‘Hey, I Grew That’: The Native American School That’s Decolonizing Foodways

In the Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation, teens learn about nutrition and build tribal sovereignty by farming for their school and community

Before joining her school’s gardening program this year, 14-year-old Emilie Lyons had never encountered an eggplant. She is a freshman at Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation public school, which serves more than 600 students on the Omaha reservation in Macy, Nebraska. When she brought the vegetable home, she and her dad looked up recipes for how to prepare the peculiar purple nightshade and were surprised by how tasty it was.

Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation is just one Indigenous-focused school across the US where administrators and educators are endeavoring to introduce healthy, culturally relevant foods into their lunches and other culinary initiatives.

Though each program is unique, they have similar objectives: to help kids reconnect with their heritage; to strengthen tribal sovereignty; and to combat the marked health disparities and disproportionate food insecurity – estimated at nearly 24% – affecting tribal communities in the aftermath of colonialism. About 68% of Native American children qualify for free lunches, meaning these may be the most reliable and nutritionally balanced meals they eat.