May 31, 2024 Enjoying Indigenous cuisine—the traditional food cycle of the Cayuga Nations

Sgeno Geh? – Is the peace with you? I am a Haudenosaunee dietitian of the Cayuga Nation of Six Nations of the Grand River, joining you from my home community of Ohsweken, Ont. I would like to share with you some of the Haudenosaunee food knowledge that has sustained our Ongwehonweh (original peoples of this land) for thousands of years, in the hope that it will inspire your own connection to your land and food system. The Cayuga are grateful for all the growing, hunting and fishing seasons, and so I will speak to you about these seasonal cycles, as Cayuga Nations represent our relationship with our foods with a kinship lens. We recognize our responsibilities to the land, water, air and sun in our food systems, and how all of that helps to grow our bodies, minds and heart to align our spirits for the generations still to come.

Reconciling our responsibility to food

Eating for Indigenous wellness has been an ancestral trait for thousands of years. Through our ceremonial and traditional language teachings, we share in resurgence and reconciliation with our responsibility to our seasonal food cycles. Diabetes is a newer health concern that our Ongwehonweh people need to heal.

We have always had ailments that we have been able to prevent, manage and treat with clean water, an active lifestyle and our traditional foods, practices and medicines. Over thousands of years, we have remained connected to the land, and we have had less than 100 years to heal from what we see today as a major health concern in and around our nations—diabetes.

Diabetes has a variety of elements to be considered for prevention and holistically healing our minds, bodies and spirits. Two of the main modalities we focus on are the foods we choose to fuel our bodies, and the activities we choose to spend that fuel on.

 

Food as fuel

Proteins, carbohydrates and fats are major fuelling choices for our body, and one way dietitians separate out foods in how they can give our bodies energy to function. Haudenosaunee white corn is an ancient variety passed on through generations and is of varied nutritional value compared to yellow sweet corn. Our Haudenosaunee white corn is picked at two stages of its growing cycle. “Small green corn,” as we call it, is picked in late August into September depending on growing conditions. This immature corn has a higher water content in the kernel, and therefore less carbohydrate and protein content. This stage of lower nutrient values affects blood sugars in a good way, with a slower release into the bloodstream than the mature corn typically found in the grocery stores. The second stage is “big green corn,” and this final mature stage is picked at the end of September and October. Haudenosaunee white corn can be found in First Nation communities from coast to coast due to trade routes that existed before European contact.

“People with diabetes who are following a consistent carbohydrate intake should take the carb content of green corn into consideration when interpreting their blood sugar levels,” says Jennifer Buccino, executive director, diabetes knowledge & connection, at Diabetes Canada.

Traditional foods low in sodium: Natural preservation methods such as heat- or sun-drying seasonal greens, berries and mushrooms have multiple benefits: they can add flavour and nutrients, help to lower sodium intake from canned and already prepared foods, and allows us to enjoy these foods all year round.

From field to table: Animal proteins do not have carbohydrates (carbs), but protein and fat in your foods can affect the absorption rate (or how quickly your body uses carbohydrates as glucose as fuel). Lean proteins like deer (dewanhodehs) used in traditional Indigenous cooking can help maintain your blood glucose (sugar) levels. Proteins are larger molecules for our body to break down and digest; choosing foods with lean protein content can replace high-carbohydrate foods. Eating meat from animals with low saturated fats support your body’s ability to lower insulin resistance and absorb healthy carbohydrates more efficiently. A serving of traditional lean meat protein would be about three ounces (90 grams), or roughly the size of your palm. The various cuts of deer can be preserved and prepared in a variety of ways to ensure that you can enjoy the mind, body and spiritual essence of these animals even in the off-season.

Hunting, harvesting and gathering traditional foods for fuel

Active muscles use blood glucose as fuel, and more muscle needs more fuel for the body’s energy. With regular cycles of activity—such as working the soil and planting in a garden, as well as hunting and fishing for traditional foods—our bodies get accustomed to and more efficient at using glucose to fuel and function. This can help our bodies and minds to achieve a spiritual alignment of self-worth, self-respect and ancestral wisdom by carrying traditions forward in a physically active way.

