A Leader’s Guide to the Food Culture of the Native American Plateau Cultural Area for 5th-8th Graders. Topics include: Salmon, Plants of the Plateau, Berries and Other Fruits of the Forest, and Roots.
Objectives
Youth will
- Learn about native foods of the Pacific Northwest
- Safely prepare, preserve, store and serve some of these foods
- Learn about healthy eating and the importance of being active
- Make tools and utensils used to harvest and preserve native foods
4-H Native Foods Curriculum
None available from National at this time.
Washington 4-H Records, Forms, and Guides
For youth members
Coming soon!
For adult helpers and club leaders
EB1966E- Leader’s Guide to Native Foods: Linking the Past with the Present
State Foods & Nutrition Project Resources
State Global Citizenship Project Resources
Helpful Resources
Activity Ideas
The Indigenous Winter Pantry: Recipes for Today’s Kitchen
An article on various indigenous food traditions that includes a few recipes to try.
Washington Specific Reference Material
- First Foods: How Native people are revitalizing the natural nourishment of the Pacific Northwest
- Pacific Northwest History and Cultures: Why Do the Foods We Eat Matter?
- A Selection of Pacific Northwest Native Plants: Traditional and Modern Harvest and Use: A Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Publication (PDF)
- Tribal Salmon Culture: Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
- Cedar Box Teaching Toolkit: Created by the Muckleshoot Traditional Foods Program with funding from the First Nations Development Institute & the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (PDF)
- Farm to ECE: Tribal Traditional Food and Foodways – Washington State Farm to School Network
- This site contains a list of curriculum and resources for teaching Native food and traditional preparation, health education, and culture.
- Tribal and Traditional Foods Video Links from the Washington State Farm to School Network (PDF)
- Indigenous Foods – National Indian Council on Aging, Inc.
- Revitalizing Northwest Coastal Indian Food Culture through Food Sovereignty – Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies
- Food Sovereignty Initiatives by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
- See the resources menu halfway down the page.
- How some Northwest tribes cultivate land for First Foods, traditional medicines
Other Reference Material
From 4-H Programs
Native American 4-H History: National 4-H History Preservation Program
From Related Organizations, Journals, and Professionals
Why Food Sovereignty Matters: U.S. Department of the Interior – Indian Affairs
There’s no universal definition for food sovereignty, but it can be described as the ability of communities to determine the quantity and quality of the food that they consume by controlling how their food is produced and distributed.
Food sovereignty initiatives like farm-to-table and farm-to-school programs are important for the long-term health, economic stability, and cultural preservation of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.Land Conservation Through Native Foods