Covering Indian Country Blog

Notes from the Road

The ugly truth about frybread

I have had such a rude awakening about frybread. I said earlier that I associate it with tribal meals because it was so prevalent at Swinomish events.

The first time I had it was at the Earth Day celebration in 2003. I wasn’t even there as a reporter. (I so rarely eat when reporting anyway, because it’s hard to eat and write—or talk). A reporter from an area weekly asked if I’d ever had it and told me it was good. I was surprised to see so many people pile more than one piece of the fattening carb on their plates.

It was basically a donut that wasn’t sweet and yes, it was very good.

But since the first day of the seminar, when I so joyfully ate the frybread at the National Museum of the American Indian, not a day has gone by that someone hasn’t brought it up. And not in a good way.

What I’ve learned is that frybread is not part of the traditional diet, but rather a byproduct of colonizing Indians and giving them nothing but flour and lard.

One of our speakers, Suzanne Shown Harjo, wrote about getting rid of frybread in this article, and it caused such a stir, several other speakers have brought it up, not realizing we’d met Harjo.

Harjo was even a speaker on a Native America Calling radio show about frybread.

“Frybread has killed more of my people than the U.S. government,” radio host Patty Talahongva said.

Everyone curious about frybread had their chance to eat it Friday at the Diné Café Quality Inn Navajo Nation Capital (its full name). Our lunch options were mutton stew, beef stew, Navajo sandwich, Navajo taco, Navajo burger and Navajo vegetarian burrito.

“Navajo” meant on frybread.

--Kari Neumeyer, The Olympian (Olympia, WA)

Posted on 03.13.05 at 11:01 PM by Kari Neumeyer, The Olympian (Olympia, WA)

Comments:

Comment from Wickwire on 07.13.05:

Interesting.  I hate the stuff myself.  I’m always surprised how much people like it, as if they HAD to it seemed.

Comment from Carolyn Law on 08.22.05:

I came across an article on the fry bread issue and it struck a cord with me.  I am black and for generations we had embraced “soul food” as our cultural heritage food.  After learning about history one realizes that the foods we eat are more than likely an adaptive measure to survive.  In our case, slaves we given the leftovers from the owners, which consisted of meal, pork by- products and lard.  Some slaves could grow their own vegetables.  It is the use of lard and the high salt content that has been the death of blacks for a long time.  Instead of attacking the messenger, the next step should be taken.  I eat healthier and it has not diminished the fact that I am still black.  I understand that a lot of what gives one their cultural identity consists of religion, cutlural traditions and food.  We’ve had some wonderful cooks develop healthy “Soul Food” cookbooks, so that one can enjoy even “slave food” if one so desires without it killing you eventually.