj e c t D e b Ec h o h aw k , Paw n e e K e e p e r o f the S eeds
3:00 I nfo R esou rce s Te re s a M a u re r, AT T R A a n d Al a n Wa re, O K Ag M e d i at i on Program
3:15 Break
3:30 Communic at i n g E nv i ro n m e nt i n M vs k o k e Co u nt r y J a m e s Tre at, M vs koke wr iter
4:00 Youth mes s a g e f ro m Sy m p o s i u m Yo u t h Tra c t Yo u t h R e p re s e nt at i ve TBA
4:30 Closing M e s s a g e Pa s c u a l Ya xo n , M aya n E l d e r, I n d i g e n o u s Pe r m a c u l ture Projec t
5:00 Dismiss
M V TO and SAFE TR AVELS!
YO U T H AG E N DA DAY 1
YO U T H AG E N DA DAY 2
The Open M i c a n d t h e S ava g e Fa m i l y Co n ce r t a re F REE and
Open to th e Pu b l i c ! B o t h o f t h e s e e ve nt s w i l l b e d r ug and
alcohol fre e.
Ab out the S p e a ke r s
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Principal Chief A.D. Ellis
A.D. Ellis was elected as the
Principal Chief of the Muscogee
(Creek) Nation to a second four-year
term on November 3, 2007. He
served as Second Chief from
January 2000 to December 31,
2004. Prior to that, he served four
consecutive two-year terms as a
National Council Representative fro
m the Okmulgee District.
August 2007, he was appointed to
serve a three-year term on the Oklahoma Indian Affairs
Commission by Governor Brad Henry. Another special
recognition he received was a personal invitation from
President George W. Bush, to visit the White House, for a
second time.
Chief Ellis was born in Pawnee, Oklahoma to
Doolie Ellis and Nellie Bruner Ellis of Concharty, Twin
Hills Community. He graduated from Twin Hills in 1953,
then attended Tulsa Business College, later enlisted
in the United States Air Force and then the Oklahoma
National Guard. He retired from the International Teamsters Union in 1989 with thirty-five (35) years of service.
He married the former Gail Billings of Morris, Oklahoma. He and his family reside at this lifelong
home on his mother’s original allotment on Bixby Road.
He and Gail have five (5) daughters and five (5) sons
residing throughout the United States.
The Principal Chief Ellis is of the Turtle Clan, his
tribal town is Locvpoka, and his church is Concharty
Indian Methodist Church.
Second Chief Alfred Berryhill
Alfred L. Berryhill is the current
Second Chief of the Muscogee Nation. Mr. Berryhill has a
son Gregory, daughter-in-law
Sherry, and two grandsons,
Kenneth and Nicholas. His
parents were the late Togo M.
Berryhill and Lilly Belle Starr.
Mr. Berryhill resides in Okmulgee County.
The Second Chief is also a
Decon/ Exhorter, at the Tallahassee Indian Methodist
Church, the church his dad once Pastored. Also the
Second Chief belongs to the Alligator Clan and his tribal
town is Arbeka. Second Chief Berryhill’s father was of
the deer clan.
The Second Chief has served as the Administrative Inter (Economic Development) Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Washington D.C.; Member of the Board of
Trustees, Tallahassee Church, Assistant Treasurer, Tallahassee Church; Member of Diabetes Advisory Board;
Secretary and Co-founder of Bearers of the Cross, Inc.;
and the former Administrative Assistant, Okmulgee
Indian Health Center.
The Second Chief speaks, reads, writes, and sings
in Mvskoke. The Second Chief is a graduate of Sequoyah
High School and Haskell Institute. He also attended
Oklahoma State University, majoring in Business Administration.
Donald Wuebbles
Donald J. Wuebbles is a
Professor in the Department
of Atmospheric Sciences as
well as in the Department
of Electrical and Computer
Engineering at the University
of Illinois.
Professor Wuebbles has
been a lead author on a number of national and international assessments related to concerns about str
atospheric ozone (including the recently WMO
published Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion:
2006) and about climate change.
He, along with many others, shares in the 2007
Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
As a lead author on the first and second
international assessments of climate change sponsored by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), Professor Wuebbles co-authored development of the Global Warming Potentials concept being used in policy considerations on greenhouse gases
and their potential effects on climate.
