Building Healthy Native Food Systems at First Nations’ 2024 Food Sovereignty Summit

Held in partnership with Tahoma Peak Solutions, First Nations’ 2024 Food Sovereignty Summit hosted in Suquamish, Washington, centered Native approaches to sustaining Native food systems, caring for land, and strengthening Tribal Sovereignty and partnerships between Native nations. 

A Tradition Continues 

First Nations’ biannual Food Sovereignty Summit began in 2013 through a partnership with the Oneida Nation. The summit was envisioned to convene a national forum for sharing, learning, and collaborating to build healthy food systems throughout Native communities, discuss and respond to the external threats on Tribal Sovereignty, and create systems change that strengthens Tribal food sovereignty. Since then, the Food Sovereignty Summit has brought together hundreds of attendees.  

The last time the event took place was in 2019 at the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. In subsequent years, the pandemic and its resulting impacts placed this important summit on a brief hold.  

This fall, the Food Sovereignty Summit resumed, welcoming over 200 Tribal leaders, food practitioners, and colleagues to the Coast Salish homelands and to the lands of the Suquamish Tribe. The theme of the summit was “Swimming Upstream: Native Foodways in a Modern World” acknowledging a return to our homes, Native food systems and lifeways, and our collective journey to restore our food systems.  

The summit began with greetings from the Suquamish Tribe, writing in the summit agenda: 

“On behalf of the Suquamish people, it is our pleasure to welcome you to our homelands. The Suquamish people, known as the ‘People of the Clear Salt Water,’ have lived along these shores for millennia, and our connection to this land and sea continues to define who we are. As you walk these lands, you are standing on the ancestral territory of Chief Seattle and the Suquamish people, where our traditions, culture, and ways of life continue to thrive. It is a great honor to have you here as we gather to strengthen our food systems, share knowledge, and work together to ensure that our future generations inherit a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable way of life.”

Local Learnings 

Hosting the food summit in the Pacific Northwest created a geographic and timely opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boldt Decision, a critical ruling of Judge George Boldt on February 12, 1974, in the U.S. v. Washington case that reaffirmed the 1850s tribal treaty rights to fish on traditional lands.  

The ruling secured tribal rights to fish where their communities are accustomed to, whether on or off reservation lands, and recognized tribes as co-managers of the fisheries in Washington, entitling them to half the state’s catch. This ruling and subsequent decisions have leveraged the tribe’s treaty-protected rights to traditional foods and to a healthy environment to maintain their cultural food source. 

The conference reception on Tuesday featured a viewing of “Fish War,” a documentary on the 1974 ruling. And during a Wednesday luncheon session, attendees revisited the pressures that led to the landmark decision, the significant impact it had on tribal management of fisheries and resources in the state, and the current issues facing tribal fisheries.  

The Luncheon on the Boldt decision featured moderator Valerie Segrest and panelists Louie Ungaro, Jay Julius, and Theresa Sheldon (pictured left to right).

Attendees also had the opportunity to engage in Suquamish traditions during Culture Night at Kiana Lodge, hosted by the Suquamish Canoe Family. Attendees and Suquamish community members were invited to enjoy traditional songs, dances, food, and films.  

Screenings included “Bring Them Home/Aiskótáhkapiyaaya,” which chronicles a decades-long initiative by members of the Blackfoot Confederacy to bring the buffalo, known as iinnii, back to the Blackfeet Reservation and rewild them. Directors Ivan MacDonald and Ivy MacDonald were in attendance to present the film along with Executive Producer Melissa Grumhaus.  

Another film featured was “Covenant of the Salmon People,” an award-winning documentary portrait of the Nimiipuu, currently in north-central Idaho, who continue to adhere to their sacred relationship and obligations to the Chinook Salmon. A final film included “Usugilix Awakun: We Are Working Together, a film that focuses on the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska and the many ways the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska is preserving ancestral traditions and the culture and health of its community.   

Culture Night at Kiana Lodge provided a warm welcome to Suquamish traditions.

