Craig Torres, Lori Sisquoc, and Barbara Drake (left to right) | Photo: KCET
Native cultural educators Kat High (Hupa), Craig Torres (Tongva), Lori Sisquoc (Cahuilla/Fort Sill Apache), and Barbara Drake (Tongva) have worked for years to restore, research and promote the use of indigenous food plants in California and elsewhere. Along with several other Native activists, Drake, Sisquoc, and Torres are founders of the Chia Cafe Collective, which works to educate Californians about traditional edible plants and their uses.
What do native plants mean to Indigenous peoples?
Kat: Everything we needed in our life came from our native plants. So if we wanted at tool, it came from our native plants. If we wanted food it came from out native plants. Our whole lives was based around this Garden of Eden that we call California.
Craig: Its part of my cultural identity, it connects me to the land. Those plants are what sustained my ancestors for thousands of generations on this land. Living in the area that I do, were surrounded by different cultures, were impacted by all these different influences that take us away from our identity of the land. So the one thing that I can really say that connects me to the land and to my cultural identity, are the plants. I believe that anybody who comes to this land, who makes this their home, needs to understand the importance of the native plants and to start utilizing them. Because theres a lot of healing and theres a lot of food and medicine in those plants.
--
--
Do Native peoples view plants primarily as a resource, or is there a deeper connection?
Craig: When we see these plants and the animals, we dont see them as natural resources that are there for our taking, we see them as relatives that live in their own communities, just like other humans live in their communities. There is a particular protocol and etiquette that you need to have with these communities and thats what sustained my ancestors for not hundreds of years on this land, but thousands of years. It hasnt been more than a few hundred years that newcomers have come to this land and its been degraded so much in just a short time. One of my goals is to educate people on developing those relationships again and understanding it. They are here. Were not in a foreign land, its here and they need to understand the importance of those type of relationships that have existed and sustained humans forever on this land.
Kat High | Photo: KCET
What are the goals of Chia Cafe Collective?
Craig: As Chia Caf Collective, there are certain goals and results that we want from the work that we do. One of the original goals that [Barbara] had was to make a lot of our harvesting places accessible to people, and to elders who werent able to get out there and harvest for themselves. It was also to provide education to not only our own communities, but to the general public about the plants and the importance of native plants.
Today, our palates have become so desensitized because of a lot of the processing that our foods contain with the white sugar, and the flour, and many of those things. Were trying to reintroduce people to some of the contemporary foods, the contemporary dishes, by having those items. Sometimes we do use white flour. Sometimes we do use products like agave syrup, but its a combine those two, and get people used to that way of eating. Then they can gradually start removing some of those items, those products, the white flour, and reverse the process of what has been done. I think those are some of our goals. Its a philosophy that were trying to impart on the general public as well, and trying to reindigenize California once again.
Craig Torres makes chia energy bars. | Photo: KCET
What are some recipes that you make using native foods?
Craig: One of the things I make I used to call chia candy, but I changed the name to chia power bars because of the health benefits. I started adding unsweetened coconut, then the dried fruit, the different nuts. It came out to be like a chewy granola bar. Thats what I make now. Its something you can take with you on a hike or if youre outdoors gardening, you can keep it in a little baggie. It really boosts your energy level, it gives you a lot of energy.
Barbaras been doing teas for years, and the white sage tea is one that she talks about a lot. Its a little sweeter, because it has all those nice things in it, like the antibacterial properties, antimicrobial, antiseptic.
Barbara Drake makes white sage tea. | Photo: KCET
What does the Chia Cafe Collective hope to teach Californians?
Craig: We, as Chia Caf , try to educate people on the importance of the native plants, and advocate redoing your landscape in native plants, because thats going to resolve some of the issues that were dealing with, with the drought right now and the water crisis that we have.
Lori: Now, we all live here together, non-Indian and Indian. Anywhere you go, you should learn how the Native people who lived, how they live now, who they are, so thats why we share, because we want people to be aware of our traditional ways and how we took care of this land, and utilized these plants, and theyre here now to respect that. A lot of our great helpers come from the outside community that really helps support us, so that we can do what were supposed to be doing.
Are other Native peoples going back to their traditional foods?
Lori: All of our communities are threatened, and losing people from diabetes and other diseases that come in from the introduced diet. A lot of the tribes have been going back to their traditional foods, and growing them, and sharing them, and utilizing them, and making themselves healthy. Its all about that, about making our communities healthy again and working at it, and correcting things because of boarding schools and reservation life, and all the
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
08/05/2024
zweiB updates to latest version of R&S CLIPSTER Specialist in deliverables for cinema, events and trade shows
Rohde & Schwarz, a global leader in broadcast...
07/05/2024
NITV appoints Michael Rennie as Presenter and Senior Producer for NITV News
Media releases
NITV has announced the appointment of Michael Rennie as Presenter...
07/05/2024
The ability for line-of-site tactical voice and data networks to seamlessly traverse over Satellite Communications is an emerging requirement to assure warfight...
07/05/2024
On April 5, 2024, the L3Harris Avionics Products Repair Station (NN2R037L) in Gr...
07/05/2024
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
07/05/2024
Share this article
width=32 height=32 loading=lazy data-lazy-src=https://apogeedigital.com/app/themes/juniper-theme/src/img/icons/facebook-purple.svg />
wid...
