Full Description
Featuring an array of tempting traditional Native recipes and no-nonsense practical advice about health and fitness, Recovering Our Ancestors' Gardens, by the acclaimed Choctaw author and scholar Devon Abbott Mihesuah, draws on the rich indigenous heritages of this continent to offer a helpful guide to a healthier life. The first half of the book consists of clear and often pointed discussions about the generally poor state of indigenous health today and how and why many Natives have become separated from their traditional diets, sports, and other activities. Poor health, Mihesuah contends, is a pervasive consequence of colonialism. Indigenous foods and activities can be reclaimed, however, and made relevant for a healthier lifestyle today. By planting gardens, engaging in more exercise and sport, and eating traditional foods, Native peoples can emulate the health and fitness of their ancestors. The second half of the book is a collection of indigenous recipes, including Summer Salsa, Poke Salat Salad, Dakota Waskuya Soup, Osage Pounded Meat, Chickasaw Pashofa, Elk Steak, Choctaw Banaha, Comanche Ata-Kwasa, Stewed Fruit Dessert, and a one-week diet chart. Savory, natural, and steeped in the Native traditions of this land, these recipes are sure to delight and satisfy.
Contents
Introduction Part I: Indigenous Health and Diet 1: The State of Indigenous Health 2: Traditional Diets 3: Traditional Activity 4: How Did We Arrive at this Unhealthy Situation? 5: What Are We Ingesting? 6: How Many Calories Do We Need? 7: Changing What We Eat 8. Recovering Our Fitness 9: Planting Gardens 10: Becoming a Health Activist Part II: Indigenous Recipes Appetizers Guacamole dip Summer Salsa Super Dip Baked tortilla chips Salads Everything Salad Poke Salat Strawberry and Spinach Salad Soups and Stews Dakota Waskuya (Dakota Dried Sweet Corn Soup) Gazpacho Elk stew Eileen's Acorn Squash/Pumpkin Soup Choctaw stew Chicken stew Osage Strip Meat Soup (Ta-ni) Main Dishes Meat and Vegetable Kabobs Elk Steaks Venison Burgers Osage Pounded Meat (Ta-pshe) Vegetables and Side Dishes Baked New Potatoes Vegetable Sautee Sweet Taters Boiled Okra Soldiers Mamaw Helton's Creamed Corn Osage Yonkopin (tse-wa-the): water chinkapin roots and seeds Chahta Tamfula Chickasaw Pashofa Pinto Beans Green Chile Grilled Corn on the Cob Luiseno Weewish Wild Onions Zucchini Canoes Stuffed Bell Peppers Grits Spaghetti Squash Comanche Ata-Kwasa Tepary Bean-Prickly Pear Cassoule Breads Choctaw Banaha Corn bread Osage Persimmon Cakes (Wah-zha-zhe wa-dsiu-e cta-in-ge) Drinks Abuske Fruit Smoothie Desserts Fruit salad Mamaw Helton's Stewed Fruit Preserving Food
