On a stormy fall evening, my favorite soup to make is Three Sisters. It’s also a perfect recipe to try if you are new to Native American Cuisine.
The soup celebrates the way many Indigenous Nations cultivated and grew their crops through planting corn, legumes, and squash together to enhance the soil and productivity of agriculture. The corn stalks act as a trellis for the legume plant to climb and the squash is planted in between stalks to shade the ground and prevent weeds. It might be a fun garden project for little ones to try next June 🙂
What I love about this soup is that it’s so versatile. You can change up the squash, add baby potatoes instead of sweet, and top it with a variety of plant-based cheeses (I used Trader Joe’s plant-based feta). I hope you enjoy!
As we head into my favorite season of autumn, I find it a perfect time to engage in activities that reflect upon this special day. This week I hope to share a few recipes and a few select books that I highly recommend with a Native American voice. In the meantime, here are a few ideas for celebrating Indigenous People’s Day with friends and family all year long:
Support your local Native Made Market Place. We have a winter one coming up that is so much fun to attend. I also enjoy our farmers market with produce and goods from Native owned businesses & farms. If you’re not as lucky as I am to have so many wonderful shops and bookstores, check out business directories such as the one I linked above to support prosperity within your Native American Community.
Learn about the History of Indigenous Land that You’re On. This activity is one the whole family can experience. The trails near me and the river that runs along it was once was home to the Atfalati Kalapuas. Although we don’t have an interpretive center at the park, it was easy to look up and explain the history of the land on a hike with my BFF. We also took time to rest and enjoy the butterfly garden with plants and flowers native here.
Attend a Local Event. This is perhaps my favorite activity. During the summer our community hosts outdoor events with crafts for kids, free books for all, and produce from the Native American Family Center garden. There’s also a health clinic, free fry bread tacos, homemade lemonade, a chance to buy crafts, and wonderful performances. When the stars come out there’s a movie and free popcorn for all. Tonight a local cultural center held another free event with a children’s pow wow, wonderful dinner, fantastic market place, and a Q&A from a famous Native comedian.
I hope you had a wonderful Indigenous People’s Day and could celebrate the diversity of the Native American experience by our newly recognized federal holiday.
elliebleu.com 