Progress 06/30/17 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience members reached through the activities of the project duration include enrolled members of the Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, Shoshone Bannock, and Crow tribe. In addition, some members of the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) advisory and attendees at Indigenous plants/foods collection and processing events included non-Native American Wyoming residents. Multiple media outlets shared stories of the RSAFG work in the community during this reporting period, leading to contacts and requests from other tribal communities to learn more about the group's work to reclaim traditional foods. Other tribal communities and advocates working with Indigenous plants/foods were also targeted in efforts to promote ancestral food reclamation and food sovereignty. Changes/Problems:In-person community gatherings and plant collection events were limited between March 2020 and April 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The RSAFG advisory continued to meet virtually, but efforts to engage community members were limited. These challenges continued throughout 2021 as pandemic health guidance on the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR) impacted in-person gatherings and sharing of the work of the RSAFG and UW partners. Additionally, time constraints related to working with a community group and dual-IRB (UW and the Rocky Mountain Tribal-IRB) impacted, and continues to impact, the speed at which results are formally shared through publication. The priority of the RSAFG is to share the work of the group in a way that is most useful to the community. This means we have worked together to share information in an accessible way (photo/recipe book, website, traditional plant database). Formal scientific publications will be forthcoming but did not occur extensively during the duration of the funded project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided opportunities for the PI and community members to receive education on Indigenous plants and foods - how they contributed to health through Indigenous diets, where to find and collect Shoshone plants/foods, and how to process and preserve them. Included in these opportunities was a specific training provided by Lakota chef Sean Sherman on "decolonizing the American diet". The PI and several Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) advisory members were able to attend this training in July 2019. This project also allowed for professional development of the PI, members of the RSAFG group, the Eastern Shoshone Business Council (ESBC), and University of Wyoming (UW) Office of the General Counsel as we finalized a Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the ESBC and UW. Through the process of creating the Data Use & Sharing Agreement, we received guidance and feedback from a representative with the Treaty Council, Sixth World, Economic and Social Council General Consultant for United Nations. This project also offered training and skills in community-based participatory research to the PI and to community partners. Information gathered as part of this project resulted in free classes and remotely accessible materials on Indigenous plants (through the website and traditional plant database) to the community and other tribal communities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project activities and results were shared with enrolled Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho community members from the WRIR, other tribal members who reside on the WRIR or in Fremont County in WY (Shoshone Bannock, Crow, etc), and WY residents across the state. Methods of dissemination include community meetings, flyers, email announcements, media coverage, formal presentations, and community and scientific publications. Information about Indigenous plants and foods from elder focus groups, interviews, and community meetings was shared through community events (e.g. informational dinner), the photo/recipe book (distributed in the community and posted on the RSAFG website), and the traditional plant database. Additional community events to share the photo/recipe book and traditional plant database are planned when pandemic health guidance on the WRIR allows larger in-person gatherings. Elder focus groups and the RSAFG contributed to the creation of menus providing 50% of calories from Shoshone foods. These menus, and nutrition education handouts for participants, were disseminated as part of the RCT. The RSAFG group, in collaboration with UW partners, published an open access paper on the academic partnership and community based participatory research which was published in a targeted journal edition on "Land & Cultural Dispossession & Resistance: Afrodescendent and Indigenous Peoples in the Americas" to further reach tribal communities and advocates working with Indigenous plants/foods. Additional formal, open-access, published dissemination is planned and currently in progress. Any disseminated information is governed by the Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the ESBC and UW. