Cultivating a cooperative food system in any region is not possible without deeply partnering with, learning from, and respecting its original people. Living in harmony with nature, honoring ancestral wisdom, and ensuring that wealth and prosperity are shared, are all values deeply held and long practiced by Indigenous communities. Excluding Indigenous peoples from leading the way in shaping food systems everywhere has cost the world dearly. Taking steps to repair relationships and return power to Tribes in every community—the Kumeyaay, Luiseño/Payómkawichum, Cahuilla, and Cupeño/Kuupangaxwichem in our region—is essential.⁣⁣

In this session, listen to a dialogue among tribal members and deepen your understanding of traditional practices for stewarding land, sea, and shared future: Gathering & Harvesting, Cultural Burning, and Maritime Traditions. Discuss actions to critically reclaim rights to these practices taken by colonization. Join this session to commit to lessening the distance between native and non-native communities, seed deep cultural and spiritual transformation, and truly live into cooperation.