Eating and building a relationship with food in a seasonal availability cycle can help to ensure that our ancestral wisdom, which resides resiliently inside of us, will continue for the generations still to come. These are also ways to support diabetes management. When we observe our food system from new growth to full maturity, we understand better the environment it relies on to grow, and we are reminded to protect that environment for the betterment of all life on Mother Earth. Danetoh (that is all).

Recipes

Enjoy delicious tastes of Indigenous cuisine in these recipes, all of which are reprinted with permission from Dietitians of Canada. Your Health Matters, 2017/18 Seasonal Food Guide Calendar.

Mashed Beans

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14-19 oz./398-540 g) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup (60 mL) oil-cured sun-dried tomatoes
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 to 3 tbsp (30-45 mL) chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet. Add onion and sauté over moderate heat until translucent. Add garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is just beginning to brown.

Combine onion mixture with beans, tomatoes, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, in the container of a food processor; blend, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.

Process until completely smooth. You can drizzle in about 2 tbsp (30 mL) of water to bring the mixture to desired consistency. Or, for a chunky consistency, you can just use a fork to mash up ingredients.

Spoon into a serving bowl and enjoy.

Makes 3 servings (each 2 cups/500 mL)

Nutritional breakdown per serving: 45 g carbohydrate, 13 g protein, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 10 g fibre, 35 mg sodium, 280 calories
 

June Berry Pudding

• 2 cups (500 mL) Saskatoon berries (fresh or frozen)
• 6 tbsp (90 mL) maple syrup or ½ cup (125 mL) white sugar
• 2 cups (500 mL) water (divided)
• ½ cup (125 mL) white corn flour

Combine berries, maple syrup and 1½ cups (375 mL) of water in a medium pot. Bring mixture to a boil on high heat.

Reduce heat to low and let mixture simmer for 30 minutes.

Put white corn flour in a small bowl. Boil remaining ½ cup (125 mL) water and add to flour; mix well.

Add white corn flour mixture to berry mixture; stir well to blend. Continue to cook on low heat for 10 minutes until mixture has thickened.

Serve and enjoy!

Makes 6 servings

Nutritional breakdown per serving: 33 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 0.5 g total fat, 3 g fibre, 4 mg sodium, 141 calories

Blueberry White Corn Cobbler

• ⅓ cup (75 mL) low-fat milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, melted
• 1¼ cups (310 mL) white corn flour
• ½ tsp (2 mL) salt
• ¾ cup (175 mL) honey or maple syrup, divided
• 4 cups (1 L) fresh blueberries, or frozen unthawed

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Beat milk, egg, butter, corn flour and salt in a mixing bowl.  Add ½ cup (125 mL) honey, stirring well to break up any lumps. Set aside.

Spread berries on the bottom of a 9-inch-square (23 x 23 cm) baking dish. Drizzle remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) honey overtop. Drop the batter by tablespoons over the berries.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the berries are bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Nutritional breakdown per serving: 59 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein, 7 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 5 g fibre, 220 mg sodium, 320 calories

Did you know?

June is National Indigenous History Month. Indigenous communities in Canada face greater health challenges than most, including an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is a result of several overlapping and compounded factors, including Canada’s historic and continued colonial policies, such as residential schools, Indian hospitals, and the Sixties Scoop; lack of access to healthy, nutritious, and affordable food; and a strong genetic risk for type 2 diabetes. To learn more, visit Indigenous Communities and Diabetes.

Sgę:nǫˀ, Deyowidron’t eya:sǫh, otahyoni niyagoˀsyao’dę:, gayogo̱ho:nǫˀ niyagaǫhwęjoˀdę:.
Teri Morrow is wolf clan from the Haudenosaunee Cayuga nation. She is a registered dietitian at Ogwaya’dadogehsdoh; Alignrbody in Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario.