Webinar 1: Cultivating Cultural and Medicinal Harvest Camps, October 14, 2021
Lisa and Arlo Iron Cloud
Thursday, October 14, 2021, 12 pm MT
Having toured the upper Great Plains hosting cultural and medicinal harvest camps throughout summer 2021, Lisa and Arlo Iron Cloud have created a hands-on opportunity with various communities and community members to reconnect to lands, culture, history and traditional foods. In this new webinar, Lisa and Arlo will share their experiences of the summer and talk about the importance of harvest camps for Indigenous communities.
About the Facilitator
Nick Hernandez is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a citizen of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Nick is the father of two boys, Alee Jax and Kai Tyndall Hernandez, and significant partner to Liz Welch. Nick earned a master’s degree in Lakota Leadership and Organizational Management from Oglala Lakota College (2019). Nick founded and is the president of Makoce Agriculture Development, a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on Indigenous agriculture and food systems development on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
About the Iron Cloud Family
Lisa and Arlo Iron Cloud have been married for 10 years and share their relationship and home with their children (Leroy, Sebastian, Azure and Arlo Jr.) They are tribal descendants of the Oglala Lakota Oyate and members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and they reside in Rapid City, South Dakota. Arlo is a DJ and production developer for the KILI Radio station on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and Lisa is a dedicated mother, educator, and lifelong learner of Indigenous and Lakota culture, history, and foods.
For the last five years Lisa and Arlo have been on the journey to understand Lakota culture, philosophy, and traditional foods through hands-on experiences. They have made this a family journey and continue a path to create relationships with elders, historians, educators, foodies, families, and younger generations eager to learn and reconnect to the cultural properties of being an Indigenous person in a western world.
Webinar 2: Tribal Food Sovereignty and Developing a Native Farm to School Program, October 28, 2021
October 28, 2021, 12 pm MT
This webinar will cover the history and movement of food sovereignty and how it relates to Indigenous communities today. Speaker Nicole Benally will share her experience as well as current research on tribal food sovereignty and provide guidance on building a relationship with surrounding local land-grant colleges and universities.
About the Facilitators
Richard Elm-Hill is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. As a program officer for First Nations, he supports the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative by providing technical support, training and advocacy to Native communities. Prior to joining First Nations, Richard was an Operations Analyst in the Internal Services Division for the Oneida Nation. There he supported the strategy and alignment for programs nested in technology, media and food systems. He established the Oneida Emergency Food Pantry, assisted in grants projects to develop and market new food products, and evolved the aquaponics farm-to-school program. Richard Elm-Hill holds a graduate degree in Applied Teaching and Learning from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he studied learning communities, oral tradition and mindfulness.
Leiloni Begaye is a Diné womxn from Dinétah, the homelands of the Diné people, an Indigenous womxn who is a farmer and rancher. As a program officer for First Nations, she supports the Nourishing Native Foods & Health and Stewarding Native Lands program. Prior to joining First Nations, Leiloni worked as the New Mexico State Lead for FoodCorps, where she supported Farm to School initiatives, mentored 10 local FoodCorps service members, developed and implemented a state strategy through an Indigenous and K’e (relationship-centered) lens. She was a school garden coordinator with La Semilla Food Center in the Paseo Del Norte Region and an interpretative & education ranger and field paleontologist at White Sands National Monument. Leiloni has a background in natural resources from Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, and agriculture with an emphasis in rangeland management from New Mexico State University, and a Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico.
About the Presenter
Nicole Benally
Nicole Benally is a Native Farm to School consultant for First Nations Development Institute. She is also a Ph.D. student in the Forestry and Conservation Program at the University of Montana, where she is also recognized as a National Science Foundation Food-Energy-Water Nexus Graduate Trainee, Gates Millennium Scholar, and Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership Scholar. Through her graduate program, she is increasing her knowledge of social and political sciences as they relate to conservation and tribal food sovereignty. Prior to beginning her Ph.D. program, Nicole served as NMSU Tribal Agriculture and 4-H Extension Agent for the Eastern Navajo Nation. In 2018, Nicole received her M.S. in Agronomy from Purdue University, with thesis work focused on soil health and cover crop use in Indiana. In 2016, she received her B.S. in Agriculture, majoring in Soil Science from New Mexico State University. Nicole was born and raised in Ganado, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. She is Black Streak Wood, born for the Coyote Pass Clan, and her grandparents are from the Bitter Water and Red Running Into Water Clans. Her interests include reconnecting natural and technical resources, such as agriculture and wildlife, to contemporary lifestyles of tribal communities in an effort to preserve their culture, food, language, and ecological knowledge. Nicole is constantly inspired by her partner and their daughter and son. In her free time, she enjoys mentoring other native scholars, binge-watching DIY videos, and painting with her family.