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Building understanding of the use and value of Indigenous and traditional plants/foods can assist communities with reclaiming traditional foods and health. Insights into nutritional quality of foods and community efforts to increase use of traditional foods can provide information for future goals related to improving dietary patterns and health outcomes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Objective 1: To identify the nutrient profile of Indigenous and traditional plants/foods, collection locations were identified using the Rocky Mountain Herbarium database and guidance from the National Forest Service (NFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Travel to the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR) and other locations for plant collection, acquisition of permits for collection on the WRIR (for non-Native partners) and for NFS and BLM lands, and collection of plant samples for analysis were completed during each year of the project. After collection, plants were freeze-dried and stored for nutrient analysis. Plants identified for analysis (biscuitroot, sego lily bulbs, yampah roots, and whitebark pine nuts) were analyzed by the USDA ARS Human Nutrition Research Center. Additional traditional plants/foods were collected and processed with the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering [RSAFG] community group on the WRIR including bitterroot, chokecherries, Hawthorne berries, fireweed, limber pine nuts, wild mint, wild onions, and bison/elk/deer. The RSAFG and elder focus groups identified plants and animals considered traditional Shoshone foods. With the RSAFG, community members preserved traditional foods through drying, freezing, and packaging as tea. Indigenous foods evaluated in this project demonstrate the nutrient density of traditional foods, including as a rich source of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, lean protein, and healthy fats. Objective 2: The nutrient profile of biscuitroot, sego lily bulbs, yampah root, and whitebark pine nuts were analyzed and compared to reference foods. Other collected plants and animals (bitterroot, chokecherries, Hawthorne berries, fireweed, limber pine nuts, wild mint, wild onions, and bison/elk/deer) were compared to reference foods as able. From these comparisons, menus and nutrition education handouts were developed and shared with the RSAFG and community members. Menus were developed for the RCT "Reclaiming indigenous food and health: a pilot RCT on health impacts of sovereign nation diets" with 50% of calories coming from Shoshone foods. Caloric value of Shoshone foods was estimated using available databases. Nutrient contribution of Shoshone foods provided to participants was compared to typical Westernized diet, with Indigenous foods providing higher dietary fiber content, lean protein, and healthy fats. Objective 3 and 4: Information about the past and present use and cultural value of Indigenous plants/foods was gathered throughout the duration of this funded project. The work of the RSAFG (which includes partnership with University of Wyoming [UW] researchers) supports grassroots efforts to improve use and understanding of traditional foods, including in an advisory capacity for formal research. Gathered, processed, and preserved Shoshone foods were provided to community participants in the RCT "Reclaiming indigenous food and health: a pilot RCT on health impacts of sovereign nation diets". The PI's role as a member of the RSAFG included coordinating group meeting dates and locations (including plant collection sites and required permits), meeting notes/minutes, grant management, pursuing and maintaining dual-IRB approvals for any group activities that involve human subject research, leading focus groups and individual interviews with tribal elders, implementing the RCT to measure the health impacts of a 50% Shoshone diet, gathering and analyzing data, working with the RSAFG advisory to share about the project and results, hiring community members from the WRIR as able to build capacity, and managing provision of information to the Eastern Shoshone Business Council (ESBC) and UW leadership in order to build community engagement and collaboration. Formal data collected throughout the project includes focus groups and interviews with tribal elders, identification and collection of Indigenous plants/foods from locations on the WRIR and on NFS/BLM lands in Wyoming, and biometric/survey/lab data from participants in the RCT. All formal data collection followed the approval of a Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the ESBC and the UW. Data from focus groups and interviews guided plant collection/processing/preservation, the development of a photo/recipe book, and information about Indigenous plants/foods for a website/traditional plant database. Data collection and analysis for biometric/survey/lab data was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic so is on-going and not available to present in this final report. Objective 5: This funded project has supported and moved the work of reclaiming Indigenous foods forward over the last 5 years. Identification of plant types, locations, and collection occurred throughout the duration of the project. Community members from the WRIR came together to work with the gathered plants/foods (including tea making, chokecherry drying, deer processing, biscuitroot grinding and flour making). The gathered, processed, and preserved Shoshone foods were provided to community participants in the RCT "Reclaiming indigenous food and health: a pilot RCT on health impacts of sovereign nation diets". Community members have been involved with every collection and preservation of Indigenous plants/food event. In addition, WRIR community and regional media efforts have included specific stories highlighting the efforts of the collaborative work between the RSAFG group and UW partners. Through this work, knowledge and consumption of Indigenous foods has been promoted among tribal community members. Collaborative efforts between WRIR community partners and UW to reclaim Indigenous foods and health began in 2016 and continue today. Despite the challenges of in-person interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, the RSAFG advisory group (including the PI) continued to meet virtually, in grassroots efforts to improve use and understanding of traditional foods. The group worked to share results of their work with the WRIR community through a photo/recipe book, open access paper sharing the process and partnership between a community organization (RSAFG) and academic partner (UW), and a traditional foods database. We are also working to share results of the study with the community, other tribal communities, and advocates/researchers working to reclaim Indigenous diets to promote health. The story and work of ancestral food reclamation and food sovereignty is echoed in other tribal communities. While there has been great loss and decline in gathering and consumption of traditional foods, there is also great hope for reclaiming and preserving knowledge for future generations. There are many projects and ongoing efforts globally and in many tribal communities to reclaim traditional foods as part of food sovereignty efforts. This funding supported positive and respectful partnerships between tribal community partners and academic researchers to work towards food sovereignty and reclamation of ancestral foods.