An extra potato from the bin: When even the feds plea for a rain dance

Just to make sure everyone is on the same page, the Native worldview is circular. Under the greatest sphere in the galaxy, the sun, we pitch our tents to live in deference to this prevalent orb.  Without it, we could not define ourselves or recall our ceremonies.

But I am not so sure how a drought figures into the grand scheme. Drought is one of those things like a chimera, a mythological but deadly creature. When the circumstances are right (no rain plus extended basting trends) it makes an appearance with humankind in full thrall. Like reading a map with a large red star: We are here.  Well, here we are.

I recently drove across the Oklahoma prairie coming home from a pow-wow and I could feel the heat pressing against my windows like a bully on the bus. It finally dawned on me what I was seeing but not actually registering.  Row after row of bleached dried corn plants filled entire fields, not just the poorly irrigated edges.

In case I wasn’t getting the message, the  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report that rated about a quarter of the corn and soybean crops as good or fair. Compare that against a 62 percent of good or fair on last year’s crops. It’s not hard to see that the food squeeze will soon be felt. In Indian Country, it has the potential to be a chokehold.

The implications of drought for tribal nations are many. Some Indians farm for a living and their crops will likely feel the same pinch as all agriculturists. One Indian farmer I know told me the other day that his pumpkin crop has long since given up the ghost.

On the good side, the drought has already hastened the federal payouts on the class action Keepseagle settlement.  On the other hand,  commodity food programs rely on the United States government and the staples tribes receive are subsidized surplus goods. What happens if the federal surplus becomes obsolete?

Already many Indian communities exist in “food deserts” where there is ten miles or more to healthy food choices.  In situations like these, the local convenience store looks pretty good even though parents want better.  Chances are, they will go to the store that sits closest to home. Known by a variety of names, it’s the one that is hopping on the first and fifteenth day of each month.

Food is inextricably linked to our well being. We have birthday and pow-wow feasts at will. Our grandmothers will cook the best roast to make sure grandsons are fed. Some cooks in Indian Country can work miracles with a mere box of raisins and bag of rice. We put our own print on what food is all about. But our fate is seemingly intertwined with that of the conquering nation with whom we share the parched earth.  A good indicator is when a federal official (namely USDA secretary, Vilsack) casts off any pretention of political correctness and makes a plea for a rain dance.  Then we start to divine that things will get bad.

How crucial will Indian priorities and allocations be when the name of the game is pounding drought and skyrocketing food prices?  In the past that when things got tough for our Anglo neighbors, they’d take an extra potato from the store bin all in the name of the public good and dismiss sovereignty  as an antiquated notion.  So if past is prologue, we are in for a déjà vu of epic proportions.