Owamni: Fostering Intentional Connections
A few notes before we begin:
As you begin reading, it is important to note that what began as a one time reflection of occupational therapy students engaged in occupations in our local area quickly revealed itself to be calling for more attention than one article could hold.
Currently, we plan to share this in at least a 3 part series of posts that allows the conversation and reflections to unfold in a way that creates more space to consider the content and what comes next.
This experience began in November as an occupation-based immersive experience into understanding the land, foods and people of this region with a goal of increasing a felt sense of the importance of recognizing how historical context influences individuals and communities.
In occupational therapy (OT) we are focused on the interaction between people and their environments, which includes the environments inside of us and around us at present time, as well as the historical context of environment, and the considerations of future environments to support wellness and healthy living. For this reason, it is especially important that future and current OT professionals understand the environments in which we live. When we realized there was an opportunity to share a meal and so much more at Owamni— it was clear, this was an experience we did not want to miss.
For now, we invite you to join us on our reflective journey and consider where to go from here.
Image description: Roasted sweet potato with Indigenous chile crisps and scallion at Owamni— a team favorite, so delicious we ordered a second plate to share.
A reflection authored by OTA student, Bailey Healy, and OTD students Cintia Blas and Momina Chaudhry. This is followed by a post script by OTR/L and blog founder, Kary Gillenwaters.
In November, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. This time is used to honor and acknowledge the rich histories, diverse cultures, and important contributions of Native people (American Antiquarian Society, 2022). Native American Heritage Month is also a time to raise a general awareness about the challenges Native people have faced both past and present, and how tribal citizens have worked to conquer these challenges. This year’s focus is “Revitalizing Indigenous Connections,” which reflects on how the history and culture of Indigenous people must be continually honored, maintained, and renewed with each generation.
As a group, we had the opportunity to experience a small piece of Native American culture at Owamni - By The Sioux Chef, an award-winning restaurant founded by Sean Sherman and Dana Thompson. Owamni is a full service modern indigenous restaurant located on the sacred Haha Wakpa (Mississippi) River in downtown Minneapolis. Owamni prioritizes purchasing ingredients from indigenous producers, and they do not use colonial ingredients such as wheat, dairy, cane sugar, pork or chicken (Owamni, 2022). Sean and his team have created a full sensory experience – food, music, and story – to deeply nourish everyone who visits to experience the true North American cuisine.
A New Experience with Culture
Culture is manifested in a person’s beliefs, values, attitudes, and daily activities (Chiang & Carlson, 2003), and is recognized by many of its elements, including its cuisine and traditions. Our visit to Owamni was a special event where we were able to experience the Native American culture in a way we had not experienced before. Our group shared different perspectives, feelings, and thoughts that stemmed from our first experience in this new environment, including the building itself, the food, and the people we were surrounded by.
Shortly after we were seated, it became clear to us that we were not only there to share a meal, we were also about to be immersed in a culture native to the land we inhabit – yet we felt as though we were foreigners. How can this be possible? This event taught us that sometimes when we connect with people from cultures other than our own, we start seeing our differences, something that sometimes might be seen as negative, but in reality, we are given a great opportunity to learn and expand our minds beyond our preconceptions and biases.
During our visit, the environment stirred our senses. New aromas awakened our curiosity, and as novel food textures started caressing our palates, we noticed the music playing in the background that transported us somewhere into nature; the thoughtful scenery of the restaurant left us feeling calm. We were taken out of our daily familiar context and put into a place that was new to us all and would prove deeply significant.
Preparing to share the experience
That day, we decided each of us would come back with our families and friends; we wanted to share with others the same feelings the environment elicited in us.
Perhaps, we wanted to prolong in ourselves this new, more intentional way of learning about Native American people and their culture that Owamni restaurant portrayed so well in every element that comprised it.
Image description: Compostable cup filled with food to bring back a taste to our families with a cup of hot herbal tea in an earthenware mug on a saucer behind it.
Reflecting and Taking Action
The profession of occupational therapy necessitates and encourages us to gain awareness of the many cultural perspectives we are surrounded by; we could achieve a fair amount of this by repeatedly entering and experiencing unfamiliar cultural spaces. With modern travel, people from all over the world move to our local communities for one reason or another, and there is a great need to become competent with and sensitive to one another’s culture. For clinicians of all kinds, this sort of cultural competence is essential if we are to provide care that is tailored to peoples’ needs and cultural contexts.
Owamni displays commitment to customer service in the same manner as OT professionals pledge to provide exceptional client-centered care. What moved us was the purpose in their existence and actions. Evident in the food they served, how they served it, and the atmosphere they created, the authenticity was undeniably impactful. Owamni’s purpose and veracity infiltrated the food to make it that much more nourishing, making us feel seen and cared for and imprinting our bodies and souls with an unforgettable experience. When we left, we felt physically and mentally nourished and inspired to urge others to partake in this experience. With a new sense of fulfillment, we move forward with a more intentional way to immerse ourselves in Native American culture.
