CAL POLY HUMBOLDT DEPARTMENT OF NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
ROU DALAGURR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY LAB & CULTURAL WORKSPACE
FALL
2021 Vol. 2: Issue 1
Rou Dalagurr: Food Sovereignty Lab & Cultural Workspace publishes semi-annual reports each February and July. Reports are archived on the HSU NAS website. https://nasp.humboldt.edu/fsl This report was designed and edited by Research Assistant Karley Rojas.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 01
12
Letter from Co-Directors
Current Projects
02
13
Steering Committee & Co-Directors
Student Projects
06
15
Updated Timeline
FSL In the News!
07
16
Groundbreaking
Fundraising & Budget
09
18
Fall 2021 FSL Speaker Series
Thank You to Our Donors
11 Spring 2022 FSL Film Series Progress Report Fall 2021
Letter from the Co-Directors
We are so proud of the continued work by students, community members, and tribal representatives to build Rou Dalagurr at Cal Poly Humboldt. It was because of the vision and tireless efforts of so many that we are celebrating the full funding of Phase I of lab development; funding for the first year of the Internship program, and additional support for our upcoming projects. Because of this work, the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab will be the first Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) research lab in the California State University system. Kicking off Indigenous Peoples Week in grand fashion, the Rou Dalagurr Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on October 8, 2020. Students, faculty, community members, and tribal representatives gathered to witness this monumental step toward opening the lab. Wiyot Tribal Chair Ted Hernandez offered a blessing and his appreciation for the work of the students that made this lab possible: “I look up to these students because they wanted this and it’s here, it’s happening!” The work the lab has done to establish a Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Science research hub at Cal Poly Humboldt is an important contribution to the future of our polytechnic university and our communities. On November 15, 2021 the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a National-level memorandum recognizing TEK as a contributor to “scientific, technical, social, and economic advancements of the United States.” The memo also stated that TEK is essential, “for developing comprehensive climate adaptation and natural resource management strategies.” In August 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom and the State Legislature approved a $458 million investment in HSU’s effort to become Northern California’s first polytechnic institution. It is clear from HSU’s Polytechnic Prospectus that TEK and Indigenous communities are key parts of what elevates HSU’s development of a polytechnic university, or better yet ‘Poly-TEK’, for the next century. HSU was officially renamed to California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt) on January 26, 2022. On December 8, 2020, esteemed scholar Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen of Potawatomi Nation) joined Cal Poly Humboldt students, faculty, and administrators for a virtual discussion about how HSU can ethically and sustainably incorporate Indigenous sciences into the development of a polytechnic institution. Kimmerer said: “I think that one of the most important investments is in Indigenous faculty, staff, and students, in having Indigenous knowledge holders, both as teachers and learners, centered within the university.” Rou Dalagurr embodies the goals of an innovative PolyTEK institution by bringing together students, interdisciplinary academic departments, community members, and numerous tribal nation representatives to foster critical engagement with local tribal nations and Indigenous knowledge systems. We look forward to contributing to and continuing to build this vision in our lab. 1- Progress Report Fall 2021
ABOUT US: Co-Directors Co-Director - Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy Tribal Affiliation: Hoopa Valley Tribe (Yurok, Karuk) is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Native American Studies at Cal Poly Humboldt. She researches Indigenous feminisms, California Indians, Indigenous Natural Resource Management, and decolonization. She is the Co-Director of the NAS Food Sovereignty Lab & Cultural Workshop Space and Co-Investigator on an NSF INCLUDES Planning Grant for inclusive STEM pedagogy for Native American Students at Cal Poly Humboldt. She is also the volunteer Executive Director for the Native Women’s Collective, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the continued revitalization of Native American arts and culture. Current works include: Gough, Healthier & Cutcha Risling Baldy. “Resistance, Resilience, and