Native American Heritage Paper

During Native American Heritage Week I participated in “Decolonize your Diet”. This event was located in the Cesar Chavez Center at the Terrace level in Richard Oakes Multicultural Center (ROMC). The event was held on September 24th and started at 2:00 PM and went an hour long. But some participants stayed longer to talk to each other and eat. The purpose of the event was both community outreach and cultural education. Admission price was free and everybody that attended the event including me was expecting a lecture. Turns out, this event was interactive. We started out by introducing ourselves and stated what we were majoring in. Going around the table everybody was shy and timid. Everyone was in their shell at first, but gradually warmed

up as soon as we found out what we were doing. (insert name) and Shelly who were the presenters brought out bowls, knives, and vegetables. At this point during the event I thought they were going to demonstrate what was good about each vegetable. Then they asked us to wash our hands and I finally put the pieces together. We were going to wash the vegetables and slice them up so we could make Ceviche. This seafood dish originated from Latin America and is usually made from raw fish. But since (insert name) was vegan we just went all vegetables.
Observing (name) prepare the food and place them in order while telling his story of how he became vegan brought me back to the topic of Albert Whitehat and his teachings. Especially when (name) mentioned the benefits of going vegan. This reminded me of "Wakan"; meaning to give life or take life, create or destroy, and good and evil. (name)'s words gave meaning to his actions. Watching him prepare the food and give a backstory allowed me to invest more into the event. The society that I grew up in loves instant gratification. From instant oatmeal to Google search times, we cannot get enough of fast being faster.
As (name) set the materials from bowls; napkins, and mixer together, it reminded me of another topic we have learned in class. It reminded me of how the world is a melting pot of different cultures. Thinking in space allowed me to realize that we are a community of people that have been created. We are all the same but each of us have different reasons on why we live. Relating this back to the cooking utensils, each tool has a job that it was created for. That job for humans is the different reasons differentiating each human from each other. Some live to be successful while others live for their family. Speaking of family, (name) mentioned his while preparing the food. He mentioned that his mother would always cook in the kitchen, and his grandmother would do the same. Their recipes would be passed down from generation to generation naturally. It was not a cultural education whenever recipes were passed down, but an organic way of bonding. He then mentioned that we do not eat as healthy as we can. (name) asked “How many of you go to Sprouts Farmers Market?” I did not raise my hand because organic prices for food are out of my budget. Others around the table were in the same position as me. This response then entailed a discussion of tradition. (name)’s other reason of going vegan besides the health benefits; he wanted to go back to his tradition. He also said he wanted to keep the tradition going.
Tradition is a powerful word. It belongs in many contexts and has even caused wars. Tradition in this circumstance sustains kinships. Whether it is family ties or common ancestry, tradition is passed down from generation to generation. Even though (name) grew up in a different culture than his mother, (name)’s tradition of cooking keeps the family ties strong. That is why holidays are so important. Even when families are not able to see each other, holidays; which are traditions, bring a reason for everyone to come together. This is another reason why (name) went around the table to get to know everybody. It allows everyone to get familiar with each other and loosen up. But more importantly lets everyone cook in a friendly learning environment. Learning to cook in a conducive environment whether specifically stated or not is part of the tradition. As I mentioned earlier, (name)’s way of learning recipes was an organic way of bonding between him and his family. The atmosphere of him learning different recipes was in a friendly learning environment that is part of the tradition.
Everyone had different duties when it came to preparing the food. Some had to cut cucumbers while others cut the cauliflower. I cut seeds out the lemon and seeds out the jalapeño. What I observed during that time was, some were better than others when it came to culinary skills. For some; cooking was a part of them growing up, and those that grew up cooking looked like naturals. I felt timid with the cooking utensils because I did not cook a lot in the house. After everybody was done with their duties we cleaned our cutting boards and mixed the food. (name) stirred the bowl together to form the Ceviche. At that point everybody was in their own conversation or listening to (name). I was listening to (name) talk about different subjects. There was a point during his speaking where I was relating what we learned in class to the event. The forming of Ceviche is the opposite of assimilation for the American Indians. Assimilation for the American Indians did not come naturally. They were being forced into a different lifestyle than the one they were accustomed to. The mixing of Ceviche was effortless. All we did was prepare the food and put it into the bowl for mixing. If American Indians had come together with westerners for a common goal there would be no backlash. The participants who were at the event that day came together for individual reasons. But when the event was underway, we stayed for a common goal. All of us were enveloped in our environment. Thinking in terms of space, we were our own community. Each person coming together and having their own purpose for our own goal.
After the mixing was done we finally got to eat.

Everybody got their plate and lined up for the Ceviche. After the Ceviche was on my plate I headed over to the tortilla chips. The combination of Ceviche and tortilla chips was a great combination. Everybody agreed that the Ceviche and tortilla chips was a hit. It was not fine dining; but the combination of great food and company kept everybody satisfied. Another aspect of the room I observed while eating was the table and lighting. The shape of the table was circular and the lighting was natural. All the light that permeated throughout the room was sunlight. I thought the table being circular was a coincidence, but since this was a community event it seemed logical. Space is circular and encompasses everything around it. And this dimension of the room embodies that concept. The mood while everybody was eating seemed light-hearted. I got to learn more about everybody more than some classes I had for a whole semester. Some countries that have less than the United States get to experience this every day. My family that was born in the Philippines got to talk with their neighbors on a daily basis. Our society in the United States is accustomed to just saying greetings to each other. There are times where I have talked to somebody on the street for directions and got this weird reaction. It is like everybody is here for their selves. We are not as connected in this country compared to countries who are less fortunate. Being present in the environment around you at the moment is what being connected to me

means.
As participants finished their food nobody left right away. We were enjoying the moment and had no deadline to meet. Everybody was bonding in the environment laid out for us. From the outside looking in we were a small group eating Ceviche. But being a part of that group was a different experience. That experience made me realize that communities are important. It is not all about accomplishing whatever is ahead of you, but enjoying what is right in front of you.