October 7, 2022

Dr. Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, DrPH (Choctaw)

Professor of Medicine
Director, Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy
OK State University Center for Health Sciences
Tulsa, OK

Native American communities experience significant diet-related disparities. Food sovereignty is a community-based movement that supports Native communities in regaining control over their own food systems to restore traditional foods and food practices. While food sovereignty strategies have shown promise for improving the health of Native people, few public health researchers have examined these strategies and their impact on individual and community health. This presentation summarizes research studies conducted as part of the Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy that are guided by a food sovereignty approach while also using randomized trial designs to assess health outcomes.

 

"Using a Food Sovereignty Approach to Improve Health Among Indigenous People"

November 11, 2022

Dr. Jill Falcon Ramaker (Anishinaabe: Ojibwe Nation)

Assistant Professor in Community Nutrition & Sustainable Food Systems and Director
Buffalo Nations Food System Initiative Montana State University
Bozeman, MT

What was once a vast food system centered around the buffalo, through colonization is now a fragmented food system in which the tribal communities of the Northern Plains and Rockies are islands in an industrialized system that does not meet their nutritional and cultural needs. Committed to proactive, collaborative, intertribal food sovereignty, Buffalo Nations promotes education and research aligned with the needs of Native Nations. Cultural knowledge recovery of foodways, policy advocacy, infrastructure development, and cultural identity work are key elements of this Indigenous-led effort.

"Buffalo Nations: Education and Research for Indigenous Food Sovereignty"