Social Welfare: Understanding the historical intersections of Federal Indian policies and the helping professions.” in The Routledge International Handbook of Indigenous Resilience ed. Hilary Weaver, 2021. Risling Baldy, Cutcha. “Why We Fish: Decolonizing Salmon Rhetorics & Governance” in Native American Rhetoric ed. Dr. Larry Gross, University of New Mexico Press, 2021. Risling Baldy, Cutcha. “Radical Relationality in the Native Twitterverse: Indigenous Women, Indigenous Feminisms and (re)writing/(re)righting Resistance on #NativeTwitter” in Indigenous Peoples Rise Up: The Global Ascendancy of Social Media Activism. Rutgers University Press, 2021. Podcasts and other media: “Tending Nature: Indigenous Land Stewardship.” KCET documentary film series. https://www.kcet.org/shows/tending-nature/special/indigenous-land-stewardship Episode 19: Decolonizing Water Part I Water Talk Podcast https://www.watertalkpodcast.com/episodes/episode-19 "Reviving Relationships with Our Foodways: A History of Indigenous Food Sovereignty in California and Beyond" by Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy and Dr. Kaitlin Reed (co-directors of the FSL). https://cooperationhumboldt.com/food-guide-2021/
2- Progress Report Fall 2021
ABOUT US: Co-Directors Co-Director - Dr. Kaitlin Reed Tribal Affiliation: Yurok Tribe (Hupa, Oneida) is an Assistant Professor of Native American Studies at Cal Poly Humboldt and the CoDirector of the NAS Food Sovereignty Lab & Cultural Workshop Space. Her research is focused on tribal land and water rights, extractive capitalism, and settler colonial political economies. She is currently finishing her first book titled From Gold Rush to Green Rush: Settler Colonialism and Natural Resources in Northern California. Other works include: Reed, Kaitlin. "Cannabis, Settler Colonialism, and Tribal Sovereignty in California." The Routledge Handbook of Post-Prohibition Cannabis Research. Routledge, 2021. 53-62. Reed, Kaitlin. “‘We Are a Part of the Land and the Land Is Us’: Settler Colonialism, Genocide, and Healing in California.” Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 42(1), 2020. Reed, Kaitlin; Middleton Manning, Beth Rose and Deniss Martinez. “Becoming Storms Indigenous Water Protectors Fight for the Future,” in Lessons in Environmental Justice: From Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter (eds. Michael Mascarenhas) Sage Publishing: 2020.
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ABOUT US: Research Assistants (2021-2022) Undergraduate Research AssistantKarley Rojas (they/them/elle) They is not a member of nor affiliated with any tribe; they is a white settler with the duality in identity of also being a 'Cuban'-Taíno descendent. Karley began as the Research Assistant for the Food Sovereignty Lab in September 2021. Karley is an ethnobotanist and multimedia artist. They graduated cum laude from HSU in the class of 2021 with a B.S. in Botany with a minor in Studio Art; they is also an alumnus of the University of Chicago, and Columbia College from which they received an A.S.T. in Biology. As a senior at HSU they were faculty-nominated for the Sterling Sam Botany Award, and they were also the recipient of the Aidan Leaf Mullin Scholarship. They received the Undergraduate ARI-HSI Fellowship through HSU for 'An Ethnobotanical Index and Native Plant "Agroecosystems"', which funds their continuing research focused on the restitution of the disseminated ethnobotanical knowledge of the Hupa, Karuk, Tolowa, Yurok, and Wiyot Tribal peoples to those communities. Karley says that their fundamental drive for this work is to "support Indigenous self-determination and food sovereignty. It is only in returning to Indigenous land management and life in reciprocity with the more-thanhuman world that we can imagine and realize Indigenized futures in a seven-generation modality." Following graduation, they seek to continue to build relationships with community and to continue their research and collaboration with North Coast tribal communities. Karley will also be building their art practice and engagement with exhibition spaces. They hope to enter the HSU Environment and Community Graduate Program in 2023.
Graduate Research AssistantAmy Ithurburn (she/her/hers) Amy Ithurburn (she/her/hers) is a white settler living in Wiyot lands. She is a second-year Environment & Community graduate student. Her research interests include examining the carceral landscapes of homelessness through the lens of abolition ecologies and Black and Indigenous abolitionist feminisms, as well as working towards land and food justice across communities. She is both a graduate research assistant with the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Land & Cultural Workspace, as well as with Earthseed Laboratories and the forthcoming Rose Braz Institute.
