By Michela Gritti
On Thursday, November 6, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke hosted the 17th Annual Honoring Native Foodways event in the UC Annex, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event gave students, faculty, and staff a chance to learn about Indigenous traditions through food and community engagement.
The gathering opened with a prayer, and a ticket system helped guide people through the different food stations. The menu included many healthy indigenous foods, such as Deer Chili, Elk Chili, Deer Sausage, Sweet Potato Bread, Cornbread, Black Rice Salad, Corn Salad and Salsa, Cabbage, Collards, Potato Salad, Quinoa, and other snacks like Tortilla Chips, Popcorn, Cookies, and Trail Mixes. Blue Cross Blue Shield served a winter root vegetable soup, and Student Health Services shared Lavender Lemonade.
All the food was cooked and brought to the Annex by local volunteers, helped by student who offered their support in the event.
The event also included health and research opportunities. Scotland County Health Care offered health checks, and Student Health Services provided general health information. A survey available through a QR code asked participants to share their thoughts on food waste as part of a larger project about how ancestors accessed clean and healthy food without modern modifications, and what the Lumber community can do today to get closer to those practices.
Speaking about the importance of the event, Lydia Mansfield said, “I think an event like this provides our students with connections to our Indigenous traditions and heritage when we might be far from home or away from our families.”
Students from the REACH program were also present to share their academic work. REACH is a program for students interested in graduate school and careers in academia. At the event, REACH students displayed their research boards and a book of historical photos. They encouraged members of the UNCP community to look through the images and help identify anyone they recognized, allowing the community to directly support ongoing research.
Overall, the Foodways event brought people together to enjoy traditional foods, learn more about Indigenous culture, and support student research.