Deb Echohawk Pawnee
enrolled, Otoe descent. Present Executive Director of the
Pani Arts Association
Accomplishments:
Acting Director of Admissions
for Pawnee Nation College
Education & Training
Director, Pawnee Nation of
Oklahoma, Pawnee,
Oklahoma ANA Language
Director Ah-ke-ta-ru Literacy
Director, Office of Juvenile Affairs, Oklahoma Project
Coordinator, I Have a Dream ®
FoundationBoulder County-Lafayette Class Director,
Denver Public Schools Project for Indian Education Title
V & Title IX (K-12)
Echohawk and a body of Pawnee elders known
as the Culture Committee launched the Pawnee Seeds
Project in 1997. Today they are successfully raising their
traditional corn on donated fertile river-bottom land
located in the tribal homelands in present-day Nebraska.
Ab out the S p e a ke r s
Guillermo Vasquez
Guillermo is of Mayan
descent and grew up in
Central America. He made
his way north and studied
agroecology at the University of
California at Santa Cruz.
In 2002, Guillermo founded the Indigenous
Permaculture Project. The group conducts
permaculture classes for people in San Francisco. And
they also have helped to establish and expand gardens
in indigenous communities in South Dakota, El Salvador and New Mexico.
Diane Wilson
Sally Auger, Executive Director,
and Diane Wilson,
Operations Director, of Dream
of Wild Health, a Native owned
10-acre farm in Hugo, Minnesota growing ancient seeds
saved for generations by Native Americans. Some of these
seeds are 800 to 2000 years old, and they contain
within them the key to a healthy future. Sally Auger,
Executive Director, began this project when she realized that the decline of nutritional health in Native
cultures could be counteracted by the reintroduction
of traditional foods into their diet. Paul Red Elk joined
her efforts a year later as the program director. In order
to implement the goals of Dream of Wild Health, Sally
and Paul decided to grow the seeds of plants that used
to be the basis of Native diets.
FA since 1994. He farms with his family at Pueblo of
Tesuque, New Mexico. The Four Sister’s Farm is a family
scale, sustainable, agricultural enterprise. James TreatJames Treat teaches courses
on indigenous religious and ecological traditions and on the role of nature
in contemporary criticism. His research
and writing focus on American Indian
environmental issues, especially in the
context of global climate change. He is
a free-lance writer published in various
national magazines and writes a regular
column for the Muscogee Nation News.
Ken Meter, president of Crossroads Resource Center in
Minneapolis, has over 32 years
experience working in community
self-determination efforts. His
groundbreaking study, “Finding
Food in Farm Country,” documented economic losses suffered in the
farm and food economy of seven
counties in Southeast Minnesota.
Recently, Meter wrote a media
guide covering the national emergence of community-based food systems for the W. K.
Kellogg Foundation. An adviser to Land Stewardship
Project and the Minnesota Project, Meter also serves
as evaluation consultant to a variety of organizations,
including the Northwest Area Foundation’s urban and
rural initiatives. He also is an economics instructor at
the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. As a journalist, Meter covered the farm credit crisis
of the 1980s and international trade issues, filing firsthand reports from 11 foreign nations.
Clayton Brascoupe
Clayton Brascoupe of the
Bear Clan Mohawk and Tesuque Pueblo is a life long
farmer, artist, and founding
member of the Traditional
Native American Farmers Association and Traditional Bow
Makers Society. He has been the
Program Director for the TNA-
Emily Oakley and Michael Appel
Three Springs Farm is
owned and operated by
Emily Oakley and Michael
Appel. Emily was born
and raised in Tulsa, and
Mike is originally from
Long Island, New York. We have traveled to the
Middle East, East and West Africa, South Asia, and Latin
America to study sustainable agricultural systems. We
have worked with community gardens in Providence,
Rhode Island and apprenticed on organic farms in
California for three years. In September 2003, we
moved back to Oklahoma to start a small-scale diverse
vegetable farm. Emily is interested in seed saving and
the role of women in farming, and Mike is passionate
about the social issues surrounding our food system.
Bruce Edwards
Bruce Edwards, renowned for his
work with Urban Harvest, has
been a pioneer in the modern
organic agriculture movement.
Bruce has
successfully developed worm
composting, soil restoration,
aquaculture, organic gardening
and permaculture as sustainable living models .
Ab o ut the Sp e a ke r s
Rupert Nowlin
Rupert Nowlin was raised on a
small farm in southwestern Oklahoma and has been in the cattle
business for many years.
