Local Market Celebrates Native American Heritage Month With Community And Culture

ROGERS PARK, IL — Local grocery store Wild Onion Market, which serves both the Rogers Park and Evanston communities, is hosting a Celebration of community and culture for Native American Heritage Month.

The event, "Beyond the Gifts of the Three Sisters," will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday at the market at 7007 N. Clark St. Attendees can expect to experience hands-on workshops, community dialogue and storytelling and culinary highlights from Indigenous chef Cyndee Fox-Starr.

Fox-Starr told Patch that she has been incredibly busy this month with Native American Heritage Month events. She said she hopes Sunday's event will highlight and celebrate the importance of Indigenous people outside just one month.

"Our community is pretty much invisible within the city, and the only time anybody usually thinks of us is in November. I keep telling everybody we're Native all year round," Fox-Starr said.

The event grows out of a partnership with Wild Onion market and the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum in Evanston, American Indian Health Services, and the St. Kateri Center. The St. Kateri Center will be collecting food donations for its pantry as part of the event.

By centering the Three Sister, which are corn, beans and squash and are regarded as cornerstones of Indigenous agriculture, the event aims to underscore the dependence of people, land and nourishment.

Fox-Starr will prepare blueberry pudding, hominy and potentially some samples of Buffalo Wild Rice.

"Join us on November 16th to taste, hear, and experience the gifts of the Three Sisters and to celebrate the vibrant Indigenous heritage that enriches Chicago every day, event officials said.