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STEERING COMMITTEE Adam Canter (Wiyot Tribe) Natural Resource Specialist Carrie Tully (CPH Alumnus: Environment and Community, Save California Salmon) Cody Henrikson (Undergraduate student, Cal Poly Humboldt) Tribal Affiliation: Ninilchik Village Tribe (Dena’ina and Sugpiaq) Elena Sisneros (Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation) Tribal Resource Specialist Evie Ferreira (HSU Alum, The Cultural Conservancy, Native Foodways Manager) Ancestral Heritage: Yoeme, Mestiza Mexican American Fawn Murphy (Tribal Chair for Resighini Rancheria) Tribal Affiliation: Resighini Rancheria Frank Lake (Research Ecologist for USFS) Tribal Affiliation: Karuk Descendant Jason Ramos (Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Council) Tribal Affiliation: Blue Lake Rancheria
Jude Marshall (United Indian Health Service Community Food Garden) Tribal Affiliation: Hoopa Valley Tribe Katie Koscielak (Sustainability Analyst, Cal Poly Humboldt) Louisa McCovey (Director of the Yurok Tribe Environmental Program.) Tribal affiliation: Yurok Tribe Marlene' Dusek (Graduate Student, Environment and Community, HSU) Tribal Affiliation: Payómkawichum, Kúupangawish, and Kumeyaay Dr. PennElys Droz (NDN Collective) Tribal Affiliation: Anishinaabe Rachel Sundberg (Trinidad Rancheria & Native Women’s Collective) Tribal Affiliation: Ner-er-ner (coastal Yurok), enrolled member of the Trinidad Rancheria Dr. Sarah Ray (Department Chair, Environmental Studies, Cal Poly Humboldt) Taylor Thompson (Food Sovereignty Division Manager Yurok Tribe) Tribal Affiliation: Cherokee Nation
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TIMELINE DECEMBER 2019 Students in NAS 331: Indigenous Natural Resource Management Practices propose the Food Sovereignty Lab and hold the first Stakeholder Meeting in the Native Forum at HSU
APRIL 2020 Students Cody Henrikson & Carrie Tully present "Imagining an Indigenized Campus" NAS 331 research. Awarded 2nd place in Graduate Behavioral Sciences, CSU Statewide Research Symposium. Students donated earnings to Food Sovereignty Lab
MAY 2020 HSU conditionally approves the former Hilltop Marketplace for the Native American Studies Department to build the Food Sovereignty Lab. The Department must raise all the money.
NOVEMBER 2020
The Food Sovereignty Lab hosts the onine Food Sovereignty Speaker Series. The series reached more than 1,000 participants across multiple platforms. Watch the recorded series on Youtube or Facebook
MARCH 2021 Launch of the spring Food Sovereignty Film Series. Feature films centering Indigenous Food Sovereignty: Good Meat, Return and Gather. Watch the recordings on Facebook
MARCH 2021
Through March, $211, 982 had been raised through crowdfunding campaign, and through donations from Humboldt Energy Independence Fund (HEIF), Humboldt Area Foundation (HAF), Humboldt Health Foundation (HHF), CARES: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)
OCTOBER 2021 Food Sovereignty Lab receives an $119,000 grant from the Native American Agricultural Fund (NAAF) with will fund a documentary film, Indigenous Foods Festival, and Northern California Indigenous Foods Guide.
OCTOBER 2021
Groundbreaking Ceremony is held on October 8th. We hear from community members and students, and the remodel of the Food Sovereignty Lab space officially begins. Watch the recording on Facebook.
NOVEMBER 2021
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, a tribe of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo groups, donated $100,000 to the Food Sovereignty Lab at HSU for continued growth of this project.
NOVEMBER 2021
The Food Sovereignty Lab hosts the online Food Sovereignty Speaker Series. The series engaged more than 400 participants across multiple platforms. Watch the recorded series on Youtube or Facebook
MARCH 2022 The spring Food Sovereignty Film Series will continue, featuring films centering Indigenous Food Sovereignty. Recordings will be available on Facebook
APRIL 2022
In collaboration with HSU Food Summit 2022, funded by HEIF, the Food Sovereignty Lab will receive $10,000 for a soft launch of the Indigenous Foods Festival in April 2022.
SEPTEMBER 2021 The goal of $250,000 was surpassed. This includes a donation from Leah B. Thibault: $10,000 for the remodel of the lab, and a $50,000 endowment creating the 'Batt Ingram Memorial Fund'
FALL 2022 Grand opening of the Food Sovereignty Lab and Cultural Workspace! The Lab is the first of its kind in California dedicated to the revitalization and empowerment of Indigenous Food Sovereignty.
