Food for Thought from the Harvest of All First Nations 3rd Annual Corn Fest

By Morning Glory Farr

For many people, the change in seasons from summer to fall conjures up memories and connections to food–sitting around the table with family at a big feast, baking sweet treats to share with friends, or canning jams and sauces with a loved one. Fall is harvest time, when many fruits and vegetables are at their peak and ready to be picked, eaten, or stored for later. 

In celebration of Indigenous culture and its connection to food, the Harvest of All First Nations hosted its 3rd Annual Corn Festival on Sept. 28th. The festival included workshops on traditional food preparation, as well as performances by Indigenous dancers and musicians, a land reclamation discussion, basket weaving demonstrations, and teachings on Indigenous plant medicines. 

One workshop focused on Nixtamal corn preparation, which is a method of preparing corn to make it more digestible and nutritious. The term Nixtamal comes from the Aztec language and describes corn that has been partially cooked and soaked in lime or ash to make the corn softer and easier to grind into masa. The process of nixtamalization was first discovered in Mesoamerica, when corn or maize was first known to be cultivated. 

At the festival, the Nixtamal workshop was led by Monserrat Matehuala, who shared her background as a community organizer and educator on Indigenous foods. She read a story, translated by her mentor, Roberto Cintli Rodríguez, that illustrated the deeply rooted connections that Indigenous people have with corn. For many native people, corn serves not only as a symbol of sustenance but is also considered a gift and is used in certain ceremonies. 

Monserrat also talked about the connection that Indigenous people have with other food sources, such as the buffalo. For many Native American tribes, the buffalo has served as a symbol of spiritual and cultural heritage. The buffalo is associated with protection, strength, adaptability, and abundance for tribes. 

In the late 1800’s, the buffalo was seen as such an important part of Native Americans’ existence that the U.S. Army waged a campaign to exterminate all the buffalo, as a way to starve and eradicate Native American people. According to William Butler, who had admitted to being a part of a hunt in which 30 buffalos were killed, was told by Lieutenant Colonel Dodge:

“Kill every buffalo you can! Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone.”

In her workshop, Monserrat explained that a part of Indigenous people’s reclamation of their culture and heritage is to reestablish their relationship with traditional food sources, including corn and buffalo. Food sovereignty is one form of reclaiming that relationship.  Reclamation also includes reconnecting to the land that was taken from Native Americans during colonial dispossession and genocide. 

For those who study and work on the University of Colorado, Boulder campus, ideas of the buffalo might be seen in a more lighthearted manner, representing sports competition and the mascot “Chip”. However, with awareness growing around Indigenous peoples’ movements towards reclaiming their culturally important symbols, it is a good time to look at what accountability CU has, using the buffalo as its mascot. It raises many questions, such as:

• “What responsibility does CU have towards educating its students and staff about the importance of the buffalo to Native American tribes?”

• “What responsibility does CU have towards acknowledging and implementing reparations to tribes, for whom the land on which the campus is located was stolen from them?”

• “What ways might CU students and staff have a more respectful, thoughtful acknowledgement of the buffalo as our mascot?”

While answers to these questions are not easy, it's an important time to start the conversation. Events like the Harvest of All First Nations provide an invitation to open the discussion. Members of the CU community have an opportunity to continue the discussion and turn it into action towards responsible, respectful relationships with Indigenous people, the land we live and work on, and the mascot we call the Buffalo.