Starting as a ranch-hand, as an alley foreman and commission man
for a livestock marketing company at the Oklahoma National
Stockyards in Oklahoma City, as
the Manager of an Organic Ranch
in southwestern England, more
recently as the Natural Resources Manager in charge of
the Farm/Ranch and Buffalo programs for the
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. He has a Bachelor’s
Degree in Biology and Mathematics with a Minor in
Wildland Fire Management. He is currently enrolled in
a Master’s Degree program at Southwestern Oklahoma
State University.
developing the Ecological Resources and Sustainability
program that fuses traditional ecological knowledge
and modern practices both in agriculture and
sustainable landscaping. This program will facilitate
education and outreach initiatives at the upcoming
Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, Oklahoma and
will extend our Holisso message into the 109 acre
campus all native landscape that abuts the Chickasaw
National Recreation Center.
Chris Kirby
Chris Kirby is the Farm-to-School
Program coordinator for
Oklahoma Department of Food,
Forestry and Agriculture. Chris
works with farmers and ranchers
to match their production with
the needs and demands of school
districts across Oklahoma. She
has built one of the most successful Farm-to-Schoo programs in the
United States.
Steven Bond
As Ecological Resources
Manager and tribal Ethnobotanist of the Chickasaw
Nation I assist in the “passing”
of knowledge from our Elders
to our citizens. Currently, I am
Yo u t h P r e s e n t e r s
indigenous communities.
Robert Chanate
My name is Robert Chanate
and I am a member of the
Kiowa Nation. I am a volunteer member of ITRC and
an advisory board member
of the Indigenous People’s
Power Project.
Indigenous Training and
Resource Council (ITRC)
The Indigenous Training
Resource Council provides action based training resources
for indigenous peoples and
Lilian Hill, Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Project
Director, Hopi. Lilian
is from the village of
Kykotsmovi. She is a
member of the Tobacco
(Pipwungwa) clan and
is the Project Director
of Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture. Lilian is the
founder of the Black
Mesa Water Coalition; a youth-led organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the sustainability
of Mother Earth- her plants, animals and all living beings. She has studied at the North American School of
Natural Building and has studied Applied Indigenous
Studies at Northern Arizona University, focusing on Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Lilian is a skilled Natural
Builder with expertise in Climate Responsive Building
and Passive Solar Design with experience in building
with natural materials such as Adobe, Cob, Strawbale
and Earthen Plasters. In additon Lilian is a Permaculture
Design Consultant who works within Indigenous Communities in the United States and Latin America.
Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture is a community group
based within the Village of Kykotsmovi, which is located in Northern Arizona on the Hopi Reservation.
Our vision is to strengthen food security while creating
opportunities for local Indigenous youth and community members to participate in the continuation of
Hopi life ways through the continued intergenerational
practices of traditional Hopi farming and gardening
as well as applying applicable Permaculture principles
and techniques. We organize with parents, elders, farmers, youth, as well as traditional village leaders, school
administrators, and tribal programs within our communities and work in collaboration with many groups
within the bioregion of Northern Arizona to advocate
for social change in relation to food security, community economic development, alternative
energy, energy conservation, and to help create pro-
Yo u t h P r e s e n t e r s
active solutions to impending shifts associated with
global climate change. Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture
helps to initiate learning projects and hosts workshops
that will keep engaging, training, and inspiring Hopi
youth and community members to develop skills and
capacity in building sustainable communities. Hopi
Tutskwa Permaculture has four program areas: Youth in
Sustainability Leadership Project, Kwang’wa Tsoki Orchard Restoration Project, Living Learning Center, and
the Seed Sovereignty Alliance Initiative.
The Native Youth Leadership Alliance supports Tribal
College students, young Native leaders closely woven
into the fabric of their communities. NYLA utilizes a
grassroots approach that empowers young leaders to
vision, build capacity, expand networks and mobilize
their communities to address root sources of inequality. The core areas of NYLA’s approach are culturally-based
principles of indigenous leadership, intergenerational
relationships, holistic well-being, reciprocity, network
and skill building and collaborative partnerships. NYLA launched in 2009, and is made up of a network of 20 young leaders from Dine College (Arizona),
Oglala Lakota College (South Dakota), Haskell Indian
Nations University (Kansas), Institute of American Indian Arts (New Mexico), College of the Menominee Nation (Wisconsin), Salish Kootenai College (Washington),
Blackfeet Community College (Montana) and Comanche Nation College (Oklahoma).