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GROUNDBREAKING By Karley Rojas and Carrie Tully
Reprinted from the Northcoast Environmental Center https://www.yournec.org/rou-dalagurr-food-sovereignty-lab-culturalworkspace-breaks-ground/
In 2019, HSU Students in NAS 331 had a vision for a project that would re-indigenize the campus while bringing lasting benefits to the community, building partnerships across campus, and reconnecting students with place. The project envisioned was the first ever Food Sovereignty Lab and Cultural Workspace (FSL). As of October 8th, this lab will be a physical manifestation of those dreams. We are now building Rou Dalagurr.
Dr. Kaitlin Reed cuts the ribbon at the Rou Dalagurr Groundbreaking event on October 8, 2021.
This lab is dedicated to the research, practice and preservation of food sovereignty and traditional ecological knowledge. The purpose of the FSL is to provide an opportunity to work directly with the surrounding communities, tribal nations, and national and international scholars and community leaders to center, learn, and engage with Indigenous science, environmental management, and preservation practices. Our lab will build national and international connections that foreground Indigenous voices in rigorous academic research, publications and community-centered programming, connecting youth to higher education, policy development, economic development, and climate resiliency. As stated in the Declaration of Nyéléni, there are six proposed principles of food sovereignty: focusing on food for people, valuing food providers, localizing food systems, making decisions locally, building knowledge and skill, and working with nature. According to Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy and Dr. Kaitlin Reed, food sovereignty is also about centralizing Indigenous voices in how we collectively move forward in building sustainable food systems. Therefore, the revitalization of traditional food sources through Indigenous food sovereignty is critical to how we build food sovereignty in our region and beyond.
“Everyone working together on this, and making it happen. We need this, we need to bring back our foods, and traditional foods so we can be happy again.” ~ Ted Hernandez Over the past year the FSL’s Steering Committee has worked to raise over $250,000, securing funding from private donors, Humboldt Area Foundation, the Humboldt Energy Independence Fund and the Humboldt Health Foundation to assist with the initial remodeling phase of the lab. We have established a speakers series, film series, annual fundraising events, and will soon be starting an on-campus Indigenous plants garden. 7- Progress Report Fall 2021
GROUNDBREAKING The remodeling of the space began on October 8, 2021 with an expected opening date in Fall 2022. The groundbreaking included a ceremony with Chairman Ted Hernandez of the Wiyot Tribe, and remarks from HSU admin, Lab co-directors, HSU students & co-founders, and Steering Committee Members. The recorded event can be found on HSU’s Native American Studies’ Facebook page www.facebook.com/nasp. This permanent collaborative space will nurture proactive conversations regarding food sovereignty and security, and inspire active participation in writing policy to reform our food systems. In addition, our goals for the lab align perfectly with HSU’s polytechnic designation. According to the Polytechnic Prospectus, the university seeks to be a “model and leader for others across the country and globe”, and “believe[s] in working directly with tribal communities”. Rou Dalagurr will incorporate hands-on experience for students by training them to engage with tribal communities, while also appealing to students which will help with recruitment, enrollment, and retention through programs which will serve as a model to others throughout the world. Projects which are bringing us forward in our trajectory include building an operating endowment, funding an Endowed Chair of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Environmental Studies, funding youth camps and youth outreach programs, building an internship and community outreach program, establishing an interactive Indigenous food guide for California, and establishing an Indigenous foods festival. The interior of the lab will include a commercial kitchen and food processing space for basketry, art, regalia, and cultural practices. The exterior of the lab will include a salmon smoking pit, a Native plant and food garden including interpretive signage of Native plants, and basketry designs throughout the pathways and gardens. Such a space for community, Indigenous nations, and student collaboration will ethically center and amplify Indigenous leadership, knowledge, and land stewardship, transforming our communities and learning spaces and giving Humboldt an opportunity to experience the vibrancy and modern existence of Indigenous Peoples and cultures in our local area.
Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy, speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony held on October 8th, 2021.
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2021 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY LAB SPEAKER SERIES This book talk series featured presentations and discussions with authors from the month’s featured text: Indigenous Food Systems: Concepts, Cases, and Conversations -- an anthology edited by Priscilla Settee and Shailesh Shukla. Each week we heard from a contributor of the text and engaged in discussion. Each week, one lucky audience member won a copy of the book.
