Winnebago Tribe celebrates opening of farmers market on reservation

Friday, August 30, 2019  

Winnebago residents know where to find Cassie Kitcheyan’s Native arts and craft supplies shop.

Right across from the school, just off the highway.

Kitcheyan said she’s hopeful a lot more people will know where to find her shop following the Saturday opening of a new farmers’ market on the Winnebago Reservation in Nebraska. As one of the vendors who sold her products at the farmers’ market, she was able to inform dozens of potential customers how to find her shop.

“While we were at the market, it was a great time to tell them that we actually have a store in town,” she said. “We were able to direct them and even tell them our store hours.”

The Village Market is a 4,644-square-foot indoor farmers’ market on the north edge of Winnebago that offers space for farmers and other vendors to sell their products, including sweet corn, popcorn, arts and crafts. The Winnebago Tribe officially opened the market on Saturday.

The market’s grand opening included free food – 200 buffalo burgers, 200 cheeseburgers and 200 hot dogs – music by Winnebago drum group Hu-Jop Singers, face-painting, a magic show and an honoring event for two key supporters of the Village Market and the tribe’s agricultural efforts.

The tribe honored Dr. Ed Spevak of the Saint Louis Zoo and his wife Mary with a star quilt.

Aaron LaPointe, business manager for Ho-Chunk Farms, said Spevak has provided seeds for raised garden beds distributed to tribal citizens and donated nearly $3,000 worth of fruit trees for a tribal garden.

“We were able to recognize him for all his efforts in helping us in our with our food sovereignty efforts here in the community,” LaPointe said.

The tribe also honored Lance Morgan – president and CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., the tribe’s economic development corporation – for his support of the Village Market. The tribe gave Morgan a plaque with a picture of the Village Market.

“He really had a huge role in in the idea of developing a farmers’ market and understanding what the benefits of it would be,” LaPointe said.

And, of course, the grand opening event featured vendors, and Village Market organizers were even able to sign up four new vendors.

“There were tons families. We had kids’ activities going on,” LaPointe said. “It was just that real sense of community we’re trying to develop with this farmers’ market.”

The Village Market was paid for through a tribal community development fund, Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation, federal U.S. Department of Agriculture funds and Ho-Chunk Inc.

Vincent Bass, coordinator for the market, said it will help encourage tribal members to grow their own gardens and share their produce with others.

The tribe’s food sovereignty efforts include an initiative to establish small food-related businesses, such as farmers, value-added producers, traditional artisans, crafters and service vendors. The tribe also plans to connect those small business owners with loan capital, business planning and technical assistance.

Bass, 67, said he remembers when nearly everyone in Winnebago had a garden and children were expected to help tend those gardens. Harvest feasts were common back then, he said.

“In the last couple generations, we lost that,” he said.

He said Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago plans to host gardening, harvesting and canning classes in the coming months. Efforts to encourage food production and processing will help reduce soaring rates of obesity and diabetes on the reservation, he said.

“As a community, we’re really trying to improve our health,” he said.

He said the tribe is planning to establish a community garden next year. In the meantime, food and other vendors will continue offering fresh produce and other products at the Village Market every Saturday from 1-6 p.m.

Vendors like Cassie Kitcheyan.

She said the Village Market will reduce the tribe’s reliance on outside communities for food.

“The Village Market provides that opportunity for local people to buy from other local people instead of driving all the way to Sioux City (Iowa),” she said.

“It’s also important because it provides that opportunity for local artists and farmers to showcase what they have and help them maybe supplement some of their income.”

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