"For Gladstone, upholding Indigenous food is partly about healing from a history of trauma. The processes of colonialization and the genocide of Native peoples across North America was mirrored by the devastation of the plants and animals that Native Americans had long relied on for sustenance and spiritual companionship........
Gladstone believes that the trauma of genocide and the devastation of food-giving landscapes had a large impact on driving poor health outcomes in her community, as evidenced by disproportionate rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. “Right now, 50 percent of Native kids are expected to get Type 2 diabetes in their lifetime,” she says. “That’s a staggering statistic.”
But, she adds, the persistence of Native food culture—now with the help of social media—is an indication of the resilience of Indigenous communities. “These foods have survived in the face of incredible environmental disaster and near-extinction—like we have, and that’s a testament to our resiliency.”
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