With the diabetes epidemic in mind, two north central Oklahoma tribes are partnering to provide fresh, healthy food for its citizens later this year, starting with their summer powwows.
Frybread. Corn soup. Kanuchi. Grape dumplings. Fried baloney. Dried buffalo meat.
Where there is a powwow, there is food. Just like in the rest of society, some of it is healthy and some is not.
With Natives more than twice as likely as the rest of the population to develop diabetes, Michelle Goss, a registered dietician at the Three Rivers Clinic in Muskogee, Okla., encourages her clients to look for those healthier options when hitting the powwow circuit and monitoring their carbohydrate intake.
“It’s not so much avoiding certain dishes as it is exercising moderation whenever possible,” she said.
Among the powwow staples that may require diabetics and dieters to exercise some restraint is frybread. Made with flour, salt, sugar and water and fried in either oil or lard, the average piece of frybread has about 25 grams of fat in it.
“We don’t want to say avoid, but limit,” Goss said. “That one (frybread) is definitely one to limit.”
Instead of loading up a plate full of hog meat, frybread and grape dumplings, healthier potential serving options include corn soup, venison, wild mushrooms and poke salad.
“With any kind of serving line, it’s all about monitoring the portions if you have that control,” Goss said. “The thing to keep in mind as well is if there is more choice of vegetables, go for vegetable dishes if possible.”
With the diabetes epidemic in mind, two north central Oklahoma tribes are partnering to provide fresh, healthy food for its citizens later this year, starting with their summer powwows.
Based out of in White Eagle, Okla., and Red Rock, Okla., respectively, the Ponca and Otoe-Missouria tribes have headquarters within 20 miles of each other off of US Highway 177 and have a combined enrollment of about 7000 citizens. Most of the two tribes’ jurisdictional areas are considered to be within food deserts, with the nearest grocery store at least 10 miles away by car in Ponca City, Okla., Tonkawa, Okla., or Perry, Okla.
In March, the two tribes received a joint grant from the Native American Young Beginning and Small Enterprise Center. Along with agricultural education programs for the tribes’ youth, the grant also funds a joint one-acre plasticulture garden. Plasticulture refers to the practice of farming with plastic materials, such as irrigation tubes, mulch film, soil fumigation film and plastic mulch.
“A joint venture like this is kind of rare and we are trying to overcome that,” said Amos Hinton, agricultural director for the Ponca Tribe. “We want to raise awareness about nutrition and healthy eating.
“Last year, we had 30 or 40 tribal members younger than 40 die. We’ve got to change our health and our eating habits.”
Along with NAYBSEC, the tribes are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Agriculture Extension Office at Oklahoma State University to get the garden started. Tomato, sweet corn, okra and green beans were planted in early April with the goal of serving some of the produce at the tribes’ powwows this summer and the rest going to the tribes’ Head Start and senior nutrition programs.
“It’s documented that Otoe-Missouria people historically raised crops such as corn, squash, and beans for food sources,” Otoe-Missouria Council second member Melanie Harder said. “I am excited we are taking part in a project that will help us restore our connection to growing healthy foods. We will be able not only to produce fresh, culturally appropriate foods, but also to provide learning experiences, exercise and inter-generational interaction for all participants.”
The 132nd Otoe-Missouria Encampment is scheduled for July 18-21 at the tribe’s dancing grounds, about 20 miles north of Stillwater, Okla., off of US Highway 177. Admission is free and average annual attendance is about 3,000 people over the three days.
The 137th annual Ponca Homecoming Powwow is scheduled for Aug. 22-25 at the White Eagle powwow grounds, located five miles south of Ponca City, Okla., along US Highway 177.
Among the powwow staples that may require diabetics and dieters to exercise some restraint is frybread. Made with flour, salt, sugar and water and fried in either oil or lard, the average piece of frybread has about 25 grams of fat in it.