Celebrating Native American Heritage Month
About Native American Heritage Month
The month of November is recognized as National American Indian Heritage Month and is also referred to as Native American Heritage month. This holiday serves as a time to celebrate and honor the culture, heritage, history, and contributions of the original inhabitants of the United States. (source: CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion)
Recipe Spotlight:
Three Sisters Soup
This year, Wegmans partnered with Ganondagan to create an authentic recipe for Three Sisters Soup, a traditional Native American dish from the Haudenosaunee nation. “Three Sisters” refers to the three main crops of many North American tribes: corn, squash, and beans. Read more about how we developed the recipe in our Community Spotlight article below!
Community Spotlight:
Three Sisters Soup: A Recipe for Comfort and Connection
We reached out to our friends at Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, New York for inspiration and insight when creating our Three Sisters Soup recipe.
Celebrating Our People
We asked our employees to share their stories around food, family, and traditions.
Mary R.
Mohawk Tribe
IT Support Supervisor, 5 years of incredible service
“My family and I frequently have fry bread and corn soup throughout the year, especially during our tribe’s annual powwow. At our powwow, one is able to experience our tribe’s traditions through food, dance, art, and oral storytelling. Food plays a very important role in our culture because we are one with Mother Earth and many of our origin stories come from nature.”
Darren L.
Osage Tribe, Eastern Cherokee Tribe
Pizza Customer Service, 1 year of incredible service
“Food in my culture is seen as a vehicle for embracing those around you. Cooking often involves the whole household, whether you’re blood family or not, and coming together afterwards to share what each person has made is the ultimate goal. I’ve always loved making Wojapi, a type of berry preserve that’s sweetened with honey. It takes a few hours, so usually once it’s been started there’s a lot of time for the family to spend time together while making other dishes to pair with it.”
Emma H.
Cherokee Tribe
Employee Advocate, 4 months of incredible service
“As in many cultures, food to members of the Cherokee Nation is crucial to bringing people together, building relationships, and taking care of people. The act of cooking and sharing food is an act of love. Any time that there is an opportunity to cook and eat together is an opportunity to honor heritage, show respect, show love, and instill recipes and traditions in the younger generations.”