Down2Earth 1.2 - T'Sou-ke Food Security

Summary

The Souk Nation, once reliant on the Pacific's bounties, faced a dietary shift 150 years ago with the introduction of processed foods. Today, they strive to revert to their traditional seafood diet, complemented by organic vegetables and fruits grown in community greenhouses. The community supports its members with healthy food options, addressing health issues like diabetes and heart conditions. They aim to expand their greenhouse to feed the entire community and are also cultivating medicinal plants, teaching proper administration and storage. The visit concludes with a feast, highlighting the community's commitment to traditional food, solar energy, and harmony with nature.

Takeaways

• 🌊 The Souk Nation has historically relied on the Pacific Ocean and local water bodies for their food supply.
• 🍽️ A significant dietary shift occurred 150 years ago with the introduction of processed and refined foods.
• 🛑 The community is actively working to revert to their traditional seafood diet and grow organic produce.
• 🥗 They encourage the consumption of home-grown vegetables like lettuce for community meals.
• 🌱 The Souk Nation utilizes greenhouses to grow organic food, promoting health and sustainability.
• 🏥 Health issues such as diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure are prevalent, and the community is addressing them through dietary changes.
• 👵 Elders are involved in the food production process, receiving baskets of fresh produce as a gesture of care.
• 🌱 Expansion plans include a larger greenhouse to increase food supply for the community members.
• 🌿 The community is also venturing into growing medicinal plants to educate members on their use.
• 🍅 Organic food is promoted over pesticide-laden alternatives, with an emphasis on self-sufficiency.
• 🍲 The community gathers for feasts that celebrate their traditional foods, including fresh vegetables and salmon.
• 🙏 The Souk Nation acknowledges the importance of their ancestral connection to the land and the need for harmony with nature.

Q & A

What significant change occurred in the Souk Nation's diet 150 years ago?

The diet of the Souk Nation changed drastically 150 years ago with the introduction of processed and refined foods, deviating from their traditional diet that had relied on the rich bounty of the Pacific Ocean and nearby lakes and rivers for thousands of years.

What is the Souk Nation currently doing to reverse the trend of processed food consumption?

The Souk Nation is working to reverse this trend by encouraging a return to a traditional seafood diet and by growing organic vegetables and fruits in their own greenhouse.

How does the Souk Nation involve community members in their food production?

The Souk Nation involves community members by allowing them to pick their own lettuce from the greenhouse, providing them with the opportunity to learn how to grow their own food, and making baskets with produce to show them they can be self-sufficient.

What health issues are prevalent among the Souk Nation's community members, and how does the community address these?

Health issues such as diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure are prevalent among the community members. The community addresses these by encouraging the consumption of organic food grown in their greenhouse, which is free from pesticides.

What is the Souk Nation's plan for expanding their food production capabilities?

The Souk Nation has plans to expand their food production by applying for a larger greenhouse, which is around 5 acres, to supply more food for their community members.

Why is organic food important to the Souk Nation's community?

Organic food is important to the Souk Nation's community because it is healthier, free from pesticides, and encourages self-sufficiency, reducing their dependence on grocery stores.

What role does the Souk Nation's community smokehouse play in their food culture?

The community smokehouse is used for gatherings, funerals, weddings, and tribal journeys, playing a central role in their food culture by providing a place to prepare and share traditional foods like salmon.

How does the Souk Nation incorporate traditional territory and culture into their current projects?

The Souk Nation incorporates their traditional territory and culture into their projects by ensuring they are connected to their land, their cultural practices, and the food they eat, emphasizing the importance of growing their own food and living in harmony with nature.

What challenges is the Souk Nation facing regarding their traditional food sources, such as clams?

The Souk Nation is facing challenges with their traditional food sources due to environmental issues such as septic fields, which have led to the clams being contaminated and therefore not safe to eat without proper treatment.

How does the Souk Nation view the connection between taking care of salmon and the overall health of their environment?

The Souk Nation views the care of salmon as integral to the health of the environment, recognizing that the well-being of the salmon is connected to the health of the beaches and the air, reflecting a holistic approach to environmental stewardship.

What is the significance of the solar energy project to the Souk Nation, and how does it relate to their traditional lifestyle?

The solar energy project is significant to the Souk Nation as it represents a step towards sustainability and self-reliance, aligning with their traditional values of living in harmony with nature and reducing dependence on external resources.

