Oklahoma’s largest Native American tribes made history after they joined together to endorse Joy Hofmeister for governor. According to News 2 Oklahoma, Hofmeister—a former Republican and the state’s current Superintendent of Public Instruction—swapped parties to take on current Gov. Kevin Stitt in the upcoming general election. The state’s largest tribes decided to support Hofmeister after having several back-and-forth discussions with Stitt over issues impacting the state’s many Native tribes, including policing, gaming compacts, tribal sovereignty, and the fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on tribal jurisdiction in McGirt v. Oklahoma. Indigenous folks in the state feel that Stitt has gone to a point of no return…
Chef Sean Sherman spoke at the Seattle Central Library and online about his work highlighting Indigenous food systems in a modern culinary context. Author of The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, Sherman is CEO and founder of The Sioux Chef and North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS). Raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Sherman is Oglala Lakota Sioux. “We’re just trying to focus on defining what are modern Indigenous foods, so our philosophy was cutting out the colonial ingredients, utilizing a lot of the plants of the regions that we live in,” and “[We look to] all the diverse tribes out there and really try to feature and focus on creating modern Indigenous food recipes.” Sherman’s team at The Sioux Chef is about 70% Native and comes from tribes across the country. Sherman himself has family in Seattle and has worked with members of the Muckleshoot Tribe. Currently they are working on establishing Indigenous Food Labs offering support, training, access, and education in Indigenous culinary practices in regions all over the United States.
