First Foods Festival on Saturday

Native American Outreach and the First Foods Festival Committee is proud to present the annual First Foods Festival, a celebration of sovereignty, environmental stewardship and treaty rights of the tribes of the Walla Walla Valley. The festival, held on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Cordiner Hall, will feature a full day of events, bringing together community members, students and tribal leaders to honor Indigenous culture and the traditional foods central to the Walúulapam (Walla Walla), Weyíiletpuu (Cayuse) and Imatalamłáma (Umatilla) people. (Flyer attached.)

I am very excited to offer the First Foods Festival as the next public education initiative from Whitman College. With November being Native American Heritage Month, this is an informative and interactive opportunity to learn more about tribal history and environmental stewardship. 

First Foods Festival Schedule - Saturday, Nov. 9

• 10 a.m. to Noon - Dogbane Cordage Workshop led by Brosnan Spencer (CTUIR), Co-Director of Naknuwiłama Tiiča̓mna - Caretakers of the Land. This hands-on workshop opportunity is for Whitman students only.
• 1–2:20 p.m. - Film screening of “Fish War,” a recently-released documentary that explores the struggle of Pacific Northwest tribes to preserve their treaty-reserved fishing rights and the ongoing fight to protect salmon populations.
• Following the film, we will have a Fish, Water, and Treaty Rights Panel discussion moderated by Biology-Environmental Studies major Henry Roller ’25. The panel will feature tribal and local leaders, youth and students involved in advocacy and environmental conservation, including:
  • CTUIR Youth Council members Penelope Gavin-Harvey and Luka Worden
  • CTUIR Board of Trustees members Corinne Sams and Toby Patrick
  • City of Milton-Freewater Public Works Engineering Technician Steven Patten
  • Kooskooskie Commons Program Coordinator Judith Johnson
  • Whitman College Indigenous People’s Education and Cultural Club President Lindsey Pasena-Littlesky ’26
• 3–4 p.m. - The CTUIR First Foods Policy Program will provide a presentation as part of their “Nixyáawii, Awkú Čáwpam Áḱaatta!” (Don’t throw it away!) campaign. Program staff Althea Huesties-Wolf and Colleen Sanders will share about a pilot project using innovative waste management strategies to support sustainable practices within the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) community.
• 4–5 p.m. - We will end the day with samplings of First Foods prepared by Bon Appétit.
• CTUIR General Council Vice-Chairman Michael R. Johnson will provide traditional songs to begin and end the afternoon activities.

The First Foods Festival offers a unique opportunity for the Walla Walla community to explore the significance of First Foods—water, fish, wild game, roots and berries—through educational presentations, a film screening, a panel discussion and culinary experiences. The event is free and open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

For more information, visit the Whitman College Native American Outreach website.