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Keith, J. (2017). Assessing the value of indigenous plant foods in Wyoming. Rocky Mountain (RM) Herbarium, RM Friends Newsletter.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Photo/Recipe book (scrapbook) - 2021
Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Foods: Gathering, Processing, and Preserving Shoshone Foods. Photo/recipe book created in collaboration with community partners from the Wind River reservation (the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering [RSAFG] group). The book is not for sale commercially and all copies (for community members only at this time) have been supported by grant funds.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Website and Traditional Plant Database - 2021
Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Foods website: https://restoring-shoshone-ancestral-food.org/
- Includes traditional plant database with YouTube videos of information from the RSAFG ethnobotanist. The database, including pictures, data, and uploaded videos (time points matched to all the evaluated plants) was supported by INBRE, USDA, and EPSCoR grant funds.
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Foods website: https://restoring-shoshone-ancestral-food.org/
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Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience members reached through the activities of this project during this reporting period include some enrolled members of the Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, Shoshone Bannock, and Crow tribe. In addition, some members of the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) advisory and attendees at community meetings focused on indigenous plants/foods include Wyoming residents. Finally, multiple media outlets shared stories of the RSAFG work in the community during this reporting period, leading to contacts and requests from other tribal communities to learn more about the group's work to reclaim traditional foods. Changes/Problems:Ongoing community gatherings, in person, were limited between March and October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This impacted community member's gathering plants together as well. The RSAFG advisory has continued to meet virtually, but efforts to engage community members has been limited. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided opportunities for the PI and community members to receive education on indigenous plants and foods - how they contributed to health through indigenous diets, where to find and collect Shoshone foods, and how to process and preserve them. Through the process of creating the Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the Eastern Shoshone Business Council and University of Wyoming, we received guidance and feedback from a representative with the Treaty Council, Sixth World, Economic and Social Council General Consultant for United Nations. This project has also offered training and skills in community-based participatory research (CBPR) to the PI and to community partners.Information gathered as part of this project has resulted in free classes to the community on traditional plants. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results from elder focus groups and community meetings contributed to the creation of menus providing 50% of calories from Shoshone foods. These menus, and nutrition education handouts for participants, were disseminated as part of the RCT. Formal, published dissemination is currently in progress. Any disseminated information is governed by the Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the ESBC and UW. A photo/recipe book documenting the work of the group is in the final stages of approval with the RSAFG. A traditional plants electronic database for community members is also in the final stages of approval with the RSAFG. A manuscript, sharing the story of the work of the RSAFG, is currently in progress. Results from the RCT have been cleaned and analyzed. Sharing results with the community has been impacted by current restrictions on gatherings due to the pandemic. Information about the work of the group (including plant collection and preservation events) and the objectives of the project have been shared with community members. Methods of dissemination include community meetings, flyers, email announcements, and media coverage (including a segment on Wyoming PBS focused on food sovereignty, an article in UWyo magazine, and an article in the Eastern Shoshone newsletter). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Contribution of traditional foods to nutrient intake and impact on health will be evaluated and reported to participants and community members. Community meetings and events with the RSAFG will continue to build knowledge and understanding of traditional/indigenous foods. The RSAFG will guide dissemination efforts including the photo/recipe book, traditional plants database, and published manuscripts to promote knowledge and consumption of indigenous foods among tribal community members. Dissemination efforts will also include sharing results of the research project with participants and the WRIR community.