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Native America Calling: Commod Bods, a standout frybread stand and Afro-Indigenous mutual aid
Wednesday, February 25, 2026

The Menu: Commod Bods, a standout frybread stand, and Afro-Indigenous mutual aid in Minneapolis
Kasey Jernigan (Choctaw) interviewed and observed Choctaw women over a period of years about food and their relationships to it. She documents what she learned in those observations in her new book, “Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways and Indigeneity.” The book uses federal food and nutrition assistance as the jumping off point for an exploration of individual perceptions of food and colonial influences on Native health outcomes.

A quaint eatery in Arizona’s Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community is attracting attention over and above the dozens of other frybread stands that dot reservation roadsides across the country. The Stand was just named one of USA Today’s 2026 Restaurants of the Year. It’s built by the same person who makes the frybread dough and serves the soup in a decidedly rustic setting.

Marique B. Moss explores her Black and Indigenous identity in her poetic memoir, “Sweetgrass and Soul Food: A Memoir in Poems.” She is among the Native people offering support to residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the wake of the expanded immigration efforts from her space, Mashkiki Studios.

Guests on Native America Calling
Dr. Kasey Jernigan (Choctaw), assistant professor of American studies and anthropology at the University of Virginia and the author of “Commod Bods: Embodied Heritage, Foodways, and Indigeneity

Michael Washington (Pima and Maricopa), co-owner of The Stand on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona

Marique Moss (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara and Dakota), author, cultural educator and owner of Mashkiki Studios in Minnesota

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