How does the Navajo Tribe engage students simultaneously in culture and nutrition? A May 2016 webinar titled, “Community Food Systems in Native Communities: Engaging Students” focused on the food systems of the Navajo tribe, and explored this question.
The presenter fused information about school lunches and how traditional foods can be used in combination with a wealth of knowledge surrounding the Navajo culture. Effective and innovative school nutrition programs can be found in all cultures. Schools that are interested in incorporating traditional meals into their school’s lunch program, should know that funds may be available for this venture.
In the Navajo culture, corn is the main staple so corn is often used in engaging students and in creating traditional Navajo meals. The Navajo tribe has a rich history, spanning from the Scorched Earth campaign to things that affect the Navajo tribe now, such as fracking.
One of the main points of this talk was that the Navajo generate income by placing a 2% sales tax on junk food. Through this sales tax, the Navajo have raised one million dollars, which is used for increasing healthy food options. The food options offered include everything from chocolate to oatmeal. These foods are prepared in a way that make them healthy and the soil is specially prepared for seeds and planting.
In present day, the Navajo tribe uses ancestral ways of planting seeds and like their ancestors, they celebrate each stage of the plant’s growth, from sowing to reaping. The Navajo have several student programs where students work in community gardens, reaping corn, shucking corn, and preparing the corn for harvest. It was important to the Navajo to use all parts of harvested foods. This tradition continues with some Navajo foods even being used as medicines for healing. It is also important to the Navajo to pass this information down to young people, so students are taught these practices. It is important that schools or communities interested in implementing similar food programs, first contact the Navajo elders in the area for consultation. The Navajo have continued to keep these traditions and practices alive, to ensure that culture through food is passed down from generation to generation.
Source:
- United States Department of Agriculture. The Farm to School Program. Community Food Systems in Native Communities: Engaging Students. Webinar. May 25, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3330BfRq3VM
I like this idea of taxing junk foods to provide more healthy food options. Is there even a chance this is feasible throughout the USA? This is something that would be a great concept, and could potentially help make a paradigm shift for the American culture. Personally, I do not believe this is feasible. However, seeing the way that such a divisive topic like marijuana is, and how it is going through a similar potential process now with taxation, I think there might be a chance that down the road we find a way to reward healthy behaviors.
As a whole though, we should learn from the Navajo and learn how to pass down healthy traditions like exercise and good nutrition.
I love how you linked the taxation of marijuana and how it’s going through a similar process. From what I have gathered from the news, the money from sales tax on marijuana has greatly benefited schools in Colorado. I agree that maybe this is something that could be applied throughout the US. We know people are probably not going to stop purchasing junk food so why not make a profit out if that we could use in other sectors that need the funding. Maybe the decision on whether to impose sales tax on junk food can be left to individual states. Even with that, there could a potential disparity among the states that choose to impose the sales tax and the states that choose not to.
Including culture in the classroom is something that has a lot of importance to me as a woman of color. There are definitely many benefits to learning about your own culture, and I believe that it would be extremely beneficial for Navajo tribes to be able to get that education in combination with traditional school subjects. In addition, the food aspect allows students to learn more about healthy eating, which will benefit them at the moment, and later in life. I am curious as to if this would have the same benefit in a multicultural setting. Do you think that students will accept the education of another student’s culture or do you think think the students will feel disconnected and therefore not gain the same benefits? I definitely think there should be some research in this area.
I love that fact there is available funding for schools that are interested in incorporating traditional meals in their school’s lunch program. Funding always seems to be an issue when it comes to trying to implement new programs. Were there any health outcomes that improved due to engaging the students in the program? Did they perhaps see a reduction in the number of kids being overweight or obese? As someone who comes from a different country, traditional meals prepared in my home country do tend to be more healthier and nutritious.
Do you happen to know whether they incorporated other foods apart from corn? It would interesting to see what other types of foods they have incorporated and whether those foods are traditional to the Najavo Tribe or foreign to them.
I think it is interesting that even with the sales tax on junk food, they were still able to raise a million dollars. So that means junk food still has a strong market even with the current efforts to choose healthier foods.