Ramp Up your English

RUE Episode 118: Food

Food and water are what make life possible for all of us. This episode focusses on the role of food in Native American life and culture.

The White Deer Dance – an example of the spiritual aspect of sourcing food.
Food gathering is still practiced by Native Americans. Yurok in California continue to exercise their treaty rights by fishing for salmon.
In the Pacific Northwest, the salmon forms the base of the diet for numerous indigenous people. Salmon also plays a central role in spiritual life.
On the Trinity River, Hupa Indians fish for salmon.
Elk provide critical protein for Native Americans. Hunters are careful to thank and respect the sacrifice of such animal people for feeding their people.
Camas roots provide critical nutrition for Native Americans in the western United States. The roots are dried and stored for winter use as food.

Watching Episode 118

Episode 118 is now running on RVTV’s Public Access Channel. It’s also on archive.org. Click here to watch Episode 118 of Ramping Up your English.

Episode 118 Summary

In this episode of Ramping Up your English, we again look at American Indian lifeways – this time at the foods that sustained the many, various tribes throughout North America. Issues like Native Food Sovereignty, access, healthy diet, seasonal rounds, and other aspects of food gathering, processing, and consumption are explored. Emphasis is on Native people living in Southern Oregon and Northern California.

Videos Used in this Episode

The Native American Series Part 128: Native American Food is the featured video in this episode. Click here to see the video. A longer, less edited version of the featured video is available to watch. Click here to see the extended version.

Links to Outside Videos

Click here for a video of Grand Ronde fishing at Willamette Falls. Click here to watch Return of the Salmon about salmon in Alaska. Click here for a video about the sockeye salmon of Bristol Bay in Alaska. Salmon is an important food source for Native Americans in Southern Oregon; yet dams built across the Rogue river have reduced their numbers. Click here to learn about the removal of Savage Rapids Dam and how that has affected the health of this revered stream. Click here to see Camas: Sacred Food of the Nez Perce. Click here for another video about Oregon’s Wild Camas. Click here to watch Beavers and Salmon, the link between beavers and salmon populations. Click here to see a CBS production about Yellowstone Bison. Click here to see how the City of Denver released buffalo to indigenous Tribes of the Great Plains. Click here to learn about Northwest Traditional Foods.

Homework/Extension

Extend your learning by researching what indigenous people in your area consider traditional food and how their diets have changed over time. Write a paragraph or two about what you learn. Some elements you’ll want to include are:

Sourcing

Details of hunting and gathering

How far they range to hunt and gather

Collective efforts to obtain food

How geography and climate determine food

The role of trade

Methods of processing and preparation

Ceremonial foods

Spiritual aspect of animals and lants used as food

Food taboos

These are just a few ideas. Choose what interests you the most. Remember to use commas when making a list. Also remember conjucntions like:

Also

As well as

And

In addition to

Write a brief report and then read it out-loud. Correct any mistakes you hear, then read it again. It’s good to get the language on your tongue.

Episode 119

Our next episode continues our exploration of Native American life-ways; this time looking at American Indian homes. Click here to visit the Episode 119 page.