Outlines

00:00

🌊 Revival of Traditional Diet

The souk nation, which has thrived on the rich bounty of the Pacific Ocean and nearby lakes and rivers for thousands of years, experienced a significant dietary change with the introduction of processed and refined foods 150 years ago. Currently, the nation is working to revert to its traditional seafood diet and is also growing organic vegetables and fruits in their greenhouse. This initiative is crucial for the community, particularly for those with health issues such as diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure. The community feeds its members and elders, and plans to expand with a larger greenhouse to support the whole community. The garden follows the health workers, providing fresh, organic food instead of pesticide-sprayed produce.

05:00

🌿 Embracing Organic and Medicinal Plants

In addition to organic vegetables, the souk nation is venturing into growing medicinal plants. They teach community members how to properly administer, dry, and store these plants. The community smokehouse plays a vital role during gatherings, funerals, weddings, and tribal journeys, where salmon, a traditional and healing food, is prepared. The visit concludes with a feast featuring fresh greenhouse vegetables and smoked salmon. The nation is also involved in a solar energy project, emphasizing their connection to traditional territory, culture, and food. They aim to reduce dependency on grocery stores, reclaim beaches for clam digging, and ensure the annual return of salmon, emphasizing the importance of taking care of nature and its resources.

Keywords

💡Souk Nation

The Souk Nation is an indigenous community that has lived off the resources of the Pacific Ocean, lakes, and rivers for thousands of years. They are currently working to return to traditional diets and sustainable practices. The video highlights their efforts to revive their traditional food sources and promote healthier eating habits among their members.

💡Traditional Seafood Diet

This refers to the diet primarily consisting of seafood that the Souk Nation traditionally consumed. The video explains how this diet has been replaced by processed and refined foods in recent history and describes the community's efforts to encourage a return to these healthier, traditional eating habits.

💡Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a structure used for growing plants under controlled conditions. The Souk Nation is using greenhouses to grow organic vegetables and fruits, which are part of their initiative to promote healthier diets and self-sufficiency. The video shows the community's plans to expand their greenhouse operations to feed more people.

💡Organic Vegetables and Fruit

These are plants grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. The Souk Nation grows organic produce in their greenhouses to provide healthier food options for their community. The video emphasizes the benefits of organic food and the community's efforts to grow and consume it.

💡Health Issues

Refers to common medical conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure prevalent in the Souk Nation community. The video highlights how these health issues are being addressed through diet and lifestyle changes, including the promotion of traditional and organic foods.

💡Elders

Elders in the Souk Nation are respected community members who often receive special attention and care. The video describes how the community provides them with fresh produce and teaches them how to grow their own food to improve their health and well-being.

💡Community Smokehouse

A smokehouse is a building where food, particularly fish, is cured with smoke. The Souk Nation uses their community smokehouse for various gatherings and to prepare traditional foods like salmon. The video shows how the smokehouse plays a central role in maintaining cultural practices and providing food.

💡Medicinal Plants

These are plants used for their therapeutic properties. The Souk Nation is cultivating medicinal plants and educating their members on how to use them properly. The video highlights this initiative as part of their broader efforts to reconnect with traditional practices and improve community health.

💡Solar Energy Project

A project to harness solar power for sustainable energy. The Souk Nation is implementing a solar energy project to reduce their dependence on non-renewable energy sources. The video connects this initiative to their cultural values and environmental stewardship.

💡Salmon

A vital food source for the Souk Nation, salmon has been a staple in their diet for generations. The video discusses the importance of salmon to their culture and diet, and the community's efforts to ensure its availability by taking care of the environment.

Highlights

The Souk Nation has historically relied on the rich bounty of the Pacific Ocean and local water bodies for sustenance.

A drastic dietary change occurred 150 years ago with the introduction of processed and refined foods.

Efforts are being made to revert to a traditional seafood diet and organic vegetable and fruit cultivation.

Community members are encouraged to pick their own lettuce from the greenhouse.

The community feeds many people, including elders, through communal lunches and salads.

The community faces health issues such as diabetes, heart conditions, and high blood pressure.

Heel workers are employed to help community members learn to grow their own food.

Baskets of produce are provided to elders to demonstrate the feasibility of self-sufficiency in food production.

