“For far too long, tribal communities have been disconnected from their lands and resources. This has separated many from their traditional foods, putting tribal culture and health in peril. The result has been an increase in chronic illnesses, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.” https://www.aianta.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Intertribal-Food-Systems.pdf

The passage above is from the Introduction of the National Intertribal Survey and Report on Intertribal Food Systems. The report not only addresses the direct connection between loss of traditional foods to the the poor health outcomes in Native American populations but it also provides some examples of programs happening within Native communities to address this issue. On page 17 of this report you will find a description of the Seeds of Renewal Project which was created by AHH’s own Frederick Wiseman. This program is about bringing back traditional foods and making them accessible to everyone in the Abenaki community. In a cookbook that we are currently working on we will provide many delicious recipes that use traditional ingredients. Recognizing, however, that not everyone can have a garden or go hunting, we offer healthy substitutes for certain ingredients.

To learn more about our Seeds of Renewal Program see the Platforms page of this website.

Traditional Foods

Fish

Fish used to be a major food source for the Abenaki up until the 1920’s and 30’s. After that most of the land that the Abenaki had used to set up their fishing and hunting camps was purchased for homes or parks and the Abenaki were no longer welcome to come and go as they had done for a thousands of years. The many health benefits that fish provided now needs to be found in other sources. Some of the foods that are high in the omega-3 fatty acids are walnuts, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and kidney beans.

Fish from our rivers and lakes is still edible but there are health guidelines provided by the Department of Health around how much should be eaten in any given time period. Below is the link the those guidelines.

https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/default/files/document/env-rw-fish-you-catch.pdf

Missisquoi Sunflower Seed Bread

1 1/2 cups finely ground sunflower seeds (meats only)

1 cup of milk

1 cup of whole wheat flour

2 beaten eggs (room temperature)

1/2 coarsely chopped sunflower meats

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup butter (room temperature)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

Beat together honey, butter and eggs. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and ground seeds. Add to the honey butter mixture alternately with milk. Fold in chopped sunflower meats. Pour in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for one hour. Cool on rack before serving.

Nutrition