PROJECTS

TPS partnered with First Nations Development Institute to draft a report on the impacts of COVID-19 on food storage and the food supply chain across Indian Country. With a focus on community driven solution, TPS found answers in Traditional storage techniques.

TPS worked with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to brand and design their food sovereignty assessment report, newsletters, and social media. This design is rooted in traditional values.

TPS is producing a podcast for the Urban Indian Health Institute entitled “Live with the Seasons” and also hosting seasonal workshops focused on culturally relevant nutrition education for Urban Indian health centers nationwide.

TPS redesigned the Feed Seven Generations website, providing a seasonal look and feel to represent the traditional Muckleshoot plants and medicines. In addition, TPS provided headshots and quarterly nature photography to populate the site.

TPS worked with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe on the Communities That Care report and campaign to assess resources for Coeur d’Alene Youth and provide community driven solutions.

TPS worked with The Wilderness Society to create a guide called “How to Rename Geographic Features in the US: A Guide for Social Justice Activists.” The Guide helps grassroots organizers rename racist and offensive place names in their own communities.

TPS and the Little Shell Tribe in Montana worked together to build a food sovereignty assessment and business plan for its newly acquired acreage. This is the first step in Little Shell’s food sovereignty efforts.

TPS has partnered with the Muckleshoot Behavioral Health Department to develop place-based learning guides through media formats as well as provide training to mental health counselors and champions that is grounded in the teaching of Native plants, foods, and medicines.

TPS is working in collaboration with Feed Seven Generations to host a Native Agriculture Symposium for tribes from the Northwest region. A smaller strategic planning meeting will follow and a cumulative report of findings will also be published by the end of 2022.

TPS is administering a food sovereignty assessment in collaboration with the Flower Hill Institute. The findings will help develop a strategic direction for the farmers and citizens of the Jemez Pueblo in their pursuits to strengthen food security and sovereignty for their community.

TPS Founder, Valerie Segrest is working with LMN Architect firm to provide cultural context for new zoo exhibitions focused on global “forests”

TPS is working with the NW Portland Area Indian Health Board to provide strategic planning and strategic communication design for their NW Tribal Food Sovereignty Coalition and NW Intertribal Breastfeeding Coalition. In addition, two training videos are being developed to support the NW Intertribal Breastfeeding Coalition as an online resource and tool for parents and peer support counselors.

The Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network (OFSSGN) and TPS are excited to collaborate on a project that will identify gaps in outreach, services, or coordination between OFSSGN and tribal communities and tribal schools. The goal will be to identify points of contact to better connect tribal schools, tribal communities, and OFSSGN Regional Hubs to Farm to School efforts in the state of Oregon.

TPS and the First Nations Development Institute will continue their partnership in a new project focused on nutrition policy and its implications on American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Using a similar model as the Food Storage Report done earlier in 2021-2022, TPS will provide a comprehensive report and convene experts within community to identify gaps and provide recommendations for advocacy and policy related to nutrition.

In early May, TPS, the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and Garden Raised Urban Bounty hosted an intertribal Camas Dig at the Glacial Heritage Preserve in Washington. This was an intertribal collaboration and had tribal representation from across Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. The camas dig was followed by a traditional camas pit roast the next day along with demonstrations of other traditional foods and recipes. The traditional cooking technologies were recorded with permission and are being compiled into a supplementary video to be shared with the tribal schools that participated in the WSDA Scratch Cooking Institute Training in August of 2021.

TPS is partnering with FNDI to launch a free online course for individuals serving tribal communities who would like to learn more about how to conduct a food sovereignty assessment.

TPS drafted a food sovereignty policy platform for Seattle mayoral candidate Colleen Echohawk during her historic 2021 campaign. As the first food sovereignty policy platform in a Seattle mayoral race, TPS brought innovative, Native based solutions to the political discourse.