For millennia, Native food systems nourished communities and cultures. From farming to fishing to harvesting wild rice, these food traditions are diverse and rich, molded and shaped by the geographies on which Tribal people lived. Federal policies disrupted these food systems and lifeways, contributing to present-day food insecurity and poor health outcomes.

After being forced onto reservations, Native communities had to forge new lives in the face of seismic disruption.  To nominally honor treaty obligations, the federal government began distributing rations to Tribal communities in the 1800s. Ration foods were often unhealthy and aimed to prevent starvation rather than provide adequate nutrition.

Diabetes was rare among Native peoples before 1940 and many Tribes had no word for diabetes prior to European arrival. Government rations and commodity distribution strongly continue to contribute to the obesity and diabetes epidemics that Native communities are currently fighting.  

About one in four Native Americans experience food insecurity compared to one in nine Americans overall. Food insecurity on the White Earth Indian Reservation, like in many other Indigenous communities, has had profound and far-reaching outcomes that impact individuals, families, and the community.

Some of the outcomes of food insecurity on the White Earth Indian Reservation include:

Malnourishment, health Issues, hunger and stress, educational challenges for children, economic strain, food deserts, cultural Impacts, community well-being, increased health care costs, and interconnected challenges.

With this project there is so much opportunity for communities to come together to address these issues through initiatives like farming co-ops, community gardens, and food sovereignty projects.