Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project

Video

"According to the First Nations Development Institute, food sovereignty is defined as 'the inherent right of a community to identify their own food system.' This means that as a community we have the power to choose the food on our table."

Valerie Segrest (Muckleshoot), NMAI Interview, August 2016
 
Roots, berries, elk, and salmon were at the center of traditional food cloture for the Coast Salish people of the Pacific Northwest. During colonization these foods were replaced with a diet of a modern and dominant culture. Today, tribal communities are faced with degenerative diseases like diabetes and heart disease as a result of this superimposition. Despite this disruption, a  movement is rippling throughout Indian Country. Tribes are mobilizing by employing concepts of food sovereignty and reclaiming their food systems in order to collectively focus animating a culture of health for future generations. Valerie Segrest shares her experiences connecting her students to traditional foods and plant medicine that nurture our bodies and our revolutionary spirits.
 
 
The Winter, 2019 Huxley Speaker Series is co-sponsored by Huxley College of the Environment and WWU's Salish Sea Institute, presenting a 10-week series on issues facing the Salish Sea.
 
Muckleshoot Traditional Food Map

Tags

Tags

About the Speaker

Valerie Seagrest
Valerie Segrest
University of Washington / Muckleshoot

Valerie Segrest is a native nutrition educator who specializes in local and traditional foods. As an enrolled member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, she serves her community as the coordinator of Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project and also works as the Traditional Foods and Medicines Program Manager. In 2010 she co-authored the book Feeding the People, Feeding the Spirit: Revitalizing Northwest Coastal Indian Food Culture. She is a Kellogg Fellow at the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy. Valerie inspires and enlightens others about the importance of a nutrient-dense diet through a simple, common-sense approach to eating. 

Environmental Speaker Series

The Environmental Speaker Series is hosted by the College of the Environment at Western Washington University.

The Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30 pm in Academic Instructional Center West room 204 - AW-204. Talks will also be streamed via Zoom. Register with The Foundation for WWU & Alumni for the zoom link. Parking is available in lot C.

Learn more about the Environmental Speaker Series

Email Alumni@wwu.edu to be added to a mailing list to hear about upcoming events.