Sophia Kizilbash is a cofounder and program manager
for NYLA.
Terra Harvey is a Deschinii
(Start of the Red streak People
Clan) born for Tobahaa (Waters Edge People Clan). A full
time student, mother, and
wife, she attends Dine College and is working towards
two degrees; A.A. Business
Administration and A.A.S.
Business Management to be
completed in 2010. Terra is
originally from Navajo Station,
AZ but now lives in Lukachukai, AZ with her husband and
his family. She is the eldest of 9 children.
Terra is deeply committed to her role as a student
leader at Dine College, and her part in creating positive
change in her campus and community. She is active in
the student government at Dine College, and currently
serves as an Associated Student of Dine College Senator and as President of the American Indian Business
Leaders Chapter.
Terra is also developing her leadership outside
of her local community as a founding fellow of the Native Youth Leadership Alliance—connecting and supporting young Native leaders committed to transformative change in their communities. Equipped with these
leadership roles, Terra is experiencing the hard work
and sacrifice required to be a leader for her commu-
nity. She is learning to lead by example, and to awaken
other young people in her community to be motivated
for positive change.
Maya Torralba is
deeply rooted in the
vitality of southwest
Oklahoma. An enrolled member of the
Kiowa Tribe and resident of Anadarko, she
is the granddaughter
of the late John and
Agatha Paddlety Bates
and the late Jesse Torralba and Geraldine Davilla Torralba.
Maya is hoping to serve her community as a State
House Representative for District 56 and is currently
campaigning for the November 2010 election. As a
candidate, Maya wants to emphasize three principles
that would make southwest Oklahoma an even better
place to live: 1) A better and safer quality of life for all
families; 2) a rebirth of the lost economic resource of
tourism; and 3) better state-tribal relations. She also
hopes to work collaboratively with diverse tribes to
promote a safe, sustainable, and beautiful Oklahoma.
Maya’s work with the youth of Anadarko began
as a tutor at East Elementary School with the Anadarko
Indian Education Program. In 2008, she founded the
Anadarko Community Esteem Project as a way to empower the teenage girls in the community and increase
youth involvement with both Native culture and community awareness. She is also one of the co-hosts of
the KACO-FM Saturday morning program “Indians for
Indians,” and portrayed the role of Kiowa artist Lois
Smoky in Jacobson House:1939 for the Jacobson House
Native Art Center in Norman, Oklahoma. In October,
Maya enjoys dancing with her relatives and honoring
America’s veterans at the annual Kiowa Black Leggings
Ceremonial. Maya is deeply committed to family. She is a
mother of three children: her son Chado, age seven,
and a twin daughter and son, Kateri and Matthias, age
five. She is married to Brian Daffron, a professor at Comanche Nation College. She is also a founding member
of the Native Youth Leadership Alliance.
Steven Pahe is a member of the San Carlos
Apache Tribe located
in southeastern Arizona. He is 3/4 Western
Apache and 1/4 Dine,
and blessed to be born
into two strong tribes
in the Southwest. Steven is an American
Indian Studies major at
Haskell Indian Nations
University, and has
taken the semester off
Yo u t h P r e s e n t e r s
to begin some youth programs back in his community. Steven sees himself as a warrior against the disease
of alcoholism and is committed to being a strong role
model for young Native men. He hopes to be a history
teacher in his community, and to help lead a movement to re-root his culture in his traditional ways. He
is also a founding member of the Native Youth Leadership Alliance.
Savage Family is not
only a hip hop group.
They utilize
contemporary music,
spoken word,
motivational speaking,
critical thinking, and
storytelling in and outside of Native communities to offer insight and
understanding into the
historical accounts and
traditional values/beliefs
of Native Peoples. Savage Family has become known
for innovative style of counseling and interactive
approach to finding solutions to existing issues in Native and non Native communities alike. Savage Family
has and continues to work and have a lasting relationship with Tribes and communities.
