Celebrating Culture through Food: Honoring Native American Heritage Month

Celebrated each November, the month-long observance of Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive. 

Did you know that City of Portland 's urban Native community is descended from more than 380 tribes, nine of which are sovereign Native American nations located throughout Oregon? The city’s metro area rests on the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalaypuya, Molalla and many other tribes and bands. 

New Seasons Market is excited to acknowledge and celebrate the heritage of Native communities, both locally and beyond! Posts like this are our chance to connect the good we aim to do as a B Corp grocer with the diverse customers and partnerships that support our stores, where we live and work, and that enrich our lives together.  

You may have seen our post for Indigenous People’s Day, which similarly highlighted our partners Yakama Nation Farms , Cowlitz Indian Tribe and NAYA Family Center . Yakama Nation Farms’ delicious seasonal produce is available year-round in our stores. It is owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation.  

Our partners at the Cowlitz Indian Tribe are aligned with our commitment to ensuring equitable access to healthy, affordable and culturally relevant food and addressing hunger at its root causes. Through their Cowlitz Tribe Food Sovereignty Coalition, they support a Community Wellness Garden, which fulfills Tribal members’ need for fresh, sustainably grown, culturally significant produce and related products. The Community Wellness Garden also serves the Elders Nutrition Program, as well as more than 100 households of Cowlitz Tribal members and members of other Native American and Alaskan native tribes. 

NAYA Family Center, or Native American Youth and Family Center, is an organization of a family of tribes and voices rooted in sustaining tradition and building cultural wealth through a range of education, health, housing, economic development and community engagement programs. Founded by the community, for the community. New Seasons Market and our customers directly support NAYA’s work with dollars at the register through our Neighbor Rewards loyalty program. 

The entire month of November is a wonderful time to learn more about not only our partners Yakama Nation Farms, Cowlitz Indian Tribe and NAYA, but also to explore the culture, histories and modern-day communities of Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian and affiliated Island communities.