“A Gathering Basket,” a new cookbook curated by The 11th Hour Project grantee I-Collective via the Food and Farm Communications Fund, received praise from the New York Times for its collection of traditional recipes and narratives celebrating Indigenous food and culture. In sharing rich and innovative recipes and traditions not otherwise captured throughout history, the digital cookbook, complemented with essays and videos, seeks to strengthen the connection between Indigenous peoples and their food.
“There have been several cookbooks published about Indigenous foodways, but this one — helmed by the Indigenous chef organization I-Collective — stands apart for being written by Indigenous people for their community,” the article states.
Rather than working with a publisher, I-Collective funded the project through crowdsourcing and funding from fellow 11th Hour Project Grantees Food and Farm Communications Fund and the First Nations Development Institute. The Food and Farm Communications Fund is a multi-funder pooled grant program and advocate for the vital role of strategic communications and narrative change in advancing racial equity, social and economic justice, and environmental stewardship in our food and farm systems.
The cookbook is just a piece of a much larger I-Collective initiative to cultivate Indigenous food sovereignty and preserve Indigenous narratives. I-Collective is also developing a Cookbook and Community Journal with supplemental Webinar Series making connections between food sovereignty and issues tied to colonialism and the exploitation of resources, land and people.
Food is our most intimate connection to ourselves, our ancestors, our communities, and most importantly, our future generations. Our vision is to increase visibility, own our foods and culture, and promote Indigenous ingredients and histories in our modern world.
I-Collective mission statement
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