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Building understanding of the use and value of indigenous and traditional plants/foods can assist communities with reclaiming traditional foods and health. Insights into nutritional quality of foods and community efforts to increase use of traditional foods can provide information for future goals related to improving dietary patterns and health outcomes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Collection of traditional plants (with the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering [RSAFG] community group on the Wind River Indian Reservation [WRIR]) continued during this reporting period with the collection of biscuitroot, bitterroot, chokecherries, Hawthorne berries, fireweed, limber pine nuts, sego lily bulbs, wild mint, wild onions, and yampah root. Community members came together to work with the gathered plants/foods (including tea making, chokecherry drying, deer processing, biscuitroot grinding and flour making). The gathered, processed, and preserved Shoshone foods were provided to community participants in an RCT "Reclaiming indigenous food and health: a pilot RCT on health impacts of sovereign nation diets". (Objective 5) Formal data collection through the RCT and through focus groups with Shoshone tribal elders were conducted during this reporting period (Objective 3, 4). This formal data collection followed the approval of a Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the Eastern Shoshone Business Council and the University of Wyoming (UW). Input from the RSAFG and elder focus groups assisted with identifying plants and animals considered traditional Shoshone foods (Objective 1). Menus were developed for the RCT with 50% of calories coming from Shoshone foods. Caloric value of Shoshone foods was estimated using available databases. Nutrient contribution of Shoshone foods provided to participants was compared to typical Westernized diet (Objective 2). The RSAFG advisory committee continues to meet virtually during the pandemic, in grassroots efforts to improve use and understanding of traditional foods. The group is working to share results of their work with the community through a photo/recipe book and a traditional foods database. We are also working to share results with other tribal communities through a Practice Brief/Manuscript sharing the process and partnership between a community organization (RSAFG) and academic partner (UW).
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Keith, J., Olsen, L., Barney, N., Clark, C., Herrera, H., LeBeau, J., Meyers, D., Mills, C., Mionczynski, J., Panzetanga, V., Wechsler, A. (under review). Reclaiming Treaty Rights through Restoring Traditional Shoshone Foods on the Wind River Reservation. Journal of Poverty, Land & Cultural Dispossession & Resistance.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Keith, J., Barney, N., Clark, C., LeBeau, J., Meyers, D., Mills, C., Mionczynski, J., Olsen, L., Pingree, K., Plenty Hoops, A. (2019). Reclaiming Indigenous Food and Health: A Pilot RCT on Health Impacts of Sovereign Nation Diets. 3rd annual Wyoming INBRE Spring Conference [oral presentation]. April 25-26, 2019.
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience members reached through the activities of this project during this reporting period include some enrolled members of the Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, Shoshone Bannock, and Crow tribes. In addition, some members of the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) advisory and attendees at community meetings focused on indigenous plants/foods include Wyoming residents. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided opportunities for the PI and community members to receive education on indigenous plants and foods and where to find and collect them. Included in these opportunities was a specific training provided by an indigenous chef (Sean Sherman) on "decolonizing the American diet". The PI and several Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) advisory members were able to attend this training in July 2019. This project has also allowed for professional development of the PI, members of the RSAFG group, the Eastern Shoshone Business Council, and UW Office of the General Counsel as we finalized a Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the ESBC and UW. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?No formal data collection has occurred, pending the Data Use & Sharing Agreement. However, information about the work of the group (including plant collection and preservation events) and the objectives of the project have been shared with community members. Methods of dissemination include community meetings, flyers, email announcements, a segment on Wyoming PBS focused on food sovereignty, an article in UWyo magazine, and an article in the Eastern Shoshone newsletter. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Results of nutrient analysis of indigenous foods will be compared to reference foods available in contemporary nutrient databases. Community meetings and events with the RSAFG will continue to build knowledge and understanding of traditional/indigenous foods. Partnership agreements for Objective 3 and 4 are nearing completion. University of Wyoming IRB approval has been achieved. Rocky Mountain Tribal-IRB approval has been achieved, contingent on the finalized Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the Eastern Shoshone Business Council and UW. Once all signatures have been obtained, formal data collection efforts to document past and present use and cultural value, primarily focus groups/interviews with tribal elders and community members (guided by the RSAFG advisory committee), will be completed.