You are invited to the GATHER film discussion: Cultivating Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Local Food Webs
in partnership with Transition US Regenerative Communities Summit
October 5, 2021 5:00 pm Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Cultivating Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Local Food Webs
Speakers
Thea La Grou – Films for the Planet
Gather cast member – Chef Nephi Craig (People’s Farm, The Native American Culinary Association)
Linda Black Elk – Ethnobotanist (Mni Wiconi Circle, Director of Food Sovereignty at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota)
Author Ken Meter, MPA (Building Community Food Webs) President (Crossroads Resource Center)
Nate Kleinman (Experimental Farm Network Cooperative, Co-op Gardens)
“There couldn’t be a better time to reinforce the importance of Indigenous People’s rights on Turtle Island, Hawaii and all over the world. We stand on the front-lines of climate resistance and land rights to act as stewards of Mother Earth as we always have. And we fight for the rights of all Native peoples to cultivate their foods.”
“Gather” celebrates indigenous food systems and the efforts underway to reclaim and rebuild them. It is a tapestry of inspiring personal tales, from a White Mountain Apache chef starting his own restaurant with a staff of Natives bouncing back from addiction to a young man in Northern California’s determined fishing quest after a dam kills off his tribe’s supply of salmon.
The film is a testament to the resilience of these communities, showcasing how Native Americans are reclaiming control of their ancestral food systems and, in the process, restoring their cultural well-being.
Gather is the result of a three-year collaboration between First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) and award-winning director Sanjay Rawal. Hawaiian actor and activist Jason Momoa and production partner, Brian Mendoza, are executive producers.
Signup for Films for the Planet’s virtual screening of Gather: #FREE Sept. 28 – Oct. 7, during the Regenerative Communities Summit Film Series, September 24 – October 10.
Program Details HERE
Speaker Bios HERE
The film conversation on October 5, will weave together projects that are reclaiming ancient foodways and building local food webs – diverse, local network-building as a path forward to create resilient, community-based food systems. We will explore the role of food in healing cultural trauma, restoring cultural traditions, and creating robust local and regional economies. Learn about weaving food webs – the overlapping networks of grassroots leaders and organizations working to define their own food choices.
Wisdom Weaving: film discussion outcomes and calls to action:
- “From What is to What if”. Understanding the connection between food sovereignty, community food webs and economic resilience. What’s next?
- Community: The table is where we come together
- Honoring Indigenous knowledge and developing communities of trust for future success
- Seed Stories: Cultivating a culture of seed sovereignty and stewardship
- Volunteering with your community garden
- Hosting a traditional cooking class or foraging event to gather traditional foods.
FREE Virtual Screening “Gather”
Sept. 28 – Oct 7, 2021
“Gather” follows the stories of Native Americans on the frontlines of a growing movement to reconnect with spiritual and cultural identities that were devastated by genocide. An Indigenous chef embarks on an ambitious project to reclaim ancient foodways on the Apache Reservation; in South Dakota, a gifted Lakota high school student raised on a buffalo ranch is proving her tribe’s Native wisdom through her passion for science; and a group of young men of the Yurok tribe in Northern California is struggling to keep their culture alive and rehabilitate the habitat of their sacred salmon. All these stories combine to show how the reclaiming and recovery of ancient foodways is a way forward for Native Americans to bring back health and vitality to their people.
Building Community Food Webs
Our current food system has decimated rural communities and confined the choices of urban consumers. Even while America continues to ramp up farm production to astounding levels, net farm income is now lower than at the onset of the Great Depression, and one out of every eight Americans faces hunger. But a healthier and more equitable food system is possible. In Building Community Food Webs, Ken Meter shows how grassroots food and farming leaders across the U.S. are tackling these challenges by constructing civic networks. Overturning extractive economic structures, these inspired leaders are engaging low-income residents, farmers, and local organizations in their quest to build stronger communities.
This book is a treasure trove of stories about communities who have successfully transformed agriculture and food economies. It’s full of ideas to create food systems that foster equity and exclusivity. Connections, Convening Collaboration and Culture are the themes resonating through the stories, all of which help us learn from the past and plan for the future.
The Regenerative Communities Summit Film Series
September 24 – Oct 10
Featuring nine free and on-demand documentaries aligned with the summits core themes
From cultivating indigenous food sovereignty, local economies and local food webs to inner resilience, connect with communities across the globe who are forging innovative paths and embodying the courage to see the world with fresh perspectives.
In partnership with Transition US and the broader movement for regenerative and resilient communities offering inspiration and hope for a just transition through practical local action.
Films and stories for local resilience and a regenerative future
From What Is, to What If, To What’s Next!
Hope to see you there!