Educational Highlights 

The summit began with a dedicated pre-session of workshops engaging community partners across First Nations’ programs for Native Agriculture and Food Systems Investments, Stewarding Native Lands, and California Tribal Fund. Community partners working to strengthen food systems included participants from First Nations’ projects: Changing Native Food Economies, Local Food Promotion Program for Native Producers, Native Farm to School, Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice, and Indigenous Breastfeeding, Birth Work, and First Foods. Stewarding Native Lands hosted a Conservation Planning Workshop, which provided the first opportunity to use the recently published conservation curriculum. Further, California Tribal Fund presented workshops designed to create connections among grantees, uplift current California tribal food system grantee stories, and review needs around technical assistance. 

During the Food Summit, breakout sessions consisted of three tracks which allowed participants to engage further with related topics.  

Camas Track explored land and plants and their functional role in creating a culture of place. Sessions included:  

• Nourishing Traditions: The Cultural and Environmental Restoration of Camas Prairies  
• Pesticides and Herbicides on Tribal Lands
• Honoring Land Use Rights in Indian Country 
• The Healing Power of Plants: Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives 

Salmon Track discussed multiple approaches to strengthening food sovereignty and rights to traditional foods and safe foods, healthy ecosystems and safe and nourishing waters. Sessions included:  

• Kelp Farming and Clam Bed Gardening Revitalization  
• Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering: Protection of Our Subsistence Rights 
• Clean Water: Tribal Solutions to a Healthy Community 
• Protecting the Environment through Indigenous-Led Stewardship  

Buffalo Track highlighted the work of community partners in revitalizing the traditional connection many tribes hold to the buffalo. Sessions included:  

• Storytelling for Impact: Sharing Your Food Sovereignty Journey 
• Reinvigorating the Traditional Connection Between People and Buffalo 
• Buffalo Youth Mentorship: Growing the Next Generation of Buffalo Stewards  
• Buffalo Fencing Considerations: What Will Hold? 

Experiential Sessions 

Another highlight of the summit was a series of experiential sessions designed to enhance learning and celebrate the culture and lifeways of the Suquamish area.  

On the Suquamish boat tour, attendees explored the Suquamish homelands by water aboard the Port Madison Enterprises barge. Led by a Suquamish veteran, the tour offered a special perspective on the rich history and culture of the Suquamish people.  

Aboard the Port Madison Enterprises barge, attendees enjoyed a guided tour of Agate Pass to see the stunning landscapes of the Suquamish ancestral homelands and learn about these lands and waters from those who know them best. Photo credit Maria Givens, Tahoma Peak Solutions

The tour of Port Madison Enterprises provided an opportunity to experience Suquamish heritage and cuisine at the Fish Hatchery at Grovers Creek and then journey to the Seafood Plant to see gooey duck and oyster processing, the cockle flow-through tank, and the traditional smokehouse. The tour culminated at the Suquamish Seafood Retail Store and Masi Shop where attendees browsed the fresh and smoked seafood products.  

At the Fish Hatchery, attendees get a close look at traditional stewardship practices and efforts underway to protect and nurture local fish populations. Photo credit Jay Austin

The final event was a hands-on workshop presenting “Native Infusion: Rethink Your Drink,” a teaching toolkit aimed at supporting communities in making healthy choices about beverages. The toolkit integrates Native American cultural teachings with traditional health and nutrition concepts and includes a curriculum, teaching posters, tips for setting up a beverage station, and a cookbook. Attendees learned to harvest and prepare plants that can be used to make delicious drinks, including nettle, rose, dandelion, mint, huckleberry, and fir. 

Presenters Elise Krohn and Mariana Harvey present “Native Infusion: Rethink Your Drink.”

Key Takeaways 

The Summit generated excitement and opportunities for First Nations’ Native Agriculture and Food Systems Investments program, building further momentum for projects under Stewarding Native Lands and California Tribal Fund programs. 

Community partners came away energized with best practices and relationships that will bolster their own work and foster future collaborations. It was a successful three days and First Nations thanks all who supported and attended the event.  

We especially thank Tahoma Peak Solutions for their partnership, and the Suquamish Nation for their generous hospitality.  

Scroll down to see more images of the Summit!