07/05/2024
BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company has finally delivered some from profits from its hefty streaming investments, with the second quarter of its fiscal year...
07/05/2024
Bonnie Hammer, vice chair of NBCUniversal, and Jen Psaki, MSNBC host, read from their new books at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan Wednesday, May 8. Hammer's...
07/05/2024
Paramount Plus has ordered the series Crutch, a comedy that is a spinoff of CBS comedy The Neighborhood. Tracy Morgan stars....
07/05/2024
Edward J. and Melody Thomas Scott and Lidia Bastianich will receive Lifetime Achievement honors at the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards in June, the National Aca...
07/05/2024
The 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts luncheon and awards ceremony happens in New York November 12, and the honorees are Al Roker, weather and featu...
07/05/2024
Dabl Network has added The Wayans Bros., The Jamie Foxx Show, Living Single and Everybody Hates Chris to its weekday and weekend lineups. Those shows join the l...
07/05/2024
After winning a proxy fight, The Walt Disney Co. said its entertainment business turned a profit and added subscribers in its fiscal second quarter....
07/05/2024
NBA Entertainment is closing out the second season of its series Pass the Rock with a look at Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, the league's rooki...
07/05/2024
Syncbak, which provides stations with streaming capabilities, said it is rebranding as Zeam Media....
07/05/2024
Samsung has made a deal with Magnolia Pictures that will bring titles from Magnolia to the Samsung TV Plus free streaming platform....
07/05/2024
Amazon, which has added commercials to Amazon Prime Video, is rolling out new interactive ad formats that will enable advertisers to engage streamers and sell s...
07/05/2024
Syncbak, a 15 year-old provider of streaming tech for local broadcast stations has rebranded itself, adopting the name of its streaming service launched in Febr...
07/05/2024
POST Luxembourgs journey with TAG Video underscores how finding a vendor who und...
07/05/2024
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. New findings from Hub Entertainment Research provides extensive data showing that the majority of consumers will opt for lower cost ad-supporte...
07/05/2024
NEW YORK The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) has announced th...
07/05/2024
CBS News has named Lindsey Reiser an anchor and correspondent for CBS News 24/7, the network's live, streaming news service. Reiser, who was most recently a...
07/05/2024
NEEDHAM, Mass. After more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet shipments posted modest year-over-year growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24),...
07/05/2024
ESPN is reporting that April was a record-setting month as the network delivered its best April prime time audience on record, dating back more than 30 years....
07/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that Kirsten Donaldson has joined NAB as vice president of public policy. Donaldso...
07/05/2024
The Bulls are back home again this week from May 7-12! Don't miss out on any...
07/05/2024
Rohde & Schwarz brings cutting-edge solutions to TECNOSEC and DRONExpo 2024 Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its innovative portfolio at TECNOSEC and DRONExpo 20...
07/05/2024
Back to All News
Five New Games Join Netflix in May
Netflix Staff
Entertainment
07 May 2024
Global
Link copied to clipboard
Five new games are launching ...
07/05/2024
Back to All News
Top 10 Week of Apr. 29: Baby Reindeer' Holds Strong; Hee...
07/05/2024
Home News & Press Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award
Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award May 07, 2024
Blancco's v...
07/05/2024
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today unveiled the all-new Logic Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for Mac 11, delivering breakthrough professional experiences for songw...
07/05/2024
Apple's new Privacy Manifest requirement mandates that apps explicitly disclose the privacy-related data they collect, the purposes for this collection, and...
07/05/2024
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour arrives to shake up EuropeHaving shaken four continents, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour finally brings the biggest pop culture icon o...
07/05/2024
Isiphetho: Destiny' beats Scandal!'E.tv's latest telenovela Isiphetho: Destiny' beat the channel's longest running soapie, Scandal!' ...
07/05/2024
Now there's HELP for ex-prisoners to find work in South AfricaNew initiative for ex-prisoners to find work in South Africa proves it's never too late fo...
07/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Cohen is pulled into keeping a secretDon't miss Tuesday, 7 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on DStv c...
07/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 6 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soapie...
06/05/2024
By Ilyse McKimmie
Now, more than ever
That's a phrase so often used in the last few years that I've come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. A...
06/05/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12099 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blog-Exabyte-Storage-Demand-960x540-1.jpg/> Demand for storage solutions has reached unprece...
06/05/2024
Around the world, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists continue to impact mu...
06/05/2024
Spotify is making it easier for booklovers to count down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until a new audiobook releases. With Countdown Pages for audioboo...
06/05/2024
Get Ready to join Dan Hong as he hits the streets in his ultimate culinary journ...
06/05/2024
In this video, cinematographer Simon Rowling welcomes viewers behind the scenes as he lights a daytime-interior scene inside a coffee shop. Shooting on Panavisi...
06/05/2024
L3Harris is well positioned to support the complex and multifaceted nature of special operations forces in all domains through our agile and responsive technolo...
06/05/2024
OAKVILLE, Ontario As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, Alert Ready, Canadas national public alerting system, will be distributing a test alert to Canadians i...
06/05/2024
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Horowitz Research has released a new study on the viewing and media habits of U.S. Hispanic/Latine audiences that shows a dramatic decline in...
Craig Torres, Lori Sisquoc, and Barbara Drake (left to right) | Photo: KCET 
