Tuesday, December 30, 2025 — The Menu: A memoir and a documentary film document two tribes’ connections to food sovereignty

A historically devastating salmon die-off on the Klamath River in 2002 was among the influences putting Amy Bowers Cordalis (Yurok) on her path of conservation. She recounts that moment, along with her family’s multigenerational fight to save their ties to the river, in her memoir, “The Water Remembers.” She is an instrumental voice in what became the largest river reclamation project in U.S. history.

The story of the Blackfeet Tribe’s revitalization of their historical ties to buffalo is the subject of the documentary “Bring Them Home”/“Aiskótáhkapiyaaya.” The film is directed by Blackfeet siblings and Oscar-nominated actor Lily Gladstone (Blackfeet) is the narrator and executive producer.

Tribes and tribal organizations are still waiting for the dust to settle after a year of unprecedented upheaval and funding cuts from the federal government. We’ll get an assessment of what happened and what this moment in time means for food sovereignty going forward.

GUESTS

Carly Griffith-Hotvedt (Cherokee), executive director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative

Amy Bowers Cordalis (Yurok), executive director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, and author of “The Water Remembers”

Ivy MacDonald (Blackfeet), writer, director, and cinematographer

Ivan MacDonald (Blackfeet), filmmaker, director, and producer

 

Break 1 Music: Honor Song (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Hear the Beat (album)

Break 2 Music: Oshki Manitou (song) Chuck Copenace (artist) Oshki Manitou (album)