Over half of the crops grown around the world were first successfully cultivated by Native Americans.
From corn and beans to squash and potatoes, American Indigenous peoples’ diets were rooted in the wide variety of the crops they grew.
And these roots continue to grow stronger at powwows like the 22nd Woodland Indian Celebration in Grand Rapids, Ohio.
IF YOU GO
What:
22nd Woodland Indian Celebration
When:
12:30 p.m. to dusk Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 22
Where:
The Seven Eagles Historical Education Center, 16486 Wapakoneta Rd., Grand Rapids, Ohio
Admission:
$5 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children 5 to 11, and free for ages 4 and younger
Info: blackswampintertribalfoundation.org
The festival — hosted by the Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation — invites guests to attend two days of Native American culture in art, dance, history, music, and food on Saturday and Sept. 22.
“Food was an integral part of everything that we do,” said Jamie Oxendine, the director of the Black Swamp InterTribal Foundation. “It’s a chance where people can come together, even a chance for enemies to come together.”