Webinar 3: Cooking Demo: Sweet and Hearty Wild Rice Pilaf, November 18, 2021
Presentation Materials:
Recording of WebinarNovember 18, 2021, 12 pm MT
In this special cooking demonstration webinar, Speaker Mariah Gladstone will dive into the history of Indigenous foods and how they tell the story of resilience and survival, sharing how to make — and how to engage Native students in making — a meal that is perfect for the harvest season: a sweet and hearty cranberry apple pecan wild rice pilaf.
About the Presenter
Mariah Gladstone
Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee) grew up in Northwest Montana. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Environmental Engineering and returned home where she developed Indigikitchen, an online tool for reteaching information about Indigenous foods. Mariah has been recognized as a “Champion for Change” through the Center for Native American Youth, a “Culture of Health Leader” through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and an MIT Solve Indigenous Communities Fellow. She serves on the board of the FAST (Food Access and Sustainability Team) Blackfeet.
About the Facilitator
Nicole Benally
Nicole Benally is a Native Farm to School consultant for First Nations Development Institute. She is also a Ph.D. student in the Forestry and Conservation Program at the University of Montana, where she is also recognized as a National Science Foundation Food-Energy-Water Nexus Graduate Trainee, Gates Millennium Scholar, and Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership Scholar. Through her graduate program, she is increasing her knowledge of social and political sciences as they relate to conservation and tribal food sovereignty. Prior to beginning her Ph.D. program, Nicole served as NMSU Tribal Agriculture and 4-H Extension Agent for the Eastern Navajo Nation. In 2018, Nicole received her M.S. in Agronomy from Purdue University, with thesis work focused on soil health and cover crop use in Indiana. In 2016, she received her B.S. in Agriculture, majoring in Soil Science from New Mexico State University. Nicole was born and raised in Ganado, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation. She is Black Streak Wood, born for the Coyote Pass Clan, and her grandparents are from the Bitter Water and Red Running Into Water Clans. Her interests include reconnecting natural and technical resources, such as agriculture and wildlife, to contemporary lifestyles of tribal communities in an effort to preserve their culture, food, language, and ecological knowledge. Nicole is constantly inspired by her partner and their daughter and son. In her free time, she enjoys mentoring other native scholars, binge-watching DIY videos, and painting with her family.
Webinar 4: Lakota Food Sovereignty Education Curriculum, December 8, 2021
December 8, 2021, 12 pm MT
In this fourth installment, Makoce Agriculture Development Founder and President Nick Hernandez will discuss the importance of developing our own Indigenous local food education curricula and the value it will have for the generations of today and the next seven generations of local food system educators, producers, and stewards. Nick will talk about the curriculum he produced and the role it has played in understanding Indigenous foods and building a local food system.
About the Presenter
Nick Hernandez is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a citizen of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Nick is the father of two boys, Alee Jax and Kai Tyndall Hernandez, and a significant partner to Liz Welch. Nick earned a master’s degree in Lakota Leadership and Organizational Management from Oglala Lakota College in 2019. Nick founded Makoce Agriculture Development, a 501c3 non-profit, which is the next level of local Indigenous agriculture and food systems development on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Nick is passionate about and dedicated to creating viable change for his community through a self-determined, Indigenous-led reconnective local food system, designed to regenerate healthy equitable communities, economies, and our environment for many generations to come.
About the Facilitators
Leiloni Begaye is a Diné womxn from Dinétah, the homelands of the Diné people, an Indigenous womxn who is a farmer and rancher. Leiloni is a First Nations, Program Officer based in the Albuquerque field office. Prior to joining First Nations, Leiloni worked as the New Mexico State Lead for FoodCorps, where she supported Farm to School initiatives. Leiloni has a background in natural resources from Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, and agriculture with an emphasis in rangeland management from New Mexico State University, and a Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico.
Richard Elm-Hill is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. As a program officer for First Nations, he supports the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative by providing technical support, training and advocacy to Native communities. Prior to joining First Nations, Richard was an Operations Analyst in the Internal Services Division for the Oneida Nation. There he supported the strategy and alignment for programs nested in technology, media and food systems. He established the Oneida Emergency Food Pantry, assisted in grants projects to develop and market new food products, and evolved the aquaponics farm-to-school program. Richard Elm-Hill holds a graduate degree in Applied Teaching and Learning from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he studied learning communities, oral tradition and mindfulness.
Webinar 5: Red Cloud Farm to School Education and Production Farm, December 15, 2021
December 15, 2021, 12 pm MT
Red Cloud Indian School is a historical Indian boarding school on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation that is helping lead the way in how we incorporate local foods through its Farm to School Initiative and Education and Production Farm. In this webinar, program director Katie Chustak will discuss how this work is regenerating the local food system for the Red Cloud campus, student body, and Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
About the Presenters
Katie Chustak is the director of Food Sovereignty at Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where she has been developing a Farm to School Initiative and has been active in the local food sovereignty movement over the last four years. She studied Sustainable Food and Farming Systems with a minor in Horticulture at Purdue University and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Health, concentrating in Food Systems, at Johns Hopkins. She is passionate about culturally sustaining foods and environmental sustainability.
