Native America Calling: “A Feather and a Fork” cookbook and preserving ooligan

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Native America Calling

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Native America Calling: “A Feather and a Fork” cookbook and preserving ooligan

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

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The Menu: “A Feather and a Fork” cookbook and preserving ooligan (smelt fish)

Kickapoo chef Crystal Wahpepah documents the intertribal flavors and characteristics of contemporary Native American cuisine and her upbringing in Oakland, California, in her debut cookbook, “A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior.”

Crystal Wahpepah participates in a cooking demonstration at the White House Tribal Youth Forum in Washington, D.C., on November 14, 2022. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Woven through the recipes and gorgeous food photos, Wahpepah gives readers and cooks a tour of her acclaimed restaurant, Wahpepah’s Kitchen. She also presents Oakland Native food sovereignty initiatives, along with poignant personal and cultural stories that ingredients and flavors hold.

“A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior” by Crystal Wahpepah with Amy Paige Condon (Rodale Books 2026)

Near the end of winter, ooligan (eulachon or smelt), a small oily fish, would come rushing up rivers by the millions in the Pacific Northwest, according to historical accounts and elders’ stories.

Today, ooligan are listed as a threatened species with sporadic springtime runs that more often do not support subsistence fishing. Tune in to hear from the Nuxalk Nation in British Columbia about their ooligan studies and restoration, and from fishermen in Metlakatla, Alaska, about this spring’s ooligan haul.

Guests on Native America Calling

Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo), chef and owner of Wahpepah’s Kitchen and author of “A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior”

Cindy Wagner (Tsimshian and Haida), fisherman in Alaska

Louie Wagner (Tsimshian and Tlingit), fisherman from the Metlakatla Indian Community in Alaska and representative on the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission

Jason Moody (Nuxalk), Nuxalk fisheries and wildlife planning coordinator and owner of Nan Adventure Tours in British Columbia, Canada