Decolonizing Education with White Mountain Apaches

We recently held our annual Virtual Highland Tour, showcasing different aspects of our work with the White Mountain Apaches. We were able to hear more about the work of young Apache gatherers and the Apache Farmers Co-op.

With a focus on wild plant food, elders and younger generations can collaborate on initiatives that highlight Native foods and spread knowledge about their value. Elders with deeper knowledge of these topics engage with youths who want to learn more about these traditional foods. They had their first workshop where elders and youths on the reservation participated in harvesting and a cooking demonstration of yucca bananas and yucca blossoms. This was a successful event, with over 60 kids showing up for the workshop. The initiative allowed younger generations to gain an understanding of why Native foods are important to both their culture and nutrition. Since the traditional food pyramid does not support Native foods, the workshop provided an alternative way of looking at food that highlighted the nourishing proteins, sugars, and fats from Native foods. Donations to this project contributed to providing the necessary ingredients and tools for these workshops.

With the Apache Farmers Co-Op, experienced farmers had the opportunity to begin developing a grassroots project to grow food for the community. With an emphasis on community, the farmers were able to create infrastructure to continuously grow food and teach others how to do the same. It also provided opportunities for traditional and non-traditional farming experiences for the community, as well as service groups from HSP. Contributions to this project allowed us to provide resources for these communities and groups.