Savage Family is well known for their music as
well as for the work towards and for social justice that
they have done with Indigenous peoples and communities throughout the United States. Their utilization
of traditional wisdom, historical references, and critical analysis of contemporary issues facing Indigenous
communities along with their lyrical and musical
capabilities has allowed them to become a voice for an
often overlooked population of people within the Un
ited States. Their lyricism, commitment, and ability
to speak the truth about social justice as well as their
willingness to confront social injustices has allowed for
them to become respected by many peoples. Savage
Family is a group that is unique in their approach,
belief, and value system when it comes to music and
social justice. They utilize the traditional wisdoms,
teachings, and understandings of their ancestors to
offer a message of hope and promise for Indigenous
peoples in their struggle against colonization and oppression. It is not only their insurmountable knowledge
of these subjects that make them so significant to Indigenous and non Indigenous communities alike, but it
is also their ability to truly connect with the people that
they work with and for, that makes Savage Family special. Savage Family is comprised of Indigenous peoples
from a number of tribes throughout the united states.
Savage Family considers themselves and walks
the people, the unwanted, the ignored, the marginalized and the forgotten. We do not assume that one is
any better than another and have come to the realization that as long as our communities are un healthy,
we cannot consider ourselves to be healthy individuals
regardless of what we have been able to achieve or
accomplish. Until all are free, we are all imprisoned and
we have committed ourselves to leave no one behind
in our struggle for truth and recognition of our purpose
to exist as human and spirit. The basis of the movement
is to utilize traditional and contemporary wisdom of
our Indigenous peoples for the means of empowerment. We represent a voice of Indigenous revolution
for social change in communities that are plagued by
the social ills created through colonization and genocide. Savage Family was not founded or established by
one person or a particular group of people, instead the
foundation of the Savage Family is in our Indigenous
brothers and sisters worldwide and the ideologies that
have driven our peoples since time immemorial. You
can cut the flowers, but you cannot stop the spring
from coming.
MVSKOKE
T R A D ITIONAL MEAL
P R E PA R E D BY MARY HARJO
M A IN M E A L
M ea t a n d H ominy
S v k o N ep k e (Sofke corn and c hicken)
R e d B ea n s
S q u a s h a n d Zucchini freshly frozen from the garden
B o i l ed C a b b a ge
C v tv H a k v blue dumplings made with blue corn meal, lye, and b l u e
p ow d er (a s h es) made from purple hull peas
BREAD
S ou r c or n b r ead
C or n b r ea d
DESSERTS
P o s s u m g r a p e dumplings – The juice is made from possum berries f ou n d
i n t h e w oo d s and served as a dessert
S w eet P o ta to Casserole served with whipped cream
DRINKS
S of k e, h om i n y corn boiled with lye added
Tea
W a t er
L y e i s a l i q u i d that many Creek women use to cook sofke and cvt v h a k v
w i th . I t i s m ade from the ashes of Black Jack wood which is stor e d i n a
c on t a i n er t o age by sprinkling water over it to make it stronger u n t i l
y ou a r e r ea d y to use it. Boiling hot water is then poured over th e a s h es
a n d s tr a i n ed into a jar to keep for use.
What is Food Sovereignty?
Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples, communities, and countries to define their own agricultural, labor, fishing, food and land policies which are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally
appropriate to their unique circumstances. It includes the true right to food and to produce food,
which means that all people have the right to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food and to
food-producing resources and the ability to sustain themselves and societies.
[Political statement of the non-governmental organization/Civil Society Organization Forum for Food Sovereignty Rome,
June 2002.]
Mvskoke Traditional Foods
Svkonepke – Hominy and pork soup
Cvtvhakv – Blue dumplings
Tosenv – Salt meat
Vpeswv – Meat
Kvco – Blackberry
Vce – Corn
Sofke – Sofkee
Sukhvhvfe – Ham
Tvklike – Bread
Tvklikcvmpv – Cake
Semvteke – Pie
Vhacerehe – Potato
Setvpho – Cabbage
Tvlakko – Beans
Tvlakpvkkoce – Peas
Pvkanv – Peaches
Svtarkomv – Pears
Tofumpe – Cherries
Cvse – Pumpkin
Ke - Mulberry
Mvskoke vocabulary courtesy
of Jackson Barnett.
Recipes from Muscogee (Creek) Nation
4-H Camp 2006
Sofkee
4 cups dry corn
1/4 cup of sofkee lye
Boil 4 gallons water. Put dr y corn in the boiling
water and let cook for a few hours. Put one cup
of sofkee lye in pot and let cook for 1 hour.
