Putting Tribal Sovereignty in Food Sovereignty
In a recent feature by KOSU, Carly Griffith Hotvedt (Cherokee Nation), Executive Director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative (IFAI), shared insights on the challenges and resilience of Tribal food systems amid federal funding uncertainty. “[T]ribes are working very hard to reclaim … traditional food ways — to incorporate our food practices and our food culture, … and really make sure that we are eating in a way that is healthy,” Hotvedt said, emphasizing the importance of culturally rooted nutrition and food sovereignty.
The article highlights the Osage Nation’s Butcher House Meats, a Tribally operated meat processing facility located in a food desert, which continues to serve both Tribal and non-Tribal communities despite disruptions in federal support. It also explores how federal grant cancellations and workforce reductions have left Tribal food programs in limbo, with limited transparency and data from government agencies.
Hotvedt also underscored the broader movement among Tribal Nations to reclaim traditional foodways, improve health outcomes, and build sustainable food infrastructure through initiatives like greenhouses, buffalo meat distribution, and community partnerships.