Tradition, science, culture at Native American Nutrition conference

Prior Lake American

Many Native American communities face obstacles to good nutrition throughout their members’ lives, but a blending of tradition and science can help, several Native American experts said this month.

The third annual Native American Nutrition conference returned to Mystic Lake Casino Hotel Monday through Thursday. The event is a partnership between the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s Seeds of Native Health program and the University of Minnesota’s Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute.

The conference began in 2016 as a method to address mistrust between Native communities and academia, as well as bridge the gap between tradition and science.

“What we’re doing here that’s really unique is we’re bringing together academic research with indigenous knowledge and research,” said Mindy Kurzer, who chairs the planning committee for the conference and is a director of the Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute. “There’s a history of exploitation ... that has resulted in a lack of trust in many communities. What we’re trying to do is help heal that and bring those people together.”

Researchers presented work on nutritional needs from childhood to old age, including such topics as how food habits and learning pass from one generation to the next and the importance of recovering from historical trauma. Sean Sherman, a Oglala Lakota chef and author in Minneapolis, led a workshop and session, while other speakers explored how tribes can reclaim their traditional diets.

“We are trying to involve and elevate more professionals who are working on this from Indian Country, even if they’re people we don’t know,” Kurzer said, adding there was a particular emphasis on hearing from younger generations.

Lactation Consultant Camie Jae Goldhammer, for example, spoke about the importance of promoting breastfeeding in Native communities.

“We don’t talk about the spiritual connection,” Goldhammer said. “I was literally visited by my ancestors the first time I breastfed. I saw those women.”

Goldhammer said there are barriers to encouraging breastfeeding in Native communities such as no paid leave for mothers, who need to return to work and can’t take the four to six weeks required to “get in the groove” of breastfeeding.

There are health effects to not breastfeeding as well, Goldhammer said, such as increased risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer for both the children and mothers.

Panel discussions with Native families were also added to add more stories and personalization, Kurzer said.

“All of this information we’re talking about actually affects peoples’ lives,” Kurzer said. “We feel it’s very important to integrate that into the conference — not just the theoretical knowledge, but the real world application of that knowledge, real world solutions people are experiencing.”

Kelli Begay, a nutrition consultant with Indian Health Service in Maryland, spoke about nutrition during childhood and said most reservations are in food deserts, regions where it is difficult to have access to affordable and high-quality food. As a result, Native people often have no or little control over what is eaten and eat less expensive, less nutritious food. Such food insecurity during childhood can cause health issues like anemia, asthma, anxiety, depression and more.

Looking at the other end of the lifespan, Petra Harmon One Hawk, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe director of nutrition for the elderly, spoke about improving the health of elders through increasing traditional food consumption.

One Hawk said research had shown that a vegan diet could reverse cardiovascular disease but that Native culture provides a barrier for that.

“What do you call an Indian vegetarian?” One Hawk asked the audience. The answer to the joke came back from someone to the side. “That’s right, a bad hunter. A vegan diet isn’t going to happen anytime soon for us.”

One Hawk said despite this, including traditional foods such as squash, beans and chokecherries could go a long way in addressing several health issues. Squash and beans are high in magnesium and potassium, for instance, while chokecherries have antioxidants, which can prevent development of cardiovascular disease.

“We can only begin to address the health disparities when we begin to address health equity,” One Hawk said.

Stabber Warne, a nurse with the South Dakota State University College of Nursing, said she saw also reason for hope in tradition. She grew up in the 1940s with her grandparents, who taught her about traditional nutrition.

“I ate organically,” Warne said. “They call it organic food today, but that’s what I ate every day.”

Each person needs to help others through individual actions, Warne said, much as she was passing on her family’s knowledge to others.

“We all need to do something individually for our future,” she said. “I don’t mind working at age 79. I’ll keep working until I can’t, and why not share what I know?”