By
Stephen Carson
Sour Corn Bread
2 cups plain white corn meal
13/4 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
1 cup cooked rice
Stir together until it looks fluffy and has some
bubbles in it. Then let it set in a window or some where for 2 days. Add 1 tablespoon baking powder and teaspoon baking soda and add a little water if it is too thick. Preheat oven to 375. Take out
3 cups of mixture and put on skillet with grease in
it. Bake.
By Natalie T.
Cvtvhakv
About 4 pounds Mesa cornmeal
3 tbls of bluing
Boil water. Mix in warm water ‘til thin enough to
roll into golf ball size balls. Boil until they float to
the top.
By Marquis Martin
R VRO MVKPVCCET V
something into a powder form. The next
thing is to select a par t of the river where
This is a description of an old way of
the water is kinda’ still, not flowing fast.
fishing practiced by the Mvskoke people as
The men will get situated on the bank in
related to Vicky Karhu by Jackson Barnett.
the positions that they are going to take.
Mr. Barnett is a full blood Mvskoke Elder
When they get their tools, bows and arrows
who had been fishing all his life and enjoys
or whatever they are going to use, ready ;
it today. He is proud to say that neither he
then a few of the men will take the Devil’s
nor anyone in his family has ever had dia-
Shoestring out into the water in containers
betes or cancer and he wonders if it may
or baskets. They use their hand to scatter it
be because they have always eaten a lot of
over the water. When it dissolves into the
fish. Here is what he told me:
water is has some kind of effect of taking
oxygen out of the water. The first come to
They call this way of getting fish r vro
the top, probably to get more oxygen, and
mvkpvccetv and there is no translation for
the men gather them with nets or shoot
this Mvskoke phrase.
them with arrows. The Devil’s Shoestring
just dissipates into the water and the fish
The first thing is that you’ve got to get
go back to normal. By then they will have
the “Devil’s Shoestring” plant. I don’t know
gotten enough fish for whatever reason
anything about that par t of it. People
they need them. There is no lasting effect
know when and where to get it and what
on any of the fish in the water. That is how
par ts of the plant to use. You cut the plant
we got large quantities of fish when we
into small pieces and beat it with a rock or
needed them.
Mvskoke Fo o d S overeignt y I nitiative
208 West 6th Street, O k mulgee, OK 74447
918-756-5915, info@mvskokefo o d.org
w w w.mvskokefo o d.org
Food as a way of life…
MFSI is dedicated to making a real impact on food in Mvskoke countr y. Food as a staple cultural
activity, food as a basis for our physical health, and food as an investment for the security of our
future generations. We work to promote the continuance and revitalization of an agricultural heritage that has been the backbone of Mvskoke living for millennia. Beyond reclaiming the power to
choose what we eat and how it is produced, and beyond reaffirming and reenacting our connection to the land, in moving toward self-sufficiency we will be demonstrating to our youth a sense of
pride in our livelihoods. A self sufficient-community is a self confident-community.
LEADERSHIP
M F S I M i s s i o n St atement
M vs k o k e Fo o d S overeignt y I nitiative wor ks to enable the M vskoke people and th e i r n e i g hbo r s to p rov i d e for their food and health needs now and in the future through su s t a i n a b l e
agr i c u lt u re, e co n omic development, communit y involvement, cultural and educat i o n a l p ro gra m s.
B o a rd o f D i re c tors
R e b e cca L i n d s e y, (M vskoke) Chair person, M uscogee (Creek) Nation Cromwell I nd i a n Co m m uni t y a n d a c t i ve communit y and civic leader on the tr ibal, local and national leve l s. H o n o re d
by t h e C h i e f o f t he M uscogee (Creek) Nation as 2006 O utstanding Elder.
Ja c k s o n B a r n e t t, (M vskoke) M anager, M uscogee (Creek) Nation S enior S er vices a n d f l u e nt
sp e a k er o f t h e M vskoke language.
Da r re l l Fox ( M vs k oke) Businessman, for mer M uscogee (Creek) Nation D eput y Dire c to r o f
Tr i b a l Af f a i r s. H a s traveled ex tensively inter nationally and wor ked in energy ind u s t r y.