SESSION 1: Dr. Shailesh Shukla and Dr. Priscilla Settee (Book Overview) Session 1 focused on an overview of the book in discussion with the editors of the anthology. 'Indigenous Food Systems: Concepts, Cases, and Conversations' addresses the disproportionate levels of food-related health disparities among First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people in Canada, seeking solutions to food insecurity and promoting well-being for current and future generations of Indigenous people. Indigenous and non-Indigenous food practitioners and scholars document the voices and experiences of community members encountered in their research, thus promoting an understanding of the barriers and challenges to Indigenous food systems and presenting ways used to reclaim cultural identity and food sovereignty and counteract the colonial and ecologically destructive monopolization of food systems. The recording can be found on HSU NAS' youtube.
SESSION 2: Dr. Pawlowska-Mainville (Chapter 4) Dr. Pawlowska-Mainville discussed her chapter in the anthology, "Aki Miijim (Land Food) and the Sovereignty of the Asatiwisipe Anishinaabeg Boreal forest Food System: She discussed her orientation to the research, engagement with place, and wove stories into her discussion of the Boreal forest Food System and its intentional cultivation by the Asatiwisipe Anishinaabeg, their intricate interrelationships with their food landscape as well as intergenerational cutural knowledge and practices. The recording of session 2 can be found on Facebook here.
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2021 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY LAB SPEAKER SERIES SESSION 3: Dr. Tabitha Robin (Chapter 8)
With Professor Tabitha Robin we discussed 'Rebuilding Cultural Identity and Indigenous Food Sovereignty with Indigenous Youth through Traditional Food Access and Skills in the City'. The connection between poverty, marginalization, and urbanization to food insecurity is well-known across Canada; however, there is a significant research gap around understanding food sovereignty for Indigenous people in urban areas. Based on qualitative research in Winnipeg's north end, in partnership with the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre, this chapter examines how Indigenous people in the city access cultural or traditional food. For urban Indigenous peoples, who are often disconnected from land and culture, food provides a means to understand the larger social, political, and economic forces that have disrupted, shaped, and formed our current experiences with traditional food and culture. Rebuilding traditional food skills is about restoring relationships with food as well as identity. This chapter focuses on the transformative learning opportunities for these youth who engage in food skill building as part of Indigenous food sovereignty and how we need to grow our food like we grow our children: surrounded by culture, nurtured by stories, and learning by doing. The recording of session 3 is not available.
SESSION 4: Brielle Beaudin-Reimer (Chapter 13) With Brielle Beaudin-Reimer we discussed Chapter 13: 'Perspectives from Métis Harvesters in Manitoba on Concerns and Challenges to Sustaining Traditional Harvesting Practices and Knowledge: A Distinctions-Based Approach to Indigenous Food Sovereignty'. Many Métis people continue to take pride in their harvesting practices, which include hunting, gathering, fishing, gardening, and trapping of local resources from the environment. This chapter shares some of the unique perspectives of Métis harvesters on the topic of the future of Métis land-based food traditions and practices in Manitoba, with an emphasis on the importance of carving out a distinctions-based approach to the Indigenous food sovereignty framework. Specifically, this chapter reviews the concerns, challenges, and perspectives of Métis harvesters from the Manitoba Métis community on sustaining traditional harvesting practices and knowledge in Manitoba. The recording of session 4 can be found on Facebook here. 10- Progress Report Fall 2021
2022 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY LAB FILM SERIES- UPCOMING!
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CURRENT PROJECTS INDIGENOUS FOOD GUIDE Supported by a Native American Agricultural Fund (NAAF) grant, we will develop an Indigenous Food Guide, which will support and promote Indigenous food businesses and gardens. This will encourage tourism and create new market opportunities that support Native food practitioners, and producers. This will serve in part as a form of state and national marketing that will increase public awareness of Northern California Native food producers, food sovereignty programs, gardens, and farms. The Food Guide will be designed so that tourists can travel through the Northern California region and visit and support Native food producers through “Indigenous food tours” and excursions. We are aiming for this guide to be released in Fall 2023, including a robust website and printed version.
INDIGENOUS FOODS FESTIVAL Additionally funded by the NAAF grant will be an Indigenous Foods Festival, to begin in 2023, with a soft launch funded by the HSU Humboldt Energy Independence Fund (HEIF) in conjunction with the Food Summit in April 2022. The Indigenous Foods Festival will occur annually, and feature Indigenous food producers, building new market opportunities for current and future Native farmers, gardeners, producers, and practitioners. This will develop our local connections and increase public awareness of these producers through local marketing and engagement.