Nick Hernandez is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a citizen of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Nick is the father of two boys, Alee Jax and Kai Tyndall Hernandez, and a significant partner to Liz Welch. Nick earned a master’s degree in Lakota Leadership and Organizational Management from Oglala Lakota College in 2019. Nick founded Makoce Agriculture Development, a 501c3 non-profit, which is the next level of local Indigenous agriculture and food systems development on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Nick is passionate about and dedicated to creating viable change for his community through a self-determined, Indigenous-led reconnective local food system, designed to regenerate healthy equitable communities, economies, and our environment for many generations to come.
About the Facilitators
Leiloni Begaye is a Diné womxn from Dinétah, the homelands of the Diné people, an Indigenous womxn who is a farmer and rancher. Leiloni is a First Nations, Program Officer based in the Albuquerque field office. Prior to joining First Nations, Leiloni worked as the New Mexico State Lead for FoodCorps, where she supported Farm to School initiatives. Leiloni has a background in natural resources from Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, and agriculture with an emphasis in rangeland management from New Mexico State University, and a Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico.
Richard Elm-Hill is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. As a program officer for First Nations, he supports the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative by providing technical support, training and advocacy to Native communities. Prior to joining First Nations, Richard was an Operations Analyst in the Internal Services Division for the Oneida Nation. There he supported the strategy and alignment for programs nested in technology, media and food systems. He established the Oneida Emergency Food Pantry, assisted in grants projects to develop and market new food products, and evolved the aquaponics farm-to-school program. Richard Elm-Hill holds a graduate degree in Applied Teaching and Learning from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he studied learning communities, oral tradition and mindfulness.
Webinar 6: Sicangu Food Sovereignty and Farm-to-School Through Lakota Immersion, March 18, 2022
In this webinar, Sicangu Food Sovereignty Director Matte Wilson and Lakota Foods Coordinator Foster Cournoyer Hogan will highlight their work in food sovereignty and farm-to-school programming with Rosebud’s first Lakota Immersion School.
Sicangu Community Development Corporation is a 501(c)(3) Indigenous organization based on the homelands of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate. SCDC works to transform systems in the areas of education, health, housing, and food sovereignty.
The Sicangu Food Sovereignty Initiative (SFSI) was launched in 2014, with the goal of creating an independent and regenerative food system for the Sicangu Oyate. SFSI’s core areas are increasing local food access through its teaching and production farm, Keya Wakpala Gardens, and Waicahya Icagapi Kte – Farm Apprenticeship Program; building local food markets such as the Sicangu Harvest Market, mobile market, and TSA program; and educating community members about regenerative agriculture practices and traditional food knowledge.
In 2020, SCDC launched Wakanyeja Tokeyahci Owayawa (WTO), Rosebud’s first Lakota immersion school. WTO serves 20 students in grades K-1 classrooms, anticipating an additional 12 students in the next academic year as the school expands another grade level. WTO is founded on four pillars: Lakota Language and Culture, Indigenous Identity, Holistic Wellness and Leadership, and Academic Preparedness. With these four pillars as a guide, WTO is proud of its efforts in Native Farm to School that nourish the school’s tiospaye in partnership with the Food Sovereignty Initiative and other community organizations.
About the Facilitators
Matte Wilson is an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate (Rosebud Sioux Tribe). He attended Creighton University where he studied health administration and policy. In 2018 Matte joined the Sicangu Food Sovereignty Initiative (SFSI) as an intern and quickly fell in love with the work, recognizing the program’s potential to improve lives. Matte’s passion and commitment was recognized, and he is now the Director of SFSI. Under his leadership, the initiative has expanded the farmers’ market, implemented a mobile market and CSA program, and enhanced educational opportunities by growing the community garden internship program and starting a mentorship program for beginning farmers. Matte and his team were recently recognized as finalists for the Food System Vision Prize and were winners of the MIT Solve Challenge.
Foster Cournoyer Hogan is Sicangu Lakota and Ihanktonwan Dakota. He attended Stanford University as an undergraduate where he earned his degree in Native American studies with a minor in education. Currently, Foster is a graduate student at the University of Minnesota Duluth where he is pursuing his master’s in Tribal administration and governance. Foster has been a summer intern for the Sicangu Food Sovereignty Initiative since 2018. Recognizing the significance to the Oyate, he committed himself to learn as much traditional ecological knowledge as possible to sustain culture and fulfill his role as a land steward. This background fosters his career as the Lakota Foods Coordinator where he educates students at Wakanyeja Tokeyahci Owayawa and fellow Tribal Citizens.
