Indigenous Foodways: Food and Seed Sovereignty (Horticulture 380)

Indigenous Foodways: Food and Seed Sovereignty (Horticulture 380) examines historical, legal, biological, and social perspectives on native foods, particularly of the Midwestern U.S. We examine how settler colonialism and subsequent agricultural practices have impacted food and seed sovereignty in the region, in part by studying the practices of different midwestern tribes and the environment in which they live and work. We take a particularly deep look into human health as we examine both the traditional food system and the one that has developed following European settlement and agricultural development of the Midwest. We look at current efforts to reclaim more traditional foodways in an effort to improve public health and economic opportunity, and we discuss how the right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through sustainable methods is an increasingly important part of these efforts. We study how tribes and other citizens define their own food and agricultural systems and examine the foods, particularly the crops, that are at the heart of these systems. We have traditionally provided opportunities for students to have hands-on activities such as cooking with indigenous foods, tapping maple trees for syrup, and learning about spearfishing on the ice on Lake Mendota. Citizens Advisory Council member Dan Cornelius of the UW Law School and CIAS faculty associate Irwin Goldman of the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences are the instructors. The course is taught in spring semester and is 2 credits. It meets Tuesdays from 3:30pm-5:30pm. 

Find more details including prerequisites here.