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STRIVE: Summer Training to Revive Indigenous Vision and Empowerment

Research guide for the group project of HD 119: STRIVE

STRIVE Hero

STRIVE Logo
2020

Final Project

For the STRIVE Final Project, students will work in assigned groups of 3-4 (with the help of a college mentor) to create a recipe and presentation about one of their tribe’s First Foods. They will select a First Food that their tribe has relied on, which can ideally be harvested during STRIVE. They will then research their First Food, answering the following questions:

  • Describe the relationship your tribe has with this food. What significance does it hold? Is it used in particular ceremonies?
  • What other tribes rely or relied on this food? How was this food traded among various tribes?
  • How did your tribe harvest and prepare this food before colonization? Has this changed today? Why?

Lastly, students will ask elders, family, or community members about how this food is harvested and prepared, and then write out a recipe describing the process. If possible, at least one member of the group will then harvest and prepare the First Food according to the recipe.

Each member of the group is expected to participate in the project, and the group must turn in their written research in order to receive credit. Each group will be expected to present their research and recipe at the closing dinner celebration. 

Background Research

If prompted, sign in with your COCC email and password to view these library resources about First Foods of the Pacific Northwest.

Wapato from Wikimedia Commons

Confluence Library: First Foods (Multiple Stories)

The Confluence Project is a nonprofit that collaborates with Northwest tribes to create art installations in public parks along the Columbia River. Their website also offers useful articles about ecology and history, including spotlights on First Foods.

Food of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans Video

Food of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans (Video)

This video examines the diet of Pacific Northwest native Americans in detail, describing the variety of fish, shellfish, and whale Northwest Native Americans ate and the various tools used to hunt.

Book cover of American Indian Contributions to the World: Food, Farming, and Hunting

How American Indians Cooked and What They Ate (Article)

This excerpt from American Indian Contributions to the World: Food, Farming, and Hunting covers cooking methods and equipment used in American Indian cuisine.

Aligning environmental management with ecosystem resilience: a First Foods example from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon, USA (Article)

This article from the academic journal Ecology and Society describes how the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation take a "First Foods" management approach to preserve natural resources.

Modern Cuisine

All COCC students can register for free one-year accounts to read the New York Times.

First follow the instructions on this Library Apps guide to create your account. Then you can read the article below, plus millions of others in the New York Times going back to the 1800s! You can also download the free phone app to keep up with the daily news.

Sean Sherman, founder of The Sioux Chef

Sean Sherman's 10 Essential Native American Recipes (Article)

The founder of The Sioux Chef, a company devoted to Indigenous foods, created recipes to showcase tribal diversity across the lower 48 states. This interview includes 10 modern recipes that use wild grains and berries, root vegetables, fish, bison, and poultry.

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This guide by COCC Barber Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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