NĀTIFS

Dear friends,

Students from Richfield Schools enjoy lunch 
and learn about medicinal teas at the Indigenous Food LabAt NATIFS, our mission is to promote Indigenous foodways education and facilitate Indigenous food access. The reclamation of ancestral education is a critical part of our work.

We need your help to build a new North American food system that generates wealth and improves health in Native communities through food-related enterprises.

This past year was one of milestone successes. We launched our flagship Indigenous Food Lab Market, with a hot food bar, pantry supplies, and gifts – showcasing products from Indigenous makers. And we acquired the James Beard Award-winning Minneapolis restaurant Owamni, paving the way for expanded programming, jobs, markets for Indigenous goods, and more.

With a deep commitment to healing, cultural reconnection, economic empowerment, and environmental stewardship, NATIFS envisions a future where every tribal community across the nation reclaims its food heritage, fosters sustainable local economies, fights for the future of our planet, and nurtures the overall well-being of its people.

You can support our work! This is just a sample of what we’re working on: 

• Designing meal kits with fresh, Indigenous food, made by NATIFS and distributed through schools to the families of Indigenous students.

• Developing Indigenous curriculum development for adults and youth. We’re producing classroom materials and cooking videos that deliver instruction on Indigenous food preparation to a wide general audience. 

• Holding foraging classes for Native students and elders with NATIFS ethnobotanist Linda Black Elk, so generations can bond as they reclaim crucial ancestral skills.

• Supporting Indigenous retail product entrepreneurs receiving crucial attention and guidance from the Indigenous Food Lab and IFL Market, where over 30 Indigenous makers are featured.

• Providing hands-on learning experiences at Owamni and the Indigenous Food Lab for Native food entrepreneurs to learn how to develop and run an Indigenous food-based enterprise.

Reclaiming connection to tradition is a critical part of reversing the damage of colonialism and forced assimilation, and food is at the heart of this reclamation. NATIFS will drive sustainable economic empowerment and prosperity into tribal areas through a reimagined North American food system that also addresses the health impacts of injustice.

With your help, we can be the answer to our ancestors’ prayers.

Pilamayé + Mii-gwetch!