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Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month, which gives us an exciting opportunity to learn about Indigenous origins through the generosity of our Indigenous team members who are willing to teach us their historical roots through food. Understanding the rich history of Native American Tribes, building cultural awareness, and furthering understanding can be built through sharing food, which is exactly what our Foodservice Director Jillian Robinson is doing as she offers traditional Indigenous cuisine on our menus during November. Jillian’s willingness to deliciously present her culture for those she serves is unique; this year alone she’s featured Bear Chili, Fry Bread, Elk Stew, and variations on a regional staple of Fiddle Head Ferns. There’s no better way to learn about different cultures than from those within the community who are willing to teach and share. In this article, we get to learn directly from our Foodservice Director, Jillian Robinson, Chippewa of the Ojibwe tribe in North Dakota. We hope you enjoy this guest segment and brief history of Jillian as she brings her culture, desire to learn, and passion around food as medicine to each person she serves.

Meet Jillian, Foodservice Director at Thomas Cuisine and Chippewa of the Ojibwe Tribe in North Dakota

My name is Jillian Robinson, Food Service Director and I have been with Thomas Cuisine for about two and a half years. I am part Chippewa of the Ojibwe tribe in North Dakota and my cultural heritage has been a key contributor to my long history and relationship with the Earth and nature. In one way or another, I’ve worked in the foodservice industry for over 23 years, but during this latter part of my career, I’ve felt like I need to chase something that has been missing; I have been focusing a lot on the medicinal plants, herbs, and the bounty that the forest and sea around us has to offer. For this year’s Native American Heritage Month menu, to help represent the culture of the tribes around us in the Pacific Northwest, I really researched the native plants commonly gathered and preserved during this time of year.

This season, our lands are still abundant with blackberries, some mushrooms, and a variety of roots, as well as large game animals like elk and deer. Therefore, this year for Indigenous People’s Day, we made an entrée of Elk Stew with Fiddlehead Ferns and a blend of Morel, Chanterelle, Wood Ear, Yellow Foot, Porcini and Oyster Mushrooms, and Fry Bread with Honeycomb Butter, House-Made Preserves, Native Healing Tea to drink, as well as a Bone Broth with medicinal roots and herbs! I used what I thought would’ve been the same types of methodologies used in the past; gathering fresh mushrooms I could find locally and adding dried mushrooms that would have been harvested earlier in the season, using nutrient-packed Fiddlehead Ferns which are an abundant resource here in the Pacific Northwest, and adding Nettles, whose health benefits range from helping with arthritis, gout, painful muscles and joints, as well as anemia. The Bone Broth and Healing Tea combined Dandelion Root, Burdock Root, Marshmallow Root, Astragalus, and Lily Bulb, each of which carry a variety of healing properties including antioxidants, immune system support as well as respiratory support, digestive conditions and to help other organs like the liver or gallbladder. It’s quite fascinating to research what we have around us that would have been used in the past for healing and general physical and spiritual well-being. I chose these ingredients because I tend to spend most of my free time in the forest, and frequently come across many plants that were traditionally sought out for relieving common ailments.  

I think the key to understanding other cultures is to approach them with an open mind. Being receptive to someone else’s beliefs or cultural differences invites you into a part of history that could very well be lost in the future. I’ve even heard it’s a problem in many tribes, the loss of their history and practices and even their language. It’s important that we embrace where we came from and don’t lose our connection with the Earth. Native Americans are part of the original children of the Earth. They drew everything from Her; from the spirituality to Her guidance in healing and tradition. I always consider it a great honor when I’m asked to participate in sharing my Native Heritage because it gives me an opportunity to showcase what I’m truly passionate about: healing people with food! We have plans in place to begin a healing garden in the Spring at United General, I look forward to educating those in the community about the amazing things that are growing right in our backyard!

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