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM The Food Sovereignty Lab is implementing a robust internship program that will build connections, prepare youth for careers in agriculture, and further develop, transition, and transform Native food businesses for the next generation. We will have at least 5 interns per year who will be guided by our project team to propose, develop, and implement their own community-facing micro-programs and projects in partnership with a local tribal organization, tribal nation, or Native farmer or gardener. Students will learn project planning and development, budgeting, and implementation. We are working with our Steering Committee to develop the protocol, requirements, and application process for our interns, which will require previous engagement with the Native American Studies program and/or local tribal communities. This internship program is funded through the HSU Foundation for University Advancement and the NAAF grant. The first Food Sovereignty Lab interns will be recruited in Fall 2022.
INDIGENOUS GARDEN INSTALLATION @ CCAT The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) has donated six garden beds and the surrounding space to the Food Sovereignty Lab, which will become the Indigenous Garden Installation and Native Plant Landscape. Jonathan Alexander Gonzalez, Karen Conant, Karley Rojas, Lynsey Brydon, and OliviaRose Williams from NAS 331: Indigenous Natural Resource Management have been engaged with mapping the space, preparing it for planting, and planning infrastructure. This group is collaborating with the Wiyot Tribal community, and Indigenous farmers and gardeners to plan the plant species composition and implementation in this space. This will be a space which directly supports tribal communities in ongoing revitalization of traditional food practices and cultural knowledges, and in connecting knowledge holders and the next generation of Native food producers and practitioners. 12- Progress Report Fall 2021
STUDENT PROJECTS VIDEO SHORT: Valentina Dimas
The production of a short introductory video highlighting the work of students and faculty in regard to the Food Sovereignty Lab, intended for promotion and to drive excitement of the Lab. This short features the Groundbreaking Ceremony held on Oct. 8th, 2021, with contributions from Jonathan Alexander Gonzales and Luca Bisharat-Gunderson. Watch the video on NAS Youtube https://youtu.be/hoMhBi-Yz40
NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH INSTAGRAM: Veronica Amezola & Angel Ortiz Every day of November, these students featured "Did you know..." content on the CPH NAS instagram page, with topics focused on sustainability, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and environmental justice. This project made relevant and important information on Indigenous issues and management practices widely accessible to those who may not have been informed. Find the posts on our CPH NAS instagram, @hsu_nas.
INDIGENOUS WALKING TOUR OF CAL POLY HUMBOLDT: Toni Maggi-Brown, Makenna Dorney, Chris Ziliotto
This project started the process of creating an Indigenous Walking Tour of the Cal Poly Humboldt Campus, featuring resources and art relevant to Indigenous representation, in a precise and user friendly manner that educates people on resources available for Indigenous people on HSU and the cultural significance and ongoing presence of Indigenous people on HSU and the surrounding area. This group identified potential stops on the tour, compiled relevant information of those locations, and a map was created with those locations. This project will continue with the creation of an online component and brochure for self-guided tours, along with QR codes placed in these locations.
NATIVE AMERICAN FORUM OUTDOOR REMODEL: Kanan Kathleen Beissert, Jack McLaughlin, & Kalani Ortiz
This project began the process of designing and remodeling the space outside of the Native American Forum and Food Sovereignty Lab at Cal Poly Humboldt, named 'Wiyot Plaza'. This group has identified activities and the timeline for designing this space, has met with the Lab's Steering Committee, and will engage in collaboration with both the CPH and Wiyot communities in this process.
