NUIFC Newsletter // Revolutionizing Farmers Markets
How Indigenous-led Farmers Markets Are Making a Difference
Interviews highlighting two indigenous Farmers’ Markets in Portland, Oregon & Minneapolis, Minnesota
When many people imagine Farmer Markets, the image they have in their mind rarely centers on the Indigenous perspectives or Native vendors. Luckily, two urban Indian non-profits, the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) in Portland, Oregon, and the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) in Minneapolis, Minnesota are fixing that by assuming management of their neighborhood’s farmers markets.
Both markets embody the idea of being Indigenous-led and community-driven while proving how Indigenous values can improve and grow the spaces by centering Native American values.
CULLY FARMERS MARKET
Found in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, the Cully Farmers Market runs every Thursday until the end of August. NAYA has always had a strong presence in the Cully neighborhood, with their current offices in the community for over a decade and helping open different affordable housing complexes for urban Native families in the area.
“We wanted to create a space for NAYA that is Indigenous-led,” says S.A Lawrence-Welch, the Native Marketplace Retail & Coordinator at NAYA. “As the original stewards of the land, we were always hosting but now we’re having this chance to take back that role of stewardship and create a space that is really focused on equity in a diverse neighborhood.”
To open the market to different vendors, NAYA has waived vendor fees, citing the challenges of creating an inclusive space while focusing on the extraction of fees. They also provide vendors with resources, such as tents, tables, and chairs. Building off this idea, the Cully Farmers Market has intentionally been reaching out to smaller vendors to ensure they can be included.
This strategy is bearing fruit, as many in the community talk about how much they’ve enjoyed the marketplace and how they’re excited to interact with so many new vendors. This sentiment is echoed by the vendors, especially the newer ones, who benefit from NAYA’s intentional effort to celebrate their work and products.
“There is enough room for everybody,” says Lawrence-Welch “It’s really becoming a place for the entire community to gather and we’re seeing how important it is, not just for the Indigenous and POC vendors but for the Cully community as a whole. It’s been really special.”
Get updates about the Cully Farmers Market from their social media channels!
FOUR SISTERS FARMERS MARKET
A weekly event that runs throughout the summer, the Four Sisters Farmers Market is run by NACDI and prides itself for being an Indigenous-focused farmers market working to provide access to affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate local foods within the American Indian Cultural Corridor.
“We aim to bring healthy and affordable indigenous food to the neighborhood,” says Destiny Jones, the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Coordinator/ Market Manager at the Four Sisters Farmers Market. “The neighborhoods have always had a bit of healthy food insecurity so a big goal of what we do is to help address that and educate people about how indigenous food can help them.”
Many of the vendors at the market have been longtime supporters of NACDI and the market and appreciate how they’re being supported. This includes waiving fees to keep it affordable, offering tents and chairs, and helping elders set up their spaces.
There has also been an intentional effort to build a sense of community at the market, including drum circles, live music, food demos, and more. They’ve also created an ability for vendors to accept SNAP benefits and launched a matching program that allows people that qualify to have their money matched to increase what they can buy.
“I want it to feel like a place you can always come to and feel like there is something for you,” says Jones. “You can utilize the resources but there is no sense of obligation, and you can still get something out of coming down.”