Plans for a larger 5-acre greenhouse to supply more food to the community are underway.

The community is promoting organic food to avoid the harmful effects of pesticides.

Medicinal plants are being cultivated to teach proper administration and preservation methods.

The community smokehouse is a central place for gatherings, funerals, weddings, and tribal journeys.

Salmon is considered a healing food and is integral to the community's traditional diet.

A feast with fresh vegetables and salmon is held to celebrate the community's efforts and welcome guests.

The Souk Nation is integrating a solar energy project to support sustainability and reduce dependence on external resources.

The community emphasizes the importance of living in harmony with nature and taking care of the environment.

Traditional food sources like clams are currently affected by environmental issues such as septic fields.

The community's well-being is connected to the health of the salmon population and the environment.

Transcripts

the souk nation has subsisted on the

rich Bounty of the Pacific Ocean and

nearby lakes and rivers for thousands of

years just 150 years ago this diet

changed drastically with the

introduction of processed and refined

Foods today the souk nation is working

to reverse this trend by encouraging the

return to a traditional Seafood diet and

by growing organic vegetables and fruit

in their own

Greenhouse would you like a garden salad

I'd love to try some of this so this is

green leaf lettuce and red leaf

lettuce you just go in there and break

off as much as you want so I understand

you guys feed a lot of people we do we

feed our community lunch people our

elders and people can come up and

they'll make a bowl of salad and they

just go crazy cuz they just fill it

right up this is lettuce here some too

this is red leaf lettuce and the more

you pick it the more it comes you just

get the little babies out of there and

it's so good okay I've never tried that

in my whole life so it's important to us

in our community because we have a lot

of band members that have health issues

they have diabetes they have heart

conditions they have high blood pressure

so they're in house all the time our

heel Worker Works to get them out and

our garden follows the heel workers we

give them food we we're showing them how

to grow their food we've made baskets

for them with uh tomatoes cucumbers

lettuce sweet peas and merry Golds and

this showed them that they could grow

their own food we gave them to the

elders and they thought that was really

nice I understand you have plans for

expanding in so that you can feed the

whole Community we've put in some

applications for a larger Greenhouse

it's around a 5 acre greenhouse and

that's going to supply a lot of food for

our members okay we'll go inside now for

some Tomatoes we've taught our people

that they can grow their own food

instead of going on the shelf and

getting food that's sprayed with

pesticides and such we're teaching them

that it's better for them to have

organic

food

so we got a few herbs in here but I

understand you're also uh branching out

into medicinal plant yes we are I'll

show you out here all

right in this box here is where we had

all the C so that canvas is a bulb so it

it's going to come up again it's a bulb

it's like a daffodil bulb and so what

kind of hopes do you have with the

medicine that you're planting we're

going to teach our members how to

administer it properly and how to dry

dry it properly and store

it do I get to try my wonderful salad

here well before you do that we have to

put you to work you have to earn your

food

here

okay I'm really looking forward to that

salad but I have to earn

it by hauling this Dirt

away so this is like a Community smok

House John yeah this is our community

Smoke House we have Gatherings we have

funerals weddings tribal Journeys when

all the canoes come here we we use this

quite a bit and so your people have

lived off of salmon for countless

Generations well I think it's it's it's

a very healing food do you mind if I uh

sample a little bit of it yeah you're

welcome

T that's really good our visit to the

souk nation is coming to an end but

before we leave we've been invited to a

feast complete with fresh vegetables

from the greenhouse salmon from The

Smokehouse and a warm welcome from the

people in the community

nation was chosen to help our people by

bringing into our

community the solar energy project as we

go forward from this day we

acknowledge

remember and give thanks to our

ancestors who lived and walked on this

Land one with nature in harmony with

Mother Earth and with all

creatures we put this project together

it's connected with our traditional

territory it's connected to our culture

it's connected to our kids it's

connected to the food we eat and and

that is is is growing our own food a

good way and be able to not have to be

dependent on a grocery store be able to

get our beaches back and be able to dig

our clams uh the way we used to cuz

right now it's uh we're in a time where

our clams have to be decorated because

of the housing situation where uh septic

fields uh play a part in uh us not

eating our traditional foods and then

also it's it's connected to our salmon

because we're depending on that salmon

to come back every year you know when

you take care of the salmon it beaches

the air everything we do in life plays a

role in taking care of

mother