Seva Foundation's First Annual Native American Health Fair

On June 2nd Seva Foundation held it's first annual Native American Health Fair in East Oakland. The purpose of this free event was to provide a culturally enriching experience to the Bay Area community while benefiting Native American communities in partnership with Seva Foundation. Our event reached a total of 154 community members, many of which identified as Native American (41%). 31% of participants were between the ages of zero and nine. 30 tribal affiliations were represented at the health fair. Activities included health screenings, a children's educational corner, Native fancy shawl and grass dance, Pit River Nation Native basket weaving, yoga, massage therapy, swimming and gardening. We were also very lucky to have opening Ohlone blessing by Luta Candelaria, music by Jeremy Goodfeather and All Nations Singers. Community organizations such as Intertribal Friendship House, American Indian Child Resource Center, Native American Health Center, People's Grocery, Alameda County Public Health Department and Rawality Project among others gave presentations on various health and well-being activities and initiatives. In addition many volunteers donated time and services to make "Healthy People, Healthy Cultures, Healthy Lands" possible. 

A shout out from Intertribal Friendship House's Carol Wahpepah

Happy Spring Everybody!

We want to relay a message from our long time community partners and friends in Oakland. Following is a short message on Intertribal Friendship House’s 56th year anniversary and an invitation to an upcoming event from Executive Director Carol Wahpepah:

Hi All and Thank You! We wrapped up 2011 with an amazing party! We cooked wild rice, lamb stew, green chili stew, buffalo stew and barbecue salmon. We also used greens in our salad from the garden. It was a great meal and a successful effort to incorporate traditional foods for our community. We even used tortillas instead of fry bread to help reduce heavy oils in the meal.

In celebrating our anniversary we also honored the passing of a very important Choctaw woman from Oklahoma named Alice Carnes. She was among the first people on the board of Intertribal Friendship House and was instrumental in getting this institution started.

Don’t feel bad if you missed out on IFH’s anniversary because we have another one coming up. It’s our 13th anniversary celebration for Medicine Warriors Dance Troupe/All Nations Singers. Be sure to attend the 5th Annual Round Dance and Traditional Potluck Feast next weekend at 4PM on January 28th. Come by for healthy foods, Native vendors and music!

For more information:

http://ifhurbanrez.org/assets/pdf/2012/FlyerRoundDanceMWAN2.pdf

Proudly sharing our new video!

Communications colleague, Joe Raffanti helped create our awesome video, Healthy Harvests-Seva's Native American Community Health Program. Enjoy!

Produced for Seva's Native American Community Health program by Bonney Hartley.
Edited by Joe Raffanti.
Music by Jeremy Goodfeather.

Thank you for an amazing Healthy Harvests event!

Hi All!

We're happy to report that our Healthy Harvests event on World Diabetes Day, November 14th at the David Brower Center event in Berkeley was successful. Over a hundred people were present to participate in our silent auction, movie screening and discussion. Insightful dialogue was exchanged by keynote speakers, Michael Bird and Brahm Ahmadi. The relationship of systemically oppressed food regions and Native American communities, were explored in connection to Seva's partners healthy living and entrepreneurial food practices.

Our secondary goal of financial success was also achieved. We successfully stayed within our budgeted expense goal while exceeding our revenue goal by 15%.

Also here's a photo album to enjoy!

Thank you!

Key note speaker: Michael Bird

Wild, Foraged & Indigenous Foods at Ecology Center Farmers' Markets on Saturday September 24

Dear Friends,

I want to invite you all to be a part of our event in partnership with Ecology Center Farmers' Markets on Saturday September 24. The theme will be Wild, Foraged & Indigenous Foods and will include a Native traditional foods tasting & presentation. Come out and learn about indigenous health knowledge with virtual stories from Seva's Native American Community Health partners and enjoy a tasting of seasonally harvested salmon and berry jams from an Inupiaq food project in Alaska. Below is the flier for the event, mark your calendars!

Have a great weekend!
NACH Team

NACH/Intertribal Friendship House Eye Screening

News on the Latest Native American Philanthropy Funding Report

Native American Philanthropy has made large efforts to empower Native communities through philanthropic practices, making us a proud partner. Recently, they have published a funding report in conjunction with the Foundation center with shocking information.

Native American Philanthropic funding has slipped from 0.5% of total overall grant dollars to 0.3% as of 2009-- with Native American health amongst those receiving the fewest funding!


Our NACH program is committed to lessening the gap and has taken steps to relieving funding obstacles. Ana has created a Native Philanthropy Directory as a means to share more resources to those seeking grants. Stay tuned for this directory to be published on the website!

For more information on Native American Philanthropy and Foundation Center's report, check out: http://www.nativephilanthropy.org/news/foundation_funding_native_american_issues_and_people

New NACH Faces

Since May of this year U.C. Berkeley School of Public Health graduates, Colleen Lynch and Lauren Baehner joined Seva's Native American Community Health Program as invaluable evaluation team members. We recently came back from South Dakota where Lauren worthily proved herself in gathering numbers and stories among our partners on Ihanktonwan tribal land and gardens.

Collen Lynch who has been steadily spending hours among our local Oakland partner, Intertribal Friendship House will be leaving shortly to assist in documentation of Ilinniagvik Attautchikun cultural activities at Camp Qalhaq, 12 miles north of Kotzebue on the Noatak River in north west Alaska. We wish her good luck on her travels!

Meet our newest edition, Tamara Joy from Albany New York. She has come in through a masters program at Brandeis University where she is studying sustainable international development. She's also off to visit our partner in Alaska alongside Colleen Lynch and Bonney Hartley, NACH program manager. We hope Tamara enjoys her 8 month stay!