As different American cultures become “acculturated,” they risk losing the things that made them a unique culture in the first place. Nowhere is this more evident than in the numerous Native American cultures. Ways of life, traditions, cultural heritage and even Native American languages are quickly disappearing – perhaps to be lost forever. The U.S. Census counts more than 550 federally-recognized tribes in the U.S. The largest are the Cherokee Nation, with almost 730,000 members, followed by the Navajo with more than 298,000 and the Sioux with 153,000.

The Census reports that almost 282,000 households speak American Indian languages, but another report places the number of people speaking American Indian as much lower. According to the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages in Salem, Ore., there are about 200 Native American languages, but hardly any of them are still viable. The Institute says that the Navajo language is the most robust, with about 75,000 speakers, followed by Cherokee, with about 20,000 speakers. Whole organizations have sprung up to try to capture what is left of these languages in whatever way they can, including language immersion courses or using an audio encyclopedia to try to engage younger Native Americans.

Just as language defines a culture, so too does food.

Native American food traditionally is food that relies on the land. Although game was a part of the diet, many tribes relied on what they call the “Three Sisters”: corn or maize, beans and squash. For some, potatoes are also a staple. 

At Sodexo, although we celebrate diversity year-round, every November we honor Native Americans in particular during Native American Indian Heritage Month, established in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. We offer our facilities a whole kit to help them celebrate the month. The kit includes table tents, bookmarks, an informative newsletter, giveaways, and recipe cards. We also feature foods made from Native American recipes during that month for our customers to enjoy and celebrate. 

It’s a small thing, but we hope that by preserving the foods of the Native American culture, we help honor and preserve the culture itself.

You might want to download the Native American recipe below for Three Sisters Soup. Please let us know how your soup turned out and whether you liked it. We’d love to hear from you.

3SistersSoupRecipe.pdf (299.21 kb)