Traditional foods like caribou and seal meat were not on the menu at an elder care center in Kotzebue, Alaska. That’s because the center couldn’t allow anything the U.S. Food and Drug Administration didn’t approve of. Some residents went from their traditional diets to eating cafeteria spaghetti and packaged pudding. That all changed when the Maniilaq Association helped build a traditional foods processing center. Tribes are finding the importance of restoring traditional diets for their people in institutional settings, even though it can take years to satisfy state and federal rules.

Guests:

Cyrus Harris (Native village of Kotzebue) – works for the hunter support program under the Maniilaq Association

Val Kreil – administrator of the long term care center at Utuqqanaat Inaat

Chris Dankmeyer – environmental health manager for the Maniilaq Association and he’s a lieutenant in the U.S. Indian Health Service

Joanie Buckley (member of the Oneida Nation) – division director for internal services at

Break Music: Anasazi Sun (song) (artist) Fight For Survival (album)