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Building understanding of the use and value of indigenous and traditional plants/foods can assist with comparison to common foods currently consumed by tribal communities. Additionally, insights into nutritional quality of foods and can provide information for future goals related to improving dietary patterns and health outcomes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Objective 1: Initial native plants identified for analysis (biscuitroot, sego lily bulbs, yampah roots, and whitebark pine nuts) were analyzed prior to this reporting period. Collection of traditional plants (with the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering [RSAFG] community group on the Wind River Indian Reservation [WRIR]) continued during this reporting period with the collection of chokecherries, Hawthorne berries, fireweed, limber pine nuts, sego lily bulbs, wild mint, and yampah root. Objective 2: initial comparison of the nutrient profile of biscuitroot, sego lily bulbs, yampah root, and whitebark pine nuts to reference foods. Objective 3: continued participation as part of the RSAFG advisory committee in grassroots efforts to improve use and understanding of traditional foods. Identification of plant types, locations, and collection continued during this reporting period. Formal data collection has been delayed pending a Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the Eastern Shoshone Business Council and the University of Wyoming (UW). This Agreement has been approved by the RSAFG and UW and is currently pending approval by the Eastern Shoshone Business Council. Once approved, formal research activities to gather data regarding traditional foods is expected to commence in the next reporting period. Objective 4: participation in advisory meetings of the RSAFG as well as community meetings to work with indigenous plants/foods (including tea making, chokecherry drying, deer processing, biscuitroot grinding and flour making). As described above, formal data collection has been delayed pending the Data Use & Sharing Agreement. Objective 5: community members have been involved with every collection and preservation of indigenous plants/food event. In addition, community media efforts (WY PBS and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe newsletter) on the WRIR have included specific stories highlighting the efforts of the RSAFG group.
Publications
|
Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audience members reached through the activities of this project during this reporting period include some enrolled members of the Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho, Shoshone Bannock, and Crow tribe. In addition, some members of the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) advisory and attendees at community meetings focused on indigenous plants/foods include Wyoming residents. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided opportunities for the PI and community members to receive education on indigenous plants and foods and where to find and collect them. This project has also allowed for professional development and learning for the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) group, the Eastern Shoshone Business Council, and UW Office of the General Counsel as we pursue a Data Use & Sharing Agreement between the ESBC and UW. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The partnership agreement between the University of Wyoming and USDA ARS Human Nutrition Research Center was finalized during this reporting period and initial plants collected were analyzed for nutrient composition analysis. Results of nutrient analysis of indigenous foods will be compared to reference foods available in contemporary nutrient databases. Community meetings of the RSAFG will continue to build knowledge and understanding of traditional/indigenous foods. Partnership agreements for Objective 3 and 4 are still in process. University of Wyoming IRB approval has been achieved. The Eastern Shoshone Business Council and UW are working on a Data Use & Sharing Agreement for the project. Based on the implementation of the Data Use & Sharing Agreement, more formal efforts through the RSAFG advisory committee to document past and present use and cultural value will be completed.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Building understanding of the use and value of indigenous and traditional plants/foods can assist with comparison to common foods currently consumed by tribal communities. Additionally, insights into nutritional quality of foods and can provide information for future goals related to improving dietary patterns and health outcomes among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Objective 1: Initial native plants identified for analysis (biscuitroot, sego lily bulbs, yampah roots, and whitebark pine nuts) were analyzed during this reporting period. Collection of plant samples for analysis were completed during the previous reporting period. During this reporting period, plants were freeze-dried, stored for preparation, and sent to the USDA ARS Human Nutrition Research Center for nutrient analysis. Objective 2: no activity to report. Objective 3: formation and continued participation as part of the Restoring Shoshone Ancestral Food Gathering (RSAFG) advisory committee in grassroots efforts to improve use and understanding of traditional foods. Identification of plant types, locations, and initial collection performed during this reporting period. Objective 4: participation in advisory meetings of the RSAFG as well as community meetings to work with indigenous plants/foods (including tea making, chokecherry drying, deer processing). Objective 5: community members have been invited and involved with collection and work with indigenous plants/food including tea making, chokecherry drying, and deer processing.
Publications
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