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Writer's pictureCh'iL-IndigenousFoods

The Food Spirits, The 5 Fingered People, & Holiday Dinners

Updated: Dec 27, 2022



To indigenous people of the past, food was a spiritual experience. It was so important we often had elaborate stories and teachings surrounding certain plants, and they had their own spirit and power.

I believe they still do, but many people of today have not learned or have forgotten the importance and power of the foods we eat.


The way food has been presented in current society has had a huge effect on how we see and value food. Processed & fast foods are addictive with their combination of high amounts of salt, fat, and sugar. Its quick delivery gives the idea that it was not hard to produce, therefore you can eat a lot of it, and should not be given much thought before consuming. This is done on purpose of course, because if you thought deep enough you may see the food for what it actually is and what it has gone through.


This way of eating has slowly seeped into our subconscious. It has taken space in our minds and bodies where the beauty of food and balance of nature was once held. This is the space where we can learn so much from our ancestors and heal from what society and big business pushes at us. Just you coming to my humble little blog is part of the healing process and I am so glad to have a moment of your time!


There are traditional teachings in Navajo about being people with the 5 senses represented by our 5 fingers. As the teachings go, our sense can be used for great good or great harm. A take on,'' there is too much of a good thing.'' I feel the current foods of our society prey on our 5 senses and the weaknesses that can come with being ''sensitive people''. It is important that we protect our 5 senses and the amazing abilities that come with them . Through the 5 senses we can grow beyond our limits and start to use the more unknown senses that people are capable of. The teachings consider these ''the invisible senses '', represented in the space between our 5 fingers.


Although you are here you may be thinking, I get this. But what about my family or friends? Until you make a concrete effort to change what you eat, you do not realize how much other people's relationships with food matter and can impact you. I have struggled with my own family and their refusal to change even slightly. They do not see food the way I do and many are not ready to have a different relationship with food. It is this weird unspoken way of being that most do not recognize until one begins the journey towards a healthier path.


Oh how I pray they could replace the joy of grabbing a fast food hamburger with the joy of seeing morning dew gather on a corn plant almost ready for harvest.

I know that to create this shift in thinking it takes time, conscious effort, and desire. It isn't something everyone will care to work towards and I've learned to accept that. I do appreciate the little things and attempts made by others.


When you feel frustrated or affected by another's way of living, take it in for a moment. Acknowledge how powerful their way is. Feel how it affects your own mind and body. Then realize... Your energy can and does have the same influence on others!


For many years I have eaten plants. For many years I have heard all the excuses from everyone around me. I have never once been able to have a holiday dinner with others and have just healthy plant foods. This year, it was different. Everyone agreed to my traditional indigenous plant foods. I made a whole spread. The energy was so different as we ate. We listened to my grandmother talk about traditional foods, different ways of cooking, and it even brought up stories I had never heard before! It took years of planting the seeds, but finally, they bloomed.


I'll be posting the wonderful recipes from our holiday dinner here on my blog !

Happy Holidays & may the new year bring you all the health, joy, healing, & balance .



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