Did you know
Ukwakhwa means "our foods"
in the Oneida
Native American language?
I'm Erica Ayisi
a reporter
with PBS Wisconsin
Ukwakhwa is
a non-profit organization
on the Oneida reservation
just outside Green Bay.
They grow
corn, beans, squash
and other heirloom foods
the Indigenous way.
Through a Wisconsin
grant program
Ukwakhwa's Seed to Table
initiative is reconnecting
the Oneida Community
with ready to eat
modern meals, rooted
in ancestral knowledge
and made by local
Indigenous chefs.
I spoke with Stephen Webster
farm and culinary director
of Ukwakhwa
and he says
Native American cooking
extends beyond frybread
and their
Seed to Table program
gives the Oneida community
more access to
traditional, healthier foods
to decolonize their diets
from federal policies
of the past that disrupted
their Indigenous foodways.
I also spoke with
Eldon Powless
an Oneida local chef from
hot meal program.
He says he uses creativity
when cooking
Indigenous foods
making it with a modern twist
that community members
can replicate at home.
If you want to know
more about
Ukwakhwa's Seed to Table
food program
go to pbswisconsin.org
and click on the news tab.