A learning process – and perhaps more importantly, an unlearning process – needs to take place that can allow us to honor and show respect toward those who are Native to this land and pave the way for future generations where equality and justice are ubiquitous. Through sharing our personal experience, we aim to create awareness and spark curiosity in all our readers about the importance of immersing ourselves in a cultural environment other than our own.
A realization
Native Americans are native to this land - yet there are very few Indigenous restaurants. In the U.S. alone, there are 13,434 McDonald’s restaurants (Plc, 2021); in contrast, there are only 14 Native American restaurants across the United States. One would think that the indigenous foods of our land would be more commonly known to the people that inhabit it. This conversation deserves discussion in much more depth, along with topics such as the impact of occupational loss and deprivation on individuals and communities. These thoughts will be further explored in subsequent series of this article.
Image description: Sunbutter bar with toasted sunflower seeds, squash agave caramel, and seasonal edible flowers. The combination of flavors and textures was delightful. It reminded us that our appreciation of the flavors increased with each bite— and how enjoyable it is to eat nourishing food that invites connection with all our senses.
All together, we hope that sharing our experience will inspire others to engage in similar ventures with an open and inquisitive mind. As we promote the celebration of different cultures around the globe, we recognize the need to reconnect with the people who occupied this land before us. A place that has been carefully preserved from the addictive systems of society, Owamni reminds us that we are on Native land. Collectively, we can work together to advocate for widespread inclusion of Native American culture, including access to and consumption of nourishing Native American foods.
We encourage you to continue your reflection beyond this article by pondering on the following questions:
What traditional values are common to both modern American and the Native American culture?
How can we focus on these similarities to recognize and honor the centuries of resiliency displayed by Native Americans?
A post script note:
After we wrote this , we learned much of what we described about our experience is confirmed by the intentions and words of co-owner Dana Thompson. Thompson says it best when she refers to a menu that is “ironically foreign”. Given Owamni’s commitment to serve foods that are indigenous to this land (and barring foods that came to this country by colonial trade routes)— it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think we would be more familiar with the foods that are native to the area or prepared in long standing ways of cooking (Kerr, 2022). The fact that they are unfamiliar to many— ironically foreign may just be the best possible way to describe the foreign feeling described in these reflections.
It is easy to see how this is an award winning restaurant— a James Beard 2022 Best New Restaurant winner, in fact.
What we would want Dana Thompson and Sean Sherman to know— their unwavering commitment to tell the story with not just the food, but every interaction, every decision, the copy (menu and beyond), the vessels that serve the food, the way the team treats one another, and more— your ability to educate and engage in an enveloping storytelling is unparalleled. Perhaps, that is why for so many that realization comes out in the form of tears. There are no words.
Thompson describes the primary purpose as passive education. Respectfully, I wish to say it is experienced to me as immersive education— or from the perspective of an occupational therapist— an occupation-based immersive learning experience. To dine at Owamni, is an experience that captures the attention of all our senses. It allows the alignment of words and actions to remind our whole selves of what is possible. The intentionality is palpable, in every sense of the word.
As you have likely noticed, this story is not over. There is much more to acknowledge, consider, and restore.
Until next time—
Pilamayaye/Miigwech/Thank you, to the entire team of Owamni
and to you, dear readers.
References
Chiang, M., & Carlson, G. (2003). Occupational Therapy in Multicultural Contexts: Issues and Strategies. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66(12), 559–567. https://doi.org/10.1177/030802260306601204
Kerr, C. (2022, August), At the Owamni Restaurant, 'Passive Education' About Indigenous Culture Is on the Menu. Bar and Restaurant.com. Retrieved from: https://www.barandrestaurant.com/guest-experience/owamni-restaurant-passive-education-about-indigenous-culture-menu
Nipmuc Community, & American Antiquarian Society. (2022). Digitizing Early Nipmuc Histories from Colonial Documents. Reclaiming Heritage. Retrieved November 2022, from https://americananti
quarian.org/reclaimingheritage/
Owamni. (2022). https://owamni.com/
Plc, G. D. (2021). McDonald's: Number of restaurants in the US (2011 – 2021). GlobalData. Retrieved November 30, 2022, from https://www.globaldata.com/data-insights/foodservice/mcdonalds
-number-of-restaurants-in-the-us/#:~:text=Number%20of%20McDonald's%20Restaurants%20in%20the%20US%20(2011%20%2D%202021)&text=In%20the%20US%2C%20out%20of,restaurants%20located%20in%20the%20US.
