HILLSIDE MARKET SEEKS DIRECTION

POP-UP EVENTS EDUCATE ABOUT INDIGENOUS FOODS, COLLECTS COMMUNITY INPUT

BY KATHLEEN MURPHY

It is fair to say residents of Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood were disappointed at the 2017 closing of the 4th Street Market corner grocery store. Though centrally located in the city, the neighborhood is far removed from any of the larger grocery store chains.

The news that the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) purchased the building and intends to operate it as a grocery was greeted with relief. “We so badly need a corner grocery store in that area,” said LeAnn Littlewolf, Economic Development Director for AICHO. “Residents relied on it.”

The new market — named the Niiwin Indigenous Foods Market — will offer more than just groceries. With a focus on indigenous foods, culture and community, the market will serve not only as a place where Hillside residents can pick up a quick gallon of milk or a loaf of bread, but also as a place to buy healthy, traditional indigenous foods. The store will house a deli, a coffee house (with facilities to roast its own beans), and a retail and gallery space for indigenous artwork and merchandise. “We want to encourage local entrepreneurship,” Littlewolf said.

Since the projected opening of the market is still a ways off — by most estimates, it won’t open until 2020 — AICHO is holding monthly pop-up events to showcase what residents can expect to find at the market, and to emphasize issues that are important to the local Native community.

In February the pop-up focused on hominy corn and traditional methods of growing, cultivating and processing hominy as a food source. Hominy is genetically different than sweet corn, and is made through a process in which the kernels are dried then soaked in an alkaline solution that softens the corn. Hominy soup was available to sample, as well as bread made from wild rice flour. “Corn is our relative,” Littlewolf said. “We want to use the market as a place to offer a different perspective on how to interact with the foods we eat.”

January’s pop-up focused on the nutritional, cultural and spiritual connections that the Native community has with water. A Fond du Lac Ojibwe tribal member, accompanied by Anishinaabe youth, sang traditional “water honor songs” to open the event. “It was a beautiful and honoring way to start that event,” said Ivy Vainio, the Art, Climate and Culture Program Coordinator for AICHO. The food item showcased at that event was infused water. Attendees were given a new glass water jar and encouraged to infuse their water with different flavors. Several options were healthy fruits, herbs and foraged items such as balsam tips and wintergreen.

There will be a theme and demonstration at every pop-up, but table vendors will also be available, such as indigenous food producers, businesses, programs and organizations, and community members selling their products.

“Young entrepreneurs such as the Fond du Lac Ojibwe Reservation’s Journey Gardens and Gimaajii Youth Market have been represented,” Vainio said. By encouraging youths to participate, they hope to increase their indigenous foods knowledge, as well as help to hone their marketing skills.

The topics of upcoming pop-ups from May to August have not yet been established, but they will be held on the last Thursday of each month. In September, an Indigenous Foods Expo will be held at the market and nearby Central Hillside Park. This free community event will feature indigenous food producers and sellers, cooking and food processing demonstrations, retail vendors, music, art and games such as three-on-three basketball and lacrosse. Check the Niiwin Indigenous Foods Market Facebook page for information on future pop-ups and the expo.

Though the market will fill many needs within the Central Hillside community, Littlewolf emphasized how important it will be for the indigenous community to have a place where they can not only purchase healthy, affordable indigenous food items, but also have a place to connect as a community.

She envisions a space where indigenous food practices can be not only honored, but brought back into the public eye. “Our goal is to highlight the journey of our foods and how they historically came to our table.” Non-indigenous community members are encouraged to come and learn about the local indigenous culture, as well as use the market as a destination spot for people looking for that knowledge. And also to buy that gallon of milk, if needed. It will still be a corner grocery in a neighborhood that sorely needs one.

The new owners are making a point of asking community members what they would like to see in the market. So far, people have voiced a need for affordable, healthy food access for the Central Hillside community, as well as access to indigenous foods and a continuation of community programming such as indigenous cooking classes and art sessions. If you have other thoughts on what you would like to see the market provide, attend an upcoming pop-up, or get in touch with the market via its Facebook page.

The opening of the market will bring a new and unique food experience to the Northland, as well as offer a neighborhood grocery for common food items. It will, however, offer a greater message and opportunity for our local indigenous culture. “Our community has had a longstanding lack of resources,” Littlewolf said. “We want to change our story, and we want to do it through community.”