By: Valerie Chesnik
Photo by: Carrie Chesnik
The cascade of dehydrated corn hulls being counted behind the counter. Crunch after crunch as husks are peeled away. Throughout the room a swirl of homemade honey mingles with fresh-grown organic coffee, herbal tea, rosemary, pepper and other warm and inviting herbs and spices. This is the Tsyunhehkwa [June-hink-wah] retail store, showcasing all the organic and natural food the Oneida tribe has to offer.
I am Oneidan. No matter the percentage, it is a part of who I am. Despite this, I never knew the store existed until I stepped through the door. I decided to take an active interest in discovering the history of my Native ancestors only recently. Guided by my aunt Carrie, who is an active Oneida tribe member and greatly versed in our culture’s history, I spent a day on the Oneida Nation reservation.
One day immersed in all things Oneida gave me both a taste for the food-rich culture filled with culinary celebrations and an appetite for more. One day taught me that the importance of food in Oneida culture is not just what you eat, but when you eat it and where it comes from. Every festival the Oneidans have during the yearly circle connects to food and what is in season—a reminder, regardless of tribal membership, the food we put into our bodies has a time, a history and a purpose to be consumed.
Our History
My day began with a fast lesson in history from my aunt Carrie. Oneida, she reminded me, means people of standing stone and is a part of the Iroquois federation comprising five other Native nations.
Thankfully this wasn’t my first time learning the history of the Oneida Nation. My dad had always been open to telling the story of Oneida to my sisters and me if we ever asked to hear it. I grew up knowing that of the Wolf, Bear and Turtle clans within the tribe, I was a member of the Turtle clan. I was so proud of this my nickname on my elementary soccer team was actually Turtle. I have a sweatshirt that proves it.
More than knowing I was part Turtle, as my youthful self liked to brag, I knew that the homeland of Oneida was in upper New York State, but that we had been forced to move west shortly following the American Revolution. Thus, the reservation and land I visited near Green Bay in northern Wisconsin is a unique place. It is one of only three in the world to have Oneida people, land, language and culture in one spot.
The reservation near Green Bay hasn’t always been such a proud place with a strong cultural identity. Laura Manthe, director for the Oneida Environmental Resource Board, and Chad Wilson, the board’s project manager, tell me of the Oneidan struggle.
“When we moved here, there was no cultural identity on the reservation,” Manthe says. “You couldn’t tell if you were on the reservation or not. People asked where the teepees were when told they were on a reservation. There was hardly any cultural identity here. Then in 1970s, there was a real resurgence of Indian pride.”
Now, I feel a joy in the Native markings and symbols of the Iroquois Confederacy that are visible on everything from buildings and signs to walls and bridges. Of course, I especially love the reservation’s roundabouts shaped like turtle shells.
Giving Thanks for Your Food
During the long afternoon filled with facts and stories, I came away with two lessons: The entire year of Oneida festivals relates back to food, as do most things in the tribe. Yet as Oneidans, we have a responsibility to be thankful for the food we’re given and to continue eating the natural food provided to us. Manthe and Wilson gave me a wheel that explains what an Oneidan should eat and when during the year. Between meat and sugar, vegetables and grains, there’s a specific time of year for everything we eat. All celebrations in the Oneida Nation revolve around this notion.
From Strawberry Fest to Harvest Fest to Bean Fest, every traditional festival in the Oneida Nation celebrates food. Wilson says, “We’re very food-based. We discuss a lot of things over food.” Traditionally, Native people like the Oneidans only ever ate what came from the land. Manthe expanded this with the fact that the only sugar our ancestors ever consumed was maple syrup.
“Imagine only ever eating candy once a year, in the wintertime. You would get all of your yummy sugar in a very short time, and then you wouldn’t have any during the rest of the year. They didn’t have access to sugar like we do now.”