GRANT APPLICATION: Amelia Otto Cutting, Rae Basham, Liszet Burgueno, Gary Nabarrete
This project focused on identifying a grant and preparing application materials on behalf of the NAS Food Sovereignty Lab. The grant chosen was the Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is a multi-year support award for MSI’s that exhibit a passion for education and strong scientific research. This group focused on formulating and writing the letter of intent illustrating the proposed project to address climate and cultural resilience through a regional approach of researching land, coastal, and river resilience. They also structured a grant skeleton for the preliminary proposal 13- Progress Report Fall 2021
STUDENT PROJECTS: Volunteering for Potawot Students Christy Marks, Jasmin Torres, and Ceshawny Crosby from NAS 331: Indigenous Natural Resource Management engaged with the opportunity to volunteer at Potawot Community Food Garden at United Indian Health Services (UIHS). This involved harvesting and helping with whatever needed to be done on a particular day. Christy Marks discussed how in their time with the garden they helped make apple juice, harvested veggies, and picked apples. Christy says that "Volunteering at Potawot has been a great opportunity to get to know more about United Indian Health Services and see how beneficial and amazing Potawot Flier from Potawot Community Garden's Facebook is to the community. Community nutrition is a big part of UIHS, and Potawot is a main contributor in community nutrition". Jasmin describes activities such as stripping strawberry beds from mulch and plastic to plant new strawberry plants with their brother, setting up a drive-thru Halloween event, and even making jams. Jasmin was very appreciative of the hospitality of the folx at UIHS, and what a sense of community was created in this work. Ceshawny was also amazed with the experience, and engaged with harvesting apples straight from trees- something they had never done before. They describe the apples as having been so sweet, a variety named Black Arkansas, with meat that turns red as it is exposed to air. An employee of the garden shared a story with Ceshawny's group of volunteers after seeing crows chasing a barn owl around the trees, "about how the birds got their colors and why Crow is always jealous of others. It was a great story because it explained why crows act aggressively towards other birds". Filled with enriching experiences that allowed the students to learn more about food landscapes and the amazing community work that supports them, and entering into a relationship with both new and beloved foods, these youth highly recommend volunteering at Potawot Community Food Garden. If you are interested in becoming a dedicated volunteer with the garden, contact Ed Mata or Christine Griffin at (707) 601-6282 to set up your volunteer times.
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Rou Dalagurr in the NEWS! Cortez, M. “HSU Indigenous food sovereignty lab could be first of its kind in state”. Times Standard, Oct. 12, 2021. https://www.times-standard.com/2021/10/12/hsu-indigenous-food-sovereignty-lab-could-be-first-of-its-kind-in-state/ Henrikson, C; Ferreira, E; Tully, C; McDonald, A; Risling Baldy, C. “Building Wiyot Plaza: From Dream to Reality; Native American Studies Students & Faculty Creating Food Sovereignty Lab and Cultural Workspace at HSU.” 04/15/2021. Humboldt & Del Norte Community Food Guide, Apr. 15, 2021. https://cooperationhumboldt.com/building-wiyot-plaza/ “HSU Indigenous food sovereignty lab could be first of its kind in state”. N Opera News, reprinted from Times Standard, Nov. 2021. https://www.dailyadvent.com/news/54f82b2a94eca98522183a3c9016643e-HSU-Indigenous-foodsovereignty-lab-could-be-first-of-its-kind-in-state Kemp, K. “HSU NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES FOOD SOVEREIGNTY LAB & CULTURAL WORKSHOP SPACE CELEBRATE $80,000 GRANT, BEGIN RAISING $250,000 TO BUILD A LAB”. Redheaded Blackbelt: News, Nature, and Community throughout the Emerald Triangle, Dec. 2, 2020. https://kymkemp.com/2020/12/02/hsu-native-american-studies-foodsovereignty-lab-cultural-workshop-space-celebrate-80000-grant-begin-raising-250000-to-build-a-lab/ “Native American Studies Department breaks ground on Food Sovereignty Lab”. The Lumberjack, Oct. 21, 2021. https://thelumberjack.org/2021/10/21/native-american-studies-department-breaks-ground-on-food-sovereignty-lab/ Montalvo, M. “Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movements Are Taking Back Ancestral Land”. Civil Eats, Mar. 31, 2021. https://civileats.com/2021/03/31/indigenous-food-sovereignty-movements-are-taking-back-ancestral-land/ “New Food Sovereignty Lab will Promote Research, Indigenous Representation, Tribal Collaboration”. Humboldt State Now, Mar. 14, 2021. http://now.humboldt.edu/news/new-food-sovereignty-lab-will-promote-research-indigenousrepresentation-tr/ “New food sovereignty lab will help to promote Indigenous Representation at Humboldt State University”. Redwood News, Apr. 22, 2021. https://kiem-tv.com/2021/03/22/new-food-sovereignty-lab-will-help-to-promote-indigenous-representationat-humboldt-state-university/ Opalach, J. “Humboldt State’s Food Sovereignty Lab, ‘Rou Dalagurr,’ Will Uplift Indigenous Food and Culture”. Lost Coast Outpost, Oct. 12, 2021. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/oct/13/humboldt-states-food-sovereignty-lab-rou-dalagurr/ Rojas, K; Tully, C. “Rou Dalagurr: Food Sovereignty Lab & Cultural Workspace Breaks Ground”. The Northcoast Environmental Center, Oct. 21, 2020. https://www.yournec.org/rou-dalagurr-food-sovereignty-lab-cultural-workspacebreaks-ground/
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FUNDRAISING GRANTS (2021) Native American Agricultural Fund (NAAF)- $118,000 The Lab was recently awarded this grant from the Native American Agricultural Fund to host a yearly Indigenous food festival; create a Northern California Indigenous food guide that promotes Indigenous food businesses and gardens, and provide hands-on educational activities.
