#rez life

[archivistic]

USA friends: If you’re planning on doing lots of reading this Thanksgiving break and would like to keep it thematic, may I recommend some of these books on Native American cultures and histories?

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson (Dakota), 2021

Novel about generations of women and survival of family ties and the land. Fiction for people who enjoy Robin Wall Kimmerer

Rez Life by David Treuer (Ojibwe), 2013

Stark, fascinating, and humorous nonfiction that reads like a series of journalistic essays on sovereignty, natural resources, poverty, casinos, and culture.

Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Potawatomi), 2003

Noted Indigenous scientist and author in her earliest book for popular audiences. Science writing at its best - beautiful and regenerative, though not without acknowledgement of the destructive power of capitalism, colonization, unequal resource allocation, etc. I read it December 2024 and it was absolutely a balm during a really emotionally tough time. Her other books Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry are also great reads.

Native Nations: A Millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal, 2024 (Note: not a Native author)

History of Indigenous nations in now-North America – I learned a lot about what was happening during the 12th-14th centuries, especially in the Southeast, and found it helpful that she brought in context from climate events, astronomy, and comparative societal structures around the world. The book overall aims to reframe European colonization and rule and argues persuasively that Native nations controlled relationships and land for much longer than Europeans claimed. It’s not comprehensive (I especially was disappointed in the lack of West Coast/Cascades region nations, but I can find more of that elsewhere) but coverage is really interesting and extensive.

Tell me about your faves too!

[babsthegingerqueen]

There something with Wyatt Callow and the Booker Boys being a betting group, and the general disgust that comes with that… and the fact that there are so, so many places to gamble on native American reservations. Something something disdain for self-inflicted demise vs something something empathy for survival in a situation that has been forced upon them

[thedeadtalker]

I feel like its important to share a dish my grandfather would make for us when we were little and he cared for us:

-1 can stewed tomatoes

-Brown Gravy (you can make it from a packet. 1-2 packets of brown. Or, you may have some leftover. Its weird with lighter gravies like milk based. Trust me.)

-Something to dump it over liked mashed potatoes or rice

-If youre fancy: include some sort of meat. Grandpa would take ground (mince for the overseas crowd) beef or venison (or, I suspect, horse), mix it with pan fried onions and seasoning, and fry it into little patties. Then he'd use the drippings left in the pan to make the gravy.

DIRECTIONS:

Dump the tomatoes into the gravy. Serve it all on top of your potatoes or rice.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT

1. Historical and MODERN significance. This goes hand and hand with our fry bread. Natives have to make due with no refrigeration, food deserts, and extreme poverty (which really cuts into your food budget.)

2. This can be made completly with non-refrigerated ingredients. Remember the meat is optional. Ground or minced meats btw are the easiest to home can if you dont have refrigeration. Theyw ill kill you if you do it wrong, of course. While I do have a generator and refrigerator these days, the closest grocery store is nearly 2 hours drive away. Even with coolers, I cant manage frozen foods in the summer. And I have the gas money to make that trip. A lot of people don't, or its not safe to travel where they live. Fresh potatoes travel and keep pretty well. If you can afford it though, dehydated potato is lighter to carry and stores longer.

3. Again, food deserts. While a grocery store may not be nearby, canned goods pop up at places like gas stations. Thats it, thats your grocery store. My experience is that the gravy packets are usually the hardest to find.

4. Cheap ingedients. Meat is optional. Canned tomatoes and gravy packets are cheap. They often show up in food banks.

5. The ingredients travel well. Especially if you can dry/dehydrate your potatoes. My ancestors had camas, not potatoes, but the principal is the same. Cut/grind them up, beat/wack em if you can to get extra moisture out. Let em dry in the sun. A potato carries a LOT of water. Thats what most the weight is in a fresh potato. This "recipe" also works with cattail roots, which tend to turn up all kinds of places.

6. RICKETS. The tomatoes are important, you all. THE TOMATOES ARE IMPORTANT. If youre forced to live off of gas station food, canned food, cheap food, etc. you probably arent getting a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. This was grandpa's way of getting vitamins into us kids.

7. It actually tastes good. Food that is enjoyable contributes to good mental health and morale.

8. The Point:

The world is going to crap. Maybe the 7th and 8th generations can still turn things around. But things are already very uncomfortable for a lot of people. I think its funny how everyone thinks it wont happen to them, until it happens to them. So when you are homeless, can't afford food or afford to travel to get food, or, as is increasingly the case, there is no food to go get, I want you remember that you read this, babies, and find yourself a can of tomatoes so that you don't get rickets.

[promisetostaywild]

Lakota War Pony

[alibis-for-my-valentine]

Where have u beeeennnn?????

Used some vacation to go visit home. Summer is big for pow wows, and my soul has been missing them immensely.

[ancient-healer]

[ndnspringer]

[harvestheart]

Tohono O’odham Nation activist Amy Juan watches the sunset over Kitt Peak in southern Arizona, a sacred mountain known to the O’odham as loligam Doag. (Photo by Raechel Running)