Gather

 Sanjay Rawal (2020, U.S., 74 min.) + post-film discussion

Gather is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide.

Gather follows Nephi Craig, a chef from the White Mountain Apache Nation (Arizona), opening an indigenous café as a nutritional recovery clinic; Elsie Dubray, a young scientist from the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation (South Dakota), conducting landmark studies on bison; and the Ancestral Guard, a group of environmental activists from the Yurok Nation (Northern California), trying to save the Klamath river.

Communities in Gather utilize nature and foodways to overcome addiction, inequity, and injustice. These human-to-human and human-to-more-than-human interconnections further our theme of Mind Over Matter and help portray the linkages between nature, food, and society. As we work to reduce climate change and increase equity and resilience, foodways and sustainability will play a vital role.

In collaboration with this event, we are excited to announce that Chef Tawnya Brant—a Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) woman, Indigenous food sovereignty leader and restaurant owner, and recent Top Chef Canada contestant—will not only participate in the post-film panel but lead a variety of events on campus as a Showcase Speaker. Please visit https://sustainability.psu.edu/event/chef-tawnya-brant-at-penn-state/ to learn more about her time at Penn State! (Co-sponsored by the Ross Student Farm)

Following the film, we featured a discussion with a panel of experts on foodways and cultural resilience. The panelists included:

• Tawnya Brant; Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) woman, Indigenous food sovereignty leader, and restaurant owner
• Raymond Yan; Agricultural and Biorenewable Systems Management student at Penn State with an emphasis in food systems and agricultural sustainability
• Sylvie Alexander; Environmental Resource Management (ERM) student at Penn State with an emphasis on community-based participatory research (CBPR) and advancing sovereignty for Indigenous communities
• Martina Kernosh; Landscape Architecture student at Penn State passionate about food and cooking, as well as creating an equitable and sustainable future
• Jake Hohner (Moderator); Public Programming Intern, Penn State Sustainability