Humboldt Energy Independence Fund (HEIF)- $13,500 The Lab was recently awarded a HEIF grant as part of the larger Food Summit 2022 project The primary goal of the Food Summit is to generate awareness of the BIPOC contributions and knowledge of food and discuss how the CPH community can build food resiliency and equity. This grant will allow a soft launch of the Indigenous Foods Festival in April 2022.
RECENT DONATIONS Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria- $100,000 Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, a tribe of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo groups serving Marin and Sonoma counties, recently donated $100,000 to Rou Dalagurr: NAS Food Sovereignty Lab at CPH for the continued growth of this student designed, tribally led project.
Leah B. Thibault- $60,000 Leah B. Thibault donated $60,000 to the Food Sovereignty Lab through the newly created Batt Ingram Memorial Fund in memory of her parents and grandparents, both of which are CPH alumni.
DONATE! $2 50 ,00 0
To give to the NAS Food Sovereignty Lab and Cultural Workspace, visit:
hsu.link/foodsovlab
16- Progress Report Fall 2021
Budget Update We strive to be transparent to our community donors and investors with our ongoing budget planning and expenditures. When you donate to the lab you help to support our ongoing project; student internships; student employment; and community partnerships.
Funds (Raised/Secured)
Expenditures (August 2021 - January 2022)
Humboldt Energy Independence Fund: $80,000
Research Assistant (Undergraduate): $3,000
NAS Donation Drive/ Go Fund Me (2021): $31,982.50
Food Sovereignty Speakers Series: $2700
Humboldt Area Foundation: $25,000
Marketing/Hospitality: $950
Wild Rivers Foundation: $25,000
Planned Expenditures (February- July 2022)
Humboldt Health Foundation: $5,000
Research Assistants (Undergraduate & Graduate): $6,000
*Funded by NAS Department
*Funded by NAS Department
*50% funded by NAAF Grant
CARES: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF): $70,000 Leah Thibault- Batt Ingram Memorial: $60,000
Food Sovereignty Film Series: $900 *Funded by NAS Department
Indigenous Foods Festival (April 2022): $13,500* *Funded by HEIF Grant
Graton Rancheria: $100,000
Capital Expenditures (February - Oct 2022)
Native American Agricultural Fund Grant: $118,945.04
Estimate for lab remodel: $247,566.87
HEIF: $13,500 (Indigenous Foods Festival)
Expected opening for the lab: October 2022!
17- Progress Report Fall 2021
THANK YOU DONORS! Recent Donors September 2021- January 2022
$500 + Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria Sunrise Rotary Club of Arcata Margaret and Steven Lang
Alyson Hunter Amelia Vergel de Dios Anonymous April Anson Christina and Stephen Huff Dance For Change Dr. Shawna Young Erin and Randy Kelly Gabriel Garcia John and Carolyn Meyer Kaci Radcliffe Kallie Gregg Kiera Brown Lauren Enriquez Mary Jager Meridith Oram North Coast Cooperative, Inc. Rouhollah Aghasleh Sheila Rocker Heppe Steven Kalogeras Susan Olsin Terra Pearson Terria Smith William Bauer
To give to the NAS Food Sovereignty Lab and Cultural Workspace, visit:
hsu.link/foodsovlab
18- Progress Report Fall 2021
CAL POLY HUMBOLDT DEPARTMENT OF NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES
ROU DALAGURR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY LAB & CULTURAL WORKSPACE
FALL
2021