O d e t te Fre e m a n (M vskoke) Administrative Chief to S econd Chief of the M uscoge e (Cre e k )
Nat i o n , t ra d i t i o n al singer
Ad v i s o r y Co m m i ttee
Jo h n n i e B ra s u e l l (M vskoke) – MCN Diabetes Program Direc tor
Lo u Fi x i co ( M vs k oke) – MCN Elder ly Nutr ition S er vices M anager
Sh a ro n I ve r s o n - MCN Diabetes Program Dietitian
Em m a n S p a i n ( S e minole)– MCN Cultural Preser vation
Jo h n We s t (C h e ye nne)– Hor ticultur ist
Yve t te Wi l e y ( M vskoke) – MCN Environmental S er vices
D o n n a Wi l l i a m s ( M vskoke) – Personal Chef
Le s te r L i g o n s, ex officio – USDA/NR CS tr ibal liaison
Wi l l i a m ( B u d ) M c Combs (M vskoke), ex officio – Hunter, Fisher man
St a f f
Vi c k y K a r h u – E xe cutive Direc tor
B e n Ya h o l a ( M vs k oke) – Co -Direc tor
Di ce y B a r n e t t ( M vskoke) – O ffice M anager
Ju n e Th o m a s M a r shall (K iowa) – Administrative Assistant
Fre d a Wyat t ( M vs koke) – Communit y O utreach
R i t a Wi l l i a m s ( M vskoke) _ Communit y Education Coordinator
Ad a m R e c v l o h e ( M vskoke/Euchee) – Youth Coordinator
Ant h o ny “C h a k o” Ciocco (M vskoke/S eminole) – Communications Coordinator
MC N = M u s co g e e (Creek) Nation, a fed erally recognized I ndian Tr ibe
MFSI Projects
Community Outreach for Producer’s Empowerment Project
Our mobile unit will visit communities within the Muscogee Nation to assist farmers and ranchers,
and those interested, in pursuing loans and assistance available through federal, state and regional
sources. We will distribute a Farmers & Ranchers Resource Manual free of charge to these
communities.
Community Food Project
MFSI is assisting two communities in creating models of sustainable agriculture. Each
community will have an active greenhouse, community garden, and host public trainings for growing, cooking and preser ving garden foods.
MFSI Seed Bank
MFSI’s seed bank is preser ving endangered Native seeds. We are successfully restoring the Mvskoke
favorite corn known as Sofkee corn that had almost gone extinct.
Youth Food and Fitness
Reconnecting youth with their food heritage through ar t and traditional indigenous games.
Supporting Tribal Sovereignty
Recognize the right to self determination; establishing a tribal, national policy for the protection
for Indigenous knowledge and biological resources and a tribal food policy council responsible for
protecting the health, security and general welfare of the Muscogee Creek Nation and neighboring
communities.
Farmers’ Market
MFSI par tnered with the Okmulgee Main Street Association to establish the first local Farmers’ Market since the 1930’s providing fresh, affordable, locally produced fruits and vegetables to the community and several surrounding communities.
L i s te n to M F S I
L i ve s t re a m ra d i o
w w w.mvskokefood.org
MFSI Resource Center
*Organic gardening and Mvskoke culture library.
*Public access to computers for research.
*Sustainable agriculture training manuals.
*Educational video and audio materials.
*Farming and Gardening periodicals
*Trained staff to assist visitors.
Vo l u nte e r M a s te r D J
Mark Madrid in action.
MV TOOO
M vsk o k e Fo o d S ove re i gnt y I n i t i ative thanks the following M uscogee (Creek)
Natio n p ro gra m d e p a r t m e nt s for their contr ibutions in helping us to make
thi s e ve nt s u cce s s f u l : Cre e k Nation Head Star t, Creek Nation Child Care,
Creek N at i o n E m p l oy m e nt & Tra ining, O ffice of the S econd Chief, Alfred B err yhil l, a n d t h e Co l l e g e o f t h e M uscogee Nation. We would also like to offer
a spe c i a l t h a n k s to R e v M a rg a re t Battiest, M r. M er le B er r yhill, the Traditional
B ow S h o o te r s S o c i e t y, a n d a l l t h e volunteers for their valuable contr ibutions.
M F S I ex te n d s s p e c i a l t h a n k s to t h e
M u s co g e e (Cre e k ) N at i o n N at i o n a l Co u n c i l
fo r f u n d i n g t h i s s y m p o s i u m
M V TO !
Mvskoke Food Sovereignty Initiative
208 W. 6th Street
Okmulgee, OK 74447
918-756-5915
www.mvskokefood.org