World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 - (Page 34)

Among Native Americans as a group, the rate of type 2 diabetes is estimated to be more than twice as high as among whites. It is an integral part of a person’s lifestyle and the vast, complex system of life in the natural world. When one part of this system is disrupted, the entire lifestyle swings out of balance. As a result, remedying a diet-related illness is not as straightforward as changing what one eats. rather, it is about reconnecting to one’s role in the natural order of the world to re-establish a lifestyle that nourishes the mind and spirit as well as the body. Smith and the Oneida Nation are among those working to re-establish that lifestyle. Heifer International is playing a role by helping indigenous populations reconnect with their food traditions and discover balance again. A D I F F I c u Lt H I s to ry Before Europeans began colonizing the continent, Native American tribes flourished from coast to coast, and their diets, culture and spirituality were connected to the places they lived. “Some regions were more suitable for buffalo,” Smith said. “Others had a fishing culture, or huntergatherer. The Navajo have sheep; the Pueblos [in the Southwest] have corn, beans and squash; there are the whale people of the Northwest.” Ceremonies were connected to certain foods and to the seasons, Smith said. Native Americans considered the foods of their region, plentiful and renewable, to be gifts from the Creator; they were the spiritual touchstone of a people. After Europeans arrived, Native Americans’ lifestyles changed. Many were forced to relocate and adapt to different landscapes and foods. The land that tribes were allotted for reservations was often resource-poor with limited access to game and fish. lands once freely available to Native Americans for hunting and cultivation were developed for other purposes. The first half of the 20th century brought more changes. Government-driven efforts at assimilation removed Native American children from their families and sent them to white schools, where rules prohibited them from speaking their native languages, and the students had no access to traditional foods. On the reservations, the government replaced traditional local and seasonal foods with highly processed, high-calorie commodities. A gap was opening between a people and their culture, and the damage was both mental and physical. 34 May/June 2008 | WOrlD Ark www.heifer.org http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Why Water Matters The Carbon Hoofprint From Farm to Table Healing History Mixed Media Heifer Spirit Heifer Bulletin World Ark Market Calendar First Person

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

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