2nd Annual Food Sovereignty Symposium

By Vicky Karhu, Executive Director

Save the dates February 12^th and 13^th!   You will not want to miss this year’s food sovereignty symposium. The theme is “Our Seeds, Our Food, Our Survival” with a focus on the challenges presented to all of us by the effects of climate change. 

Friday morning, after welcomes by the Chief, Second Chief and Speaker of the National Council we will begin with a presentation by Dr. Don Wuebbles from the University of Illinois. He is lead author on the first and second in­ternational assessments of climate change sponsored by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Following Dr. Wuebbles, Bruce Edwards from the Urban Harvest at the Oklahoma City Regional Food Bank will describe models for what we can do at the individual and community level to counteract the impact of climate change using traditional and organic agriculture techniques.

To bring things into perspective in relationship to Mvskoke agricultural heritage, Stephen Bond, ethno-botanist for the Chickasaw Nation, will discuss Southeastern Indigenous food and agriculture history.

We all know that in modern times for any project to gain momentum it must contain an element of positive economic feasibility. Dr. Ken Meter, Director of Crossroads Resource Center in Minneapolis, MN will speak about economic development based on the local food system. Ken has been conducting research across the nation examining how local economies could benefit from producing more of the food that is consumed in their communities. This presentation will be followed by Chris Kirby, Oklahoma Farm to School Coordinator, who will express the need for more producers to fill the demand for local produce in our schools.

With history and economics in place, we will begin to hear success stories from Barton Williams and Bud McCombs, from the Wilson and Eufaula Community Food Projects. We will close the day with a presentation by Sally Auger and Diane Wilson, from 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 2,000 years old, and they contain within them the key to a healthy future. 

Saturday will begin with Emily Oakley and Mike Appel, owners of Three Springs Farm in Jay, OK. This is one of the most successful organic farms in Oklahoma and they will share techniques that they have developed. They will be followed by a presentation from the officers of the Oklahoma Farmers and Ranchers Association, describing grassfed beef and other operations in our region. 

A very special guest, Guillermo Valquez, a Mayan urban farmer will describe his Indigenous Permaculture project. The group conducts permaculture classes for people in San Francisco and have helped to establish and expand gardens in indigenous communities in South Da­kota, El Salvador and New Mexico. He will be followed by Rupert Nowlan, a Cheyenne buffalo and grassfed cattle rancher from western Oklahoma. 

At Noon there will be a traditional feast served to all symposium participants. Chumona Deere will describe and explain the various dishes to our guests. After lunch we will hear from a Mvskoke cook about how to prepare some of the dishes. 

The final afternoon sessions will begin with Clay­ton Brascoupe. He is of the Bear Clan Mohawk and Tes­uque Pueblo and is a lifelong farmer, artist, and founding member of the Traditional Native Amer­ican Farmers Association and Traditional Bow Makers Society. He farms with his family at the Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico. The Four Sis­ter’s Farm is a family scale, sustainable, agricultural enter­prise.

Another traditional farmer, Howard Dennis, from Second Mesa, Arizona will describe Hopi farming. He grows food and saves seeds in the desert conditions of the Hopi homelands. Deb Echohawk from the Pawnee Na­tion here in Oklahoma, who will speak next, is an organic grower who is working with her elders to restore their tra­ditional corn and its seed. Her tribe is successfully raising their traditional corn on donated fertile river-bottom land located in the tribal homelands in present-day Nebraska.

Rounding out the symposium, we will hear about resources at the national and state level that will help us all become knowledgeable and successful sustainable gar­deners and/or farmers. A Mvskoke author, James Treat, will sum up the day from a writer’s perspective.

After a youth presentation we will ask Mayan spiritual leader, Pascual Yaxon, to bring the symposium to an end with his message. 

This year we are holding a separate Youth Tract, throughout both days of the symposium. After the open­ing for the main symposium the Youth Tract will start their introductions at 10:30 at the Creek Nation Housing Authority. 

The Native hip-hop group/movement Savage Fam­ily will lead the first workshop at 11:00. They are a col­lective of young Indian leaders who work ‘to empower the youth to begin speaking up, advocating for themselves, addressing the many social problems that they are faced with, and most important, becoming tribal leaders.’ 

Lilian Hill of Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture will lead a workshop at 1:00 where guests and presenters can share their personal, family, and tribal histories in coming to awareness and working toward change. Lilian is the proj­ect director of Hopi Tutskwa Permactultue and an expert in natural building and Indigenous permaculture. 

At 3:00 MFSI will lead a workshop on ‘Theatre of the Oppressed’ where guests get to explore and enact their understandings of critical issues in our histories and com­munities such as oppression, colonization, healing, etc.

Friday will conclude with an open mic night where all are welcome to share their artistic expressions, music, poetry, rap, etc.

 Saturday will start out with Native Youth Leader­ship Alliance (NYLA) leading a workshop of hands-on activities geared towards articulating a vision for a healthy community. NYLA works to cultivate young tribal lead­ers from tribal colleges.

Indigenous Training and Resource Council (ITRC) will lead a workshop at 1:00 exploring different models of action in Indigenous communities, historically and con­temporarily. ITRC provides training resources for Indig­enous peoples who use ideas and actions to sustain their communities.
 
At 4:00 on Saturday a youth delegation will pres­ent a declaration that they have composed during their discussions. Finally, Saturday at 7:00 Savage Family will perform a live hip-hop concert.

The Symposium is free and open to the public. We would appreciate it if you would call to let us know you are coming so that we will have a head count for the meal. Please call 918-756-5915 and tell us how many will be coming. MVTO!

For more information, visit the MFSI’s website here:
http://www.mvskokefood.org/