Indigenous Food Systems Curriculum: A Developing Community Process
Start: 2026-11-12 14:00:00 UTC Mountain Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-06:00)
End: 2026-11-12 15:30:00 UTC Mountain Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-06:00)
Event Type:
Virtual
A virtual link will be communicated before the event.
Join us for our South Dakota Education Equity Coalition's monthly call! We'll be joined by special guests: Blue Dawn Little & Wicahpi Peta Win.
Session Overview:The Food Systems Institute (FSI) at Makoce Agriculture Development is developing an open-ended Indigenous Food Systems curriculum and field-guide that honors traditional ecological teachings, values and relationships. FSI will share the original vision and purpose for the curriculum, as well as the current process of collaborating with local practitioners and knowledge bearers in guiding its framework. We will highlight what this journey has revealed about the importance of relationships, cultural responsibility, and centering community knowledge in the preservation of our traditional food systems. Participants will have the experience of learning about a traditional Lakota food through the lenses of the curriculum.
RSVP today! You'll receive a Zoom link in the event confirmation.
Speaker Bios
Blue Dawn Little
Blue Dawn Little is an enrolled member of the Oglala band of Lakota, and descendent of Mnicoujou Oyate, born in Pine Ridge, SD, and raised on her family homestead near Oglala, SD.
She is a mother, daughter, sister, and good relative to many. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at South Dakota State University and holds a Bachelor’s in Social Science.
In her role as the Food Systems Institute Director she works with her team to strengthen and bridge relationships amongst producers, community, educators, and practitioners to share traditional ecological knowledge, experience modern food systems practices, and understand the evolution of those practices throughout generations.
Blue Dawn brings over a decade of experience and commitment to education, youth mentorship, and advocacy in regenerative agriculture and mental health and wellness. She blends educational and clinical training with lived experience. Her work is guided by the values of humility, relationality, and collective responsibility, rooted in her Lakota teachings.
Blue Dawn is passionate about bridging Western therapeutic and agricultural models with Indigenous worldviews and practices, She believes that healing and self-sufficiency must honor both community and culture. Her long-term vision is to open an equine-assisted psychotherapy center on her family homestead to serve Native youth through land-based healing and culturally grounded mental health care.
And…equally as important, she loves corgis & chickens!
Wicahpi Peta Win
Wicahpi Peta Win is the Food Systems Institute Coordinator at Makoce Agriculture in Porcupine, SD and is a mother of two from Medicine Root District on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. She has a background in Elementary Education and a passion for traditional teaching and learning in outdoor settings, which she likes to call outdoor classrooms.
Starr has experience working with learners of all ages, from babies to elders, and believes that learning can happen anywhere when we create meaningful opportunities to connect with our culture, land, food, and community. She especially enjoys learning from elders and community members by listening to their teachings, stories, and experiences.
Her work is in creating opportunities for others to learn in safe environments and through hands-on experiences while honoring traditional knowledge and the people who carry it.
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