Our packed schedule unfortunately doesn’t allow enough time to make it everywhere, but we were able to squeeze in a quick trip to western New York State where we are holding two events with the Seneca at Irving on Tuesday, July 15th and Wednesday, July 16th.
The Reconnecting the Tribal Trade Routes Roadtrip has traveled thousands of miles through sixteen different states on its way to reaching Washington state where we will be setup this week for the ANTI (Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians) meeting. Along the way, we’ve introduced traditional Tribal food products into different Tribes and picked up a variety of new products. Hundreds of people have attended our market events, and we’ve also provided technical assistance by helping to spread awareness of numerous assistance programs and address specific issues.
Roadtrip Route through February 18th
Here are links to the other portions of the roadtrip:
The California portion of the Reconnecting the Tribal Trade Routes Roadtrip made numerous stops with outreach meetings and market events in numerous communities, including Soboba, Chumash, Tule River, the USDA State Offices in Davis, Yocha Dehe, and Coyote Valley. Click this link to read the full story on the California portion of the trip.
California Route
This portion of the trip has been more focused on outreach than products, but we did have a couple good market events and brought out the products at most of our stops.
Crowded at the USDA State Offices
We also added some new products to our inventory with the Yocha Dehe Tribe’s Seka Hills product line of olive oils. Their operation, which also includes vineyards, livestock, and vegetables, is impressive.
Seka Hills Olive Oil
As in most of region’s on this trip, a couple more weeks (at least) in California would have been nice, but we had a tight timeline to get north to Washington for the ATNI meeting, so our route went north pretty quickly after Friday’s meetings in Coyote Valley. However, we did get a little time in the redwoods and some nice views of the Pacific Ocean and its coastline.
Redwoods
The Arizona portion of the Reconnecting the Tribal Trade Routes Roadtrip is currently underway. We visited Dine College on the Navajo Reservation on Tuesday, February 4th and White Mountain Apache on Wednesday, February 5th. Next up are a visit to Tohono O’odham Community Action (TOCA) on Thursday and a market event at their cafe on Friday, February 7th before another market event at Native Seed SEARCH in Tucson on Saturday.
Arizona Route
Amazing Sunset on the Navajo Reservation
And also check out the stories on other portions of our trip from Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. California and the Pacific Northwest are following Arizona.
New Mexico
Check out the New Mexico page for the full story of the New Mexico portion of the Reconnecting the Tribal Trade Routes Roadtrip.
Blue Corn at Joe Jaramillo’s Native Naturals Farm, Iselta Pueblo
Navajo, White Mountain/San Carlos Apache, and Tohono O’dham are up next at the beginning of February before we head through California on the way to the ANTI meeting and additional stops in the Pacific Northwest. Please (dan at indianaglink.com) if you would like to try scheduling a visit.
The route through Oklahoma was brief but successful, and new connections were made. We’re hoping to make another trip back at some point.
Louisiana > Oklahoma > (through Texas) > New Mexico
We’re very excited about adding Beidre chocolates to the inventory. While Beidre doesn’t involve agricultural production (at least not yet since we did discuss the possibility of using Tribally-produced pecans), it is a great example of how Tribal food industry can promote economic development and create local jobs.
Finding New Suppliers
The first leg of the “Reconnecting the Tribal Trade Routes Roadtrip” kicked off in mid-December with product pick-ups and left for Louisiana in early January. This overall effort is crossing the country on an effort to build awareness of unique Tribal food products and build new connections among Indian Nations, as well as providing direct technical support along the way. Check the page to learn more about this initial leg of the trip.
Minnesota to Louisiana via Wisconsin
It’s impossible to leave Louisiana without the deep impression of how friendly and welcoming the people and communities are to visitors like ourselves. In the face of such challenges, these communities continue to thrive and work toward a prosperous future.
Captain and His Boat
The Mobile Farmers Market van is working to build awareness of unique Tribal food products through a “Reconnecting the Tribal Trade Routes Roadtrip” from January through March. In addition to selling and featuring various items, are looking to purchase products along the way, so please get in touch (dan@indianaglink.com) if you are interested in having your products featured as part of this effort.
We are also using this trip as an outreach opportunity to spread awareness of USDA and other assistance programs, as well as providing technical support. We’ll also be telling the story of Tribal producers and Native communities along the way, so please check back to learn